Exclusive Preview: Assassin's Creed III at Ubisoft Singapore

We recently got invited to the studios of Ubisoft Singapore for a sneak preview of what’s to come with Assassin’s Creed III. We were also told to clam up about some parts, so here are the parts we can reveal.

To start you off, here’s what you may or may not already know. Assassin’s Creed III will feature the half-English, half-Native American Assassin, Connor Kenway, fighting alongside the Americans during the American Revolutionary War against the British in 1783. Up to speed? Okay.

Setting
Ah ha. We did say American Revolutionary War, but we didn’t say where. Assassin’s Creed III will span 30 years of Connor’s life during his journey across several parts of Colonial America, including places like Boston, New York, the battlefields of Bunker Hill and the open landscapes of the Frontier, which is 1.5x larger than Rome from Brotherhood.

We’ve seen the leaked screens where Connor sets foot in a snowy landscape, and he does. All the seasons of the year will be laid out prominently in game as the game progresses, but winter is a particularly intriguing one. Connor will get slowed down trudging through thick layers of snow, which also makes a pretty canvas for the red of blood from enemies.

Movement
All-new animation have been forged for Connor’s new parkour skills. The action took place mainly in the battlefield, so that means forests and lots of trees and mountains. Oh yes. Connor can navigate through them as easily as Ezio did buildings. Mountains have a more realistic feel in a way that you don’t see the conveniently located carvings into the mountain to climb onto.

Connor is also now capable of free-running across moving horsecarts and cutting through buildings through open windows to escape his pursuers. The preview even had Connor ninja his way among tree branches before dropping into a passing wagon of hay.

Weapons and Combat
No longer just city guards, Assassin’s Creed has the British colonial military. A proper organised military. The new engine allows over 2000 NPCs to appear on screen at any given time for the true battlefield war feel. So how will Connor take them all out?

Ubisoft didn’t leave him unprepared. Connor has access to the hidden blade, pistols, a bow and arrow and the signature Assassin’s tomahawk. A new addition to Connor’s weaponry is the rope dart, capable of unleashing towards unsuspecting enemies that sends them flying up a tree and incapacitating them there. He can also dual-wield weapons, so you could, say, ambush a group of soldiers, shoot one with one hand and remodel the face of another with the other hand to devastating effect.

Players can now perform Running Assassinations, fighting their way through enemies and making use of the dual-wielding system before dealing the final blow on his assassination target.

NPCs and crowd control
Stepping into town and mixing with the general population, Connor will meet the new and improved non-player characters, all of whom will react towards each other. The general population will also include children and animals, like domesticated dogs and wild bears. That’s right. BEARS. Connor can attack and be attacked by angry wildlife, just like reality.

Side mission-giving NPCs will no longer be stationary information booths, so you gotta move around if you want to find them. There was one particular scenario where a lady dropped a crate of apples, inviting an NPC thief to nab one and run off, which really makes the population feel more alive.

Closing Details
Ubisoft also revealed that Assassin’s Creed III will have multiplayer, with more details to follow in the coming months, as well as confirming its presence on Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and Windows PC.

It is also very worth noting that Ubisoft Singapore is a major part of the production crew building Assassin’s Creed III under Ubisoft Montreal. Oh yeah. Home-crafted Assassin’s Creed games, baby.

Assassin’s Creed III is officially bound for an October 30th release in North America. Stick with us for more of Assassin’s Creed III on robotsgonebad.