Gamespot is running a four-part series that takes a look inside Assasin's Creed III. The current video–the second in the series–focuses on the combat.
The developers talk about how it was important for them to relay the idea that the conflict depicted in the game was “brutal.” This means that some of the gruesome moves that you’ll be able to perform have a solid reason for existing, and aren’t completely violence-porn. Woo!
The time period also lends itself well when it comes to having a variety of interesting weapons–like muskets. Did you know that musket balls are more than twice as big as bullets used nowadays? And naturally, there’s a bayonet at the end of that gun. The killing, then, tends to be very ‘personal.’
In general, this is a theme in ACIII. “It’s much more close and aggressive,” the developers explain.
Given Connor’s background, it’s unsurprising that he has a bow and arrow. The video shows him hunting. Though more interesting than that is having the ability to hang your enemies. Yikes.
Combat also looks fast and fluid, as you can transfer from enemy to enemy without missing a beat. Also present are meatshields–which provide the player with a tactical option to defend themselves.
Also present is “guerilla style” warfare, where you hit quickly and dissapear: meaning, it’s perfect for a fast and sneaky assasin. These tactics were disliked by British forces, since the Americans lifted them from the Native Americans.
The next episode on the Gamespot series will be looking closer at Connor, the protagonist of the title. Given the games' focus on the historial aspect of what it is depicting, we can probably expect the episode to be fascinating.
