Epic. It’s a word that’s frequently misused, describing any film with a three-hour running time and a handful of CGI battle scenes, yet another lazy Tolkien-esque fantasy saga, or a forty-hour RPG that drags on at least thirty hours too long. It is, however, the best word to describe Assassin’s Creed 3. This is the biggest, boldest and most ambitious Assassin’s Creed yet, with a story spanning two eras and over thirty crucial years of American history, and action ranging through bustling cities, hostile wilderness and the open sea. It has war, intrigue, espionage, ancient mysteries and beings from an earlier civilization, yet tackles themes like patriotism, paternity, colonialism, persecution and violence that will strike much closer to home. None of this means that it’s the best Assassin’s Creed, but you can’t mark it down for not trying.
Assassin's Creed 3 - An American Revolution
This time the tale of modern Assassin Desmond Miles and the continuing battle between the Brotherhood and the Templars frames the story of a half English/Mohawk warrior, Ratonhnhakéton, who eventually becomes known under the more managable Connor Kenway. To tell you too much would be to spoil the twists and turns of the plot. Suffice to say that it begins before Connor’s birth and takes in the full scope of the American Revolution, with America’s founding fathers taking the cameo roles adopted by Da Vinci, the Borgias, Machiavelli and the Medici in the Ezio trilogy. The action flits between the Boston, New York and a fictionalized Massachusetts frontier encompassing the towns of Charlestown, Lexington and Concord, with interludes in the modern day and naval encounters in the North East coast. It makes even Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, with its enormous Rome setting, seem unambitious.
