Experience The Boston Massacre in Assassin’s Creed 3
Ubisoft Showcases America’s Breaking Point
by Nicholas Laborde
©2012 Nicholas Laborde
I’d go so far as to say that right now it’s a time of political turmoil for the United States of America.
Well, somewhat. We have the drawdown of our war effort in the Middle East. The battle for Obama’s health care is still raging. Our Presidential election occurs on November 6, and it’s arguably one of the most important ones in decades.
Assassin’s Creed 3 is one of the year’s most anticipated titles, vying for supremacy only a week before Microsoft encourages a new generation of voters to not partake in their civil duties by picking up Halo 4 instead of voting for our next President.
In accordance with our own “turmoil” and Independence Day (known more commonly as the 4th of July), Ubisoft have released a brand new trailer ‘mysteriously’ entitled “4th of July.”
The trailer was filled with hidden gems, and one major item stuck out to me.
After doing a bit of cross-referencing, I can confirm that one of America’s most historical events will unfold before the eyes of the player in Assassin’s Creed 3.
Those dastardly Brits
On March 5, 1770, one of the most infamous events in American history occurred: The Boston Massacre.
Eight British soldiers fired their muskets into a crowd of several hundred civilians, instantly killing three and wounding several others.
All of this took place near the Old State House, in Boston, Massachusetts.
To make a long story short, a misunderstanding between a soldier and a colonist led to a very public dispute, eventually causing the soldier to call in seven additional men for backup.
By the time that backup had arrived, a large crowd had formed and begun to egg on the soldiers, who had to endure snowballs being thrown at them and an increasingly angry and daring crowd yelling “Fire!”. The commanding officer assured that there would be no firing unless he gave the order, which he did not intend to do.
A thrown object struck one of the soldiers, causing him to drop his musket. After angrily picking it up and fiddling with it, he yelled, “Damn you, fire!” and discharged his musket into the crowd. Without any orders, the rest of the line haphazardly fired into the crowd, causing mass chaos.
The event was forever solidified into American history in the form of a propaganda engraving by none other than Paul Revere.
Yes, the supposed famous rider yelling the line “The British are coming, the British are coming!” when the British began their march to the towns of Lexington and Concord to seize a weapons stockpile that the colonists were holding on to. (He would have actually sneakily gone from house to house to tell supporters that ‘the patriots are coming’ as everyone was British, but don’t let some rewritten history bother you.)
Fire!
If you take a look, at approximately 0:43 into the trailer, you can see four soldiers standing in formation outside of what appears to be a regular house with the British flag flying.
But, if you take a closer look, the house that they appear to be standing in front of matches near-perfectly with the house they are standing in front of in Revere’s famous engraving.
Although the Old State House is not visible, this is a clear indicator of the events that will unfold at this location.
If that’s not proof enough, the scene then immediately changed to a crowd that appears to be distressed, with the camera centering on a man in blue. That man, my friends, is Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave who was one of the three people killed when the British fired into the crowd.
If you take a look at the wiki page, I’d say it’s very clear that the man in the trailer is Attucks, and that this does, in fact, show that not only will the Boston Massacre appear in Assassin’s Creed 3, but that we will be able to watch it unfold.
Considering that the game takes place from 1753-1783, and that it’s one of the key events in igniting the revolution, this comes as no surprise.
4th of July Trailer
Hopefully they shrug it off…
It’s great to see that Ubisoft are taking great care of the American Revolution, and to see that they are adhering to each individual detail.
Personally, I can’t wait to see the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Regardless, Assassin’s Creed 3 is looking to be absolutely fantastic.
Can’t wait for the game? Check out our preview here.
You can pick up Assassin’s Creed 3 on October 30, 2012 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
©2012 Nicholas Laborde
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