[Stephen Carter]

AVForums take a sneaky look at Assassins Creed 3

If you weren’t already hyped up for a refreshing new Assassins Creed this year then AVForums is going to make you that little bit more excited after having a quick nosey into the world of new protagonist Connor Kenway.

After being treated to three demo sections, it is fair to say that the Assassins Creed series is back on form. Parts of these demos have been seen online already but seeing them first hand gives you grounds to judge the game properly.

First, what looked like an opening sequence was played which showed protagonist Connor running through a snow-covered forest full of wild deer. The sequence showed Connor leaping from tree to tree, in pursuit of the creatures shortly before taking shelter amongst the long grass and picking one of them off. The mission ended after a short but sweet face-off with a pack of wolves and a trip to the local village to sell the venison he had collected.

What was clear from this sequence was how the fight mechanics were more free-flowing and allowing much more creativity and freedom in how you killed your adversaries. In a Red Dead Redemption style, it looks like the game will also feature wild animals for you to hunt and take ‘trophys’ from.

After our time spent in the woods, it was time to head into town and infiltrate a Templar-controlled fortress. The new blending system worked excellently even with a lack of crowds to jump in the middle of, whilst peeking round corners was also a neat new feature. The staple courtesans look like they will play another major role in distracting guards and luring people to their untimely death in the form of an axe to the neck.

Whilst there was some scepticism about the lack of objects to climb and interact with our demonstration was filled with buildings to climb, objects to pick up and use and places to hide and dive through in order to escape. What’s more the new engine looked top notch and handled all the textures and NPCs well with the environment keeping up to speed with the hastiest of retreats.

It seemed that the best of the demos was held till last as the final sequence showcased Ubisoft’s new mechanic; naval warfare. It was said that these sections will make up around 10% of the final game and will not be just a side-piece that will be instantly forgotten. After seeing them first-hand, we’re seriously hoping this is the case as it looked pretty cool handling your own ship and commanding your shipmates to open fire on enemy vessels.

Even more exciting is how the new dynamic weather system works which changes things completely. Enemies will duck into the wind to get around you quicker or ride behind increasingly large waves to take temporary shelter behind. Of course, the elements are also there for you to manipulate in your favour and these sections are set to be the home of classic naval face-offs.

It’s clear that the three years spent in development has paid off for Assassins Creed 3 and the scale of the game looks huge. From zipping up and down trees in an attempt to pursue your foes or trudging through knee-deep snow (which hinders your movements) it will take you a fair few hours before you have seen everything the game has to offer.

If this wasn’t on your radar already then make sure you change that. Trust me, it’s not going to disappoint.