Found this one way more interesting and engaging than the main game.
It's got a stronger alt-history premise and introduces new mechanics that actually switch up gameplay. The player is given gameplay options that are actually dramatic, unlike the main game where you miss out on nothing when ignoring like 90% of your tools. Additionally the pacing is vastly improved and doesn't slog nearly as much, all characters feel a bit more focused and mostly everyone has more meaningful things to do.
Unfortunately, just like the main game Conor has no chance to show a shred of personality and generally continues just being this dumb good guy character with middle-school level philosophy, just as we see in the main missions of the main game. It is boggling how they created such a layered character only to dumb him down in every main piece of content.
I find it puzzling this dlc is looked back on so negatively when it offers some legitimately interesting switch ups from the absolute monotony of the main game. It's solid!
If you wanna see my rankings as I go through the series, click here.
It's got a stronger alt-history premise and introduces new mechanics that actually switch up gameplay. The player is given gameplay options that are actually dramatic, unlike the main game where you miss out on nothing when ignoring like 90% of your tools. Additionally the pacing is vastly improved and doesn't slog nearly as much, all characters feel a bit more focused and mostly everyone has more meaningful things to do.
Unfortunately, just like the main game Conor has no chance to show a shred of personality and generally continues just being this dumb good guy character with middle-school level philosophy, just as we see in the main missions of the main game. It is boggling how they created such a layered character only to dumb him down in every main piece of content.
I find it puzzling this dlc is looked back on so negatively when it offers some legitimately interesting switch ups from the absolute monotony of the main game. It's solid!
If you wanna see my rankings as I go through the series, click here.
EU copy played on a PlayStation 3 Super Slim.
This is by far a more enjoyable experience than Assassin's Creed III but it only earns that respect through the lens and context of the base game. It's a lot shorter for example, without all the unnecessary bloat and filler, and thus has a much more streamlined narrative. This is essentially a What If...? tale (or Elseworlds if you're DC-inclined) that takes the initial backdrop of the early American Colonies that ACIII did and turns it on it's head, all while keeping within continuity somehow. But it still has a lot of the old frustrations whilst managing to add new ones.
The gameplay is fun if a little tiring at times. Connor (or Ratonhnhaké:ton as he goes by since the events are different) never leaves a notorious state with the guards, meaning they'll attack him within seconds of spotting him. This works out fine in the first episode which takes place in the Frontier, with big open spaces to avoid conflict but it becomes increasingly harder in the following episodes where conflict is completely unavoidable at times. This isn't helped by what seems to be a huge spike in the AI's difficulty, causing waves of guards to appear, loss of attention taking at least five times that required in the base game and attacks to not be telegraphed with the little red triangles, meaning the game won't let you counter and you get hit. The animations involved also seem to be quite buggy, resulting in a lot of executions or counter animatics unsyncing with the actors involved. It feels very sloppy overall and while the increase in difficulty seems fun at first, none of your weapons feel as though they have differing attack stats so it falls into standard ACIII patterns of block-attack or block-counter-attack.
This is where the gameplay has its biggest draw - the animal spirit powers. This feels very much like Ubisoft was testing the waters for a possible branch in the franchise with these abilities because not only are they well-designed, they're also really fun to use and change the way gameplay feels entirely to the point where I played through the entirety of the later episodes with purely the tomahawk and totem powers.
The story itself then is an entertaining twist on AC3 - the same things roughly happen but their reasoning and involved characters can differ wildly and through that perspective is what kept it so interesting to me. But the same issues with bland and forgettable characters still persist here, even if ones like Washington and Ratonhnhaké:ton's mother and friend do get more screen time and abit of added depth.
Honestly probably the best part of this DLC is the new music, which manages to be more memorable than the majority of music in the base game.
All in all, if you've already played ACIII then I recommend checking out this DLC - it almost feels like the superior version of the original game, and I'd be curious to see what the franchise would be like today if it went down this path instead. It freshens the characters, setting and gameplay up whilst keeping within a comfortable length too, but I'll be honest in saying I'm not sure what those who haven't played the original game itself would get out of this.
This is by far a more enjoyable experience than Assassin's Creed III but it only earns that respect through the lens and context of the base game. It's a lot shorter for example, without all the unnecessary bloat and filler, and thus has a much more streamlined narrative. This is essentially a What If...? tale (or Elseworlds if you're DC-inclined) that takes the initial backdrop of the early American Colonies that ACIII did and turns it on it's head, all while keeping within continuity somehow. But it still has a lot of the old frustrations whilst managing to add new ones.
The gameplay is fun if a little tiring at times. Connor (or Ratonhnhaké:ton as he goes by since the events are different) never leaves a notorious state with the guards, meaning they'll attack him within seconds of spotting him. This works out fine in the first episode which takes place in the Frontier, with big open spaces to avoid conflict but it becomes increasingly harder in the following episodes where conflict is completely unavoidable at times. This isn't helped by what seems to be a huge spike in the AI's difficulty, causing waves of guards to appear, loss of attention taking at least five times that required in the base game and attacks to not be telegraphed with the little red triangles, meaning the game won't let you counter and you get hit. The animations involved also seem to be quite buggy, resulting in a lot of executions or counter animatics unsyncing with the actors involved. It feels very sloppy overall and while the increase in difficulty seems fun at first, none of your weapons feel as though they have differing attack stats so it falls into standard ACIII patterns of block-attack or block-counter-attack.
This is where the gameplay has its biggest draw - the animal spirit powers. This feels very much like Ubisoft was testing the waters for a possible branch in the franchise with these abilities because not only are they well-designed, they're also really fun to use and change the way gameplay feels entirely to the point where I played through the entirety of the later episodes with purely the tomahawk and totem powers.
The story itself then is an entertaining twist on AC3 - the same things roughly happen but their reasoning and involved characters can differ wildly and through that perspective is what kept it so interesting to me. But the same issues with bland and forgettable characters still persist here, even if ones like Washington and Ratonhnhaké:ton's mother and friend do get more screen time and abit of added depth.
Honestly probably the best part of this DLC is the new music, which manages to be more memorable than the majority of music in the base game.
All in all, if you've already played ACIII then I recommend checking out this DLC - it almost feels like the superior version of the original game, and I'd be curious to see what the franchise would be like today if it went down this path instead. It freshens the characters, setting and gameplay up whilst keeping within a comfortable length too, but I'll be honest in saying I'm not sure what those who haven't played the original game itself would get out of this.
Absolute unfinished piss. A cool concept utterly squandered.
A lot of cool ideas in this DLC, but the main pitfall is that the combat is so heavily emphasized in it that you sort of get sick of it completely by the end of it, even though it is fairly short. Pretty much no side content, none worth doing anyway.
The issue with the combat specifically is that you don't just have to fight a group in front of you if you get into combat, for some reason every bluecoat within a 50m radius suddenly knows that you're there and you're stuck fighting for around 3 minutes, and the enemies are the same enemies always, not even changed from the base game.
The powers you get help, but because they are reliant on your health it really depends on the risk vs. reward of using it to get out of a situation. Usually you'll use them to run, cuz you don't want to do the combat.
The visuals are very interesting here, you really do get the feeling of brutality in the atmosphere and the presentation of locations you've already seen in the base game, and Washington's "construction project" is a fairly entertaining addition to New York.
Story is fine. Decent ending. Decent missions. Good concept. No idea why Jefferson was in this and not the base game, but I digress. I still think the base game is better in that there's a good variety of gameplay and side missions, but this is a decent enough addition to the game anyways.
The issue with the combat specifically is that you don't just have to fight a group in front of you if you get into combat, for some reason every bluecoat within a 50m radius suddenly knows that you're there and you're stuck fighting for around 3 minutes, and the enemies are the same enemies always, not even changed from the base game.
The powers you get help, but because they are reliant on your health it really depends on the risk vs. reward of using it to get out of a situation. Usually you'll use them to run, cuz you don't want to do the combat.
The visuals are very interesting here, you really do get the feeling of brutality in the atmosphere and the presentation of locations you've already seen in the base game, and Washington's "construction project" is a fairly entertaining addition to New York.
Story is fine. Decent ending. Decent missions. Good concept. No idea why Jefferson was in this and not the base game, but I digress. I still think the base game is better in that there's a good variety of gameplay and side missions, but this is a decent enough addition to the game anyways.
what the fuck
what
Gostei muito, muito mas muito melhor que o jogo base em todos os aspectos
not a fan
POCOLOCCO ASSS DLC
Best AC DLC hands down, fight me.
It adds 3 interesting powers that seem like a precursor to Assassin's Creed Odyssey's wild takes on magical abilities, but it cannot break free of the mold that is Assassin's Creed III. No matter what it tries, I am constantly reminded by how much of a jank the original game was to control.
В этом дополнении рассказывается альтернативная реальность. На деревню Могавков никогда не нападали, Гадзидзио не убивали, а Радунхагейду никогда не становился ассасином и не получал своего западного имени.
1783 год. Коннор Кенуэй сидел ночью у костра во Фронтире, когда Джордж Вашингтон разыскал его и рассказал ему о своей таинственной находке, «Яблоке Эдема», о том, что его начали терзать странные видения, которым он не в силах сопротивляться, и которых боится. Вашингтон решил передать «яблоко» Коннору, однако когда тот прикоснулся к артефакту, произошла вспышка яркого света и «яблоко» породило альтернативную реальность, в которой было все не так, в которой Джордж Вашингтон безжалостный король-тиран. И чтобы вернуться обратно, Радунхагейду придется сразиться с королем-тираном и забрать у него "яблоко".
Геймплей DLC похож и в то же время имеет несколько отличий от оригинальной игры. Фронтир представлен мрачным местом, где правит Бенедикт Арнольд, в Бостоне правит Израэль Патнэм. Джордж Вашингтон, который правит в Нью-Йорке, держит их под контролем при помощи Посоха Эдема. В эпизодах есть несколько видов дополнительных заданий — нападение на караван, помощь голодающим и спасение мирных жителей от синих мундиров и от волков. Все они скучные и неинтересные. Также имеются артефакты воспоминаний, пережитых Коннором в реальности. У Коннора появляются сверхспособности, которые он получает после того, как выпил чай из коры Великой Ивы. Пройдемся по этим способностям. Сила Медведя — позволяет создавать мощную ударную волну, способную разом уничтожить целую толпу окруживших героя врагов или даже уничтожить некоторые постройки. Но она отнимает у нас здоровье. Сила Волка — позволяет приобретать маскировку волка, которая дарует ему полную невидимость на поле боя Сила Орла - позволяет незаметно и быстро перемещаться на небольшие расстояния. Как и Сила Волка, отнимает здоровье Радунхагейду, количество зависит от расстояния полета. Стая волков - эта способность позволяет вызывать спиритических волков, которые убивают ближайших врагов.
В этом DLC есть самый большой минус – это то, что здесь постоянно нужно сражаться с врагами, от них просто не продохнуть. Также они вас замечают на очень большой дистанции. Из-за этого к концу этого DLC боевая система очень сильно надоедает. Здесь практически нет никаких побочных заданий.
Графическая составляющая здесь очень интересная, вы действительно получаете ощущение жестокости в атмосфере и представлении локаций.
Итог
Это DLC можно назвать неудачным. История – в принципе неплохая. Но вот с геймплеем в этом DLC имеются проблемы. Также не хватает интересных побочных квестов. Я бы рекомендовал пропустить это DLC, не пройдя его, ты ничего не потеряешь.
64/100
1783 год. Коннор Кенуэй сидел ночью у костра во Фронтире, когда Джордж Вашингтон разыскал его и рассказал ему о своей таинственной находке, «Яблоке Эдема», о том, что его начали терзать странные видения, которым он не в силах сопротивляться, и которых боится. Вашингтон решил передать «яблоко» Коннору, однако когда тот прикоснулся к артефакту, произошла вспышка яркого света и «яблоко» породило альтернативную реальность, в которой было все не так, в которой Джордж Вашингтон безжалостный король-тиран. И чтобы вернуться обратно, Радунхагейду придется сразиться с королем-тираном и забрать у него "яблоко".
Геймплей DLC похож и в то же время имеет несколько отличий от оригинальной игры. Фронтир представлен мрачным местом, где правит Бенедикт Арнольд, в Бостоне правит Израэль Патнэм. Джордж Вашингтон, который правит в Нью-Йорке, держит их под контролем при помощи Посоха Эдема. В эпизодах есть несколько видов дополнительных заданий — нападение на караван, помощь голодающим и спасение мирных жителей от синих мундиров и от волков. Все они скучные и неинтересные. Также имеются артефакты воспоминаний, пережитых Коннором в реальности. У Коннора появляются сверхспособности, которые он получает после того, как выпил чай из коры Великой Ивы. Пройдемся по этим способностям. Сила Медведя — позволяет создавать мощную ударную волну, способную разом уничтожить целую толпу окруживших героя врагов или даже уничтожить некоторые постройки. Но она отнимает у нас здоровье. Сила Волка — позволяет приобретать маскировку волка, которая дарует ему полную невидимость на поле боя Сила Орла - позволяет незаметно и быстро перемещаться на небольшие расстояния. Как и Сила Волка, отнимает здоровье Радунхагейду, количество зависит от расстояния полета. Стая волков - эта способность позволяет вызывать спиритических волков, которые убивают ближайших врагов.
В этом DLC есть самый большой минус – это то, что здесь постоянно нужно сражаться с врагами, от них просто не продохнуть. Также они вас замечают на очень большой дистанции. Из-за этого к концу этого DLC боевая система очень сильно надоедает. Здесь практически нет никаких побочных заданий.
Графическая составляющая здесь очень интересная, вы действительно получаете ощущение жестокости в атмосфере и представлении локаций.
Итог
Это DLC можно назвать неудачным. История – в принципе неплохая. Но вот с геймплеем в этом DLC имеются проблемы. Также не хватает интересных побочных квестов. Я бы рекомендовал пропустить это DLC, не пройдя его, ты ничего не потеряешь.
64/100
Tão bugado quanto o jogo base
earlier this year i went through all the ass games
i had already finished 3 and i didn't particularly want to play it again so i just did this instead it was fine
ass 3 still not great
i had already finished 3 and i didn't particularly want to play it again so i just did this instead it was fine
ass 3 still not great
This review contains spoilers
Spoilers only at the very end
Reviewed as part of Assassin's Creed III Remastered
The Tyranny of King Washington marked the first time Assassin’s Creed ventured into large-scale DLCs. While there had been add-ons for the Ezio Collection, none were marketed, split, or outright hyped up as much as Tyranny. And with its premise, how could you not get invigorated? George Washington has been corrupted by a Piece of Eden, plunging America into a new dark reality that only Connor can reverse. Unfortunately, one of the recurring issues you’ll find with Tyranny is how much it stumbles in establishing this timeline, leading to narratorial inconsistencies that don’t take advantage of the vast potential such a concept presented.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The first thing we need to speak on are the gameplay additions as, as those who kept up with the trailers can attest, they were the second biggest attraction behind the story. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to longtime AC fans that Tyranny was the first jab at the franchise by Ubisoft’s Quebec studio, who would go on to develop Syndicate and Odyssey. I address longtime fanboys specifically because Quebec has earned a mixed reputation amongst the lot, the common belief being that they stray too far into fantasy territory. As an “OG follower” myself (been a part of this series since ACII), I do see where they are coming from, but I’m also of the opinion that AC has always had a strong fantasy core. In fact, I would never describe it as science fiction but historical fantasy or science fantasy at best. The Apple was a ridiculous instrument from the get-go (fulfilling Clarke’s Third Law) and the Isu incomprehensible godlike beings- that humans could be given superpowers from their artifacts is not a stretch of the imagination.
In Connor’s case, those powers are bestowed from an ancient Willow Tree (confusingly connected to the Apple+), its bark binding him with the Spirits of the Wolf, Eagle, and Bear in the three episodes respectively. Part of me wonders if this prospect veered a bit too far into stereotypical territory- while I don’t doubt many Animist beliefs incorporate metaphysical fauna, the way it’s depicted in ACIII honestly reminded me of Thunderbird from Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. That aside, the Wolf and Eagle are terrific additions to the game: the former gives you invisibility and command over a trio of spectral lupi; the latter a variation of “Blink” from Dishonored (targeted teleportation for the uninitiated). They provide a vital alleviant to the stealth defects from the vanilla game; with the cloak, you can sneak around spamming assassinations without fear of being detected, whilst those wishing to bolt out of a hostile area need only glide away (the Eagle, in general, is great for fast-paced parkour traversal). The catch is usage of any natura drains your health, putting a smart stopgap that forces players to strategize. Unfortunately, this setback is why the last gift, the Bear, is ultimately not as handy- it’s basically a glorified ground pound that kills numerous goons in your circular vicinity. On its own it’d be fine, but because the broken stealth means guys from yonder are going to be attracted to any skirmish, and because your health doesn’t regenerate while in combat, it’s not exactly wise to channel your inner Ursidae.
The other defect is that the animalia trifecta are treated like ranged weapons, meaning you’re balancing them against your other tools amidst only four hotkey slots. I know people will counter that it’s intended to emphasize prioritizing each brawl, but the reality is AC games have never been like that, and Tyranny is no different. You’re meant to adapt to changing circumstances within singular spaces, and giving the powers a special initiation prompt (i.e., RB+Y) would’ve gone a long way towards making them convenient.
Nothing else has altered from the base game. If anything, facets are preserved a bit too much as you’ve got similar bugs, glitches, and annoying full-sync objectives that are just par for the course at this point.
Now, the main course everyone is waiting to hear about is the narrative, and overall, the meal is definitely a mixed bag. Alternate histories, regardless of whether they’re grounded or outlandish, are a tough prospect because you need to create an event horizon that believably accounts for all the visible reformations in the landscape. The Flashpoint Paradox animated film was a pristine example of this, using the shockwave from Barry’s quantum leap as a credible justification for the consequent dystopia.
Tyranny doesn’t have that due to three confounding factors. One, I don’t know when it takes place in the main game; no seriously, despite the great Wikipedia claiming there to be an opening interaction between Connor and Washington set after the Revolution, I can affirm no such thing exists. Granted, the end scene implies that Washington is accepting his role as the first POTUS, but that’s not until the finale and could have occurred long after the Apple is retaken by Connor.
Two, the reality fluctuations visible in the story make no dang sense. Characters are alive who died at decade-long intervals from the other, making it confusing when Washington started messing with time. It’s said to be during the War for Independence, yet Ziio was killed long before that during the Seven Years’ struggle, so what gives? I know the truth behind the fiasco can technically account for these variances (++), however that leads directly to the third point, which is the bizarre decisionmaking behind who they chose as their centerpieces. Washington’s cronies are Putnam, Benedict Arnold, and Benjamin Franklin, the rebels Samuel Adams, Kanen'tó:kon, and Thomas Jefferson. Putnam, Adams, and Kanen'tó:kon are sensible given their presence in the main game, but the others? Franklin barely had any screentime, Arnold was a freakin’ DLC antagonist, and Jefferson wasn’t even there! Why not bring in a few of the Templars? Seriously, in a DLC focused on shifting perspectives, Quebec didn’t bother adding some of the best written villains? In general, it’s perplexing as to why the historical figure count was so low. While I understand developmental constraints, even cameos from the other Founding Fathers or Nathanael Greene would’ve gone a long way towards giving the conflict weight in lieu of a few throwback characters.
The lost potential extends to the conversations/meetings Connor has with individuals who held very different roles/fates in his own timeline. His reunions with Ziio and Kanen'tó:kon, for example, should’ve been tearjerker material, but instead are rushed afterthoughts meant to herald in the next story beat. Others like Adams and Robert Faulkner are essentially reskins of the same relationships we witnessed in ACIII (in spite of those being the culminations of multiple interactions rather than of the sole confabulation here).
Finally, the macro picture is honestly not as invigorating as it could have been. Washington embracing royalty was ripe for sociopolitical commentary on the pros/cons of monarchies vs republics, but outside of one conversation in the third episode, you don’t get any of that. Instead, it’s just a run-of-the-mill insurgent vs despot plot seen time-and-again in western fiction, Washington and his “bluecoats” being cruel conquistadors intent on annihilating all opposition. The worst parts of the narrative (particularly in episodes 2 and 3) involve Connor (read- the player) investing large amounts of time aiding (read- grinding for) the revolutionists in their war with the crown, and I can’t help but wonder if the developers were really unable to conceive better tasks for gamers to do than this slog.
Not everything is bad. One of the greatest admirations of Tyranny is its harsher, realistic take on 18th century America. As you guys know, ACIII sanitized the more disturbing parts of American history, and while Tyranny doesn’t quite reach accurate heights, it’s still a good step in the right direction: bloodshed, lack of mercy, and the slur “savage” are magnified in frequency. For a studio that would eventually produce the comedic Syndicate, this is a surprisingly morose video game that feels more in-line with reality than its originator.
In addition, the cutscenes are exquisitely crafted, as in, they might be the best cutscenes in the history of the franchise. Whenever AC tries to go the action or heavily-dramatic route in its in-game cinematics, you tend to get awkward animations that are unable to properly convey the viscerality the developers evidently intended (Giuliano’s death in ACII or Brasidas’s entrance in Odyssey are solid examples of this). Yet here, I can’t find a single fault - you have CGI-level craftsmanship that beautifully incorporates the mo-capped expressions of the actors.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the voicework as a whole, it is a massive step-down, and that’s solely because of the recasts. I get it- schedules don’t always work out, and you sometimes have to replace your VA for future content. But the thing is they didn’t even try to match the OG performers, the most prominent persona being Ziio: Kaniehtiio Horn’s register was distinctly deep; Natalie Brown, on the other hand, goes for an alto pitch. Other instances (that I noticed at least) include Samuel Adams, who went from Mark Lindsay Chapman’s soothing cadence to a bland British inflection by Julian Casey (who, thankfully, would go on to phenomenal work in Rogue, Unity, and Origins), as well as Homesteaders Warren and Godfrey (who lost their accents in this alternate reality- dang it Barry!).
There’s also the indolent decision to not only have all the Mohawk speak English (in comparison to III where they deliberately stuck to Iroquoian), but to portray them by non-Indian actors (one of whom is Andreas Apergis who, sidenote, makes Putnam come across a bit too much like Cesare this time around). I am not someone who is against different races ventriloquizing different cultures- to do so would not only put a cap on the talents of so many hardworking individuals, but also be inherently bigoted. However, the seiyū they chose don’t even TRY sounding like the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka, and it’s off-putting considering the effort that went into this department beforehand (as well as Connor and Kanen'tó:kon being unchanged).
That being said, everyone else does a great job, with Robin Atkin Downes’s Washington and Rick Jones’s Franklin, in particular, standing out in their larger roles.
Lorne Balfe returns to compose the score, and while it isn’t as memorable as his prior work, it still gets the job done. SFX is pretty minimalized, with all your animal powers having rehashed sound bites from the wildlife in ACIII (who were themselves stockish), minus the Eagle, which is literally a clipped redux of the iconic Leap of Faith motif.
Graphically, Tyranny is pretty uninspired. The spirit realms manifest as slightly refurbished Animus loading screens while the free roam areas are lifted from their base counterparts near-verbatim. I guess I shouldn’t have expected radical changes to the landscape, but regardless the first two hubs (the Frontier and Boston) lack any noticeable deviations aside from pro-Washington posters and a slightly remodeled US Flag. In New York, you finally get a large discrepancy in the form of a pyramid that Washington randomly wants constructed. It’s interesting how much it resembles the structures you’ll one day find in Origins, ripe with some illustrious design choices for the interior/exterior (a discount zoo, museum, throne room, and stained glass-paneled roof).
In terms of side content, there isn’t much besides Liberation Missions, which have just been reformulated to accommodate the new timeline (i.e., same errands under a different name). Treasure chests are strewn everywhere like confetti, but given that money no longer exists, all you’re getting from them are ammunition and the occasional new weapon.
In conclusion, The Tyranny of King Washington is a fine add-on. It doesn’t veer as deep into its storytelling possibility as it could have, nor is the altered world particularly enjoyable to roam around in (suffering from the Horizon Zero Dawn issue of constant hostility making casual ambling a bust), yet the story has some superb cinematic moments and feels long enough. Combined with (two of) the animal powers being solid inclusions and you got a decent time killer for AC fans.
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+If this grand illusion was created by the Apple, what exactly was its intent with the Willow Tree? Was this a culturally-adapting contingency implemented to give others a chance to stop the mad ramblings of whoever got possessed by the Isu object (i.e., the Izanami to the Izanagi for you Naruto fans)? On that note, how did Washington even get the Apple? It’s never explained by what means it fell into his hands.
++The whole thing was just an illusion and not an actual temporal disruptor, meaning NPCs could be picked and chosen without a care for continuity.
Reviewed as part of Assassin's Creed III Remastered
The Tyranny of King Washington marked the first time Assassin’s Creed ventured into large-scale DLCs. While there had been add-ons for the Ezio Collection, none were marketed, split, or outright hyped up as much as Tyranny. And with its premise, how could you not get invigorated? George Washington has been corrupted by a Piece of Eden, plunging America into a new dark reality that only Connor can reverse. Unfortunately, one of the recurring issues you’ll find with Tyranny is how much it stumbles in establishing this timeline, leading to narratorial inconsistencies that don’t take advantage of the vast potential such a concept presented.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The first thing we need to speak on are the gameplay additions as, as those who kept up with the trailers can attest, they were the second biggest attraction behind the story. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to longtime AC fans that Tyranny was the first jab at the franchise by Ubisoft’s Quebec studio, who would go on to develop Syndicate and Odyssey. I address longtime fanboys specifically because Quebec has earned a mixed reputation amongst the lot, the common belief being that they stray too far into fantasy territory. As an “OG follower” myself (been a part of this series since ACII), I do see where they are coming from, but I’m also of the opinion that AC has always had a strong fantasy core. In fact, I would never describe it as science fiction but historical fantasy or science fantasy at best. The Apple was a ridiculous instrument from the get-go (fulfilling Clarke’s Third Law) and the Isu incomprehensible godlike beings- that humans could be given superpowers from their artifacts is not a stretch of the imagination.
In Connor’s case, those powers are bestowed from an ancient Willow Tree (confusingly connected to the Apple+), its bark binding him with the Spirits of the Wolf, Eagle, and Bear in the three episodes respectively. Part of me wonders if this prospect veered a bit too far into stereotypical territory- while I don’t doubt many Animist beliefs incorporate metaphysical fauna, the way it’s depicted in ACIII honestly reminded me of Thunderbird from Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. That aside, the Wolf and Eagle are terrific additions to the game: the former gives you invisibility and command over a trio of spectral lupi; the latter a variation of “Blink” from Dishonored (targeted teleportation for the uninitiated). They provide a vital alleviant to the stealth defects from the vanilla game; with the cloak, you can sneak around spamming assassinations without fear of being detected, whilst those wishing to bolt out of a hostile area need only glide away (the Eagle, in general, is great for fast-paced parkour traversal). The catch is usage of any natura drains your health, putting a smart stopgap that forces players to strategize. Unfortunately, this setback is why the last gift, the Bear, is ultimately not as handy- it’s basically a glorified ground pound that kills numerous goons in your circular vicinity. On its own it’d be fine, but because the broken stealth means guys from yonder are going to be attracted to any skirmish, and because your health doesn’t regenerate while in combat, it’s not exactly wise to channel your inner Ursidae.
The other defect is that the animalia trifecta are treated like ranged weapons, meaning you’re balancing them against your other tools amidst only four hotkey slots. I know people will counter that it’s intended to emphasize prioritizing each brawl, but the reality is AC games have never been like that, and Tyranny is no different. You’re meant to adapt to changing circumstances within singular spaces, and giving the powers a special initiation prompt (i.e., RB+Y) would’ve gone a long way towards making them convenient.
Nothing else has altered from the base game. If anything, facets are preserved a bit too much as you’ve got similar bugs, glitches, and annoying full-sync objectives that are just par for the course at this point.
Now, the main course everyone is waiting to hear about is the narrative, and overall, the meal is definitely a mixed bag. Alternate histories, regardless of whether they’re grounded or outlandish, are a tough prospect because you need to create an event horizon that believably accounts for all the visible reformations in the landscape. The Flashpoint Paradox animated film was a pristine example of this, using the shockwave from Barry’s quantum leap as a credible justification for the consequent dystopia.
Tyranny doesn’t have that due to three confounding factors. One, I don’t know when it takes place in the main game; no seriously, despite the great Wikipedia claiming there to be an opening interaction between Connor and Washington set after the Revolution, I can affirm no such thing exists. Granted, the end scene implies that Washington is accepting his role as the first POTUS, but that’s not until the finale and could have occurred long after the Apple is retaken by Connor.
Two, the reality fluctuations visible in the story make no dang sense. Characters are alive who died at decade-long intervals from the other, making it confusing when Washington started messing with time. It’s said to be during the War for Independence, yet Ziio was killed long before that during the Seven Years’ struggle, so what gives? I know the truth behind the fiasco can technically account for these variances (++), however that leads directly to the third point, which is the bizarre decisionmaking behind who they chose as their centerpieces. Washington’s cronies are Putnam, Benedict Arnold, and Benjamin Franklin, the rebels Samuel Adams, Kanen'tó:kon, and Thomas Jefferson. Putnam, Adams, and Kanen'tó:kon are sensible given their presence in the main game, but the others? Franklin barely had any screentime, Arnold was a freakin’ DLC antagonist, and Jefferson wasn’t even there! Why not bring in a few of the Templars? Seriously, in a DLC focused on shifting perspectives, Quebec didn’t bother adding some of the best written villains? In general, it’s perplexing as to why the historical figure count was so low. While I understand developmental constraints, even cameos from the other Founding Fathers or Nathanael Greene would’ve gone a long way towards giving the conflict weight in lieu of a few throwback characters.
The lost potential extends to the conversations/meetings Connor has with individuals who held very different roles/fates in his own timeline. His reunions with Ziio and Kanen'tó:kon, for example, should’ve been tearjerker material, but instead are rushed afterthoughts meant to herald in the next story beat. Others like Adams and Robert Faulkner are essentially reskins of the same relationships we witnessed in ACIII (in spite of those being the culminations of multiple interactions rather than of the sole confabulation here).
Finally, the macro picture is honestly not as invigorating as it could have been. Washington embracing royalty was ripe for sociopolitical commentary on the pros/cons of monarchies vs republics, but outside of one conversation in the third episode, you don’t get any of that. Instead, it’s just a run-of-the-mill insurgent vs despot plot seen time-and-again in western fiction, Washington and his “bluecoats” being cruel conquistadors intent on annihilating all opposition. The worst parts of the narrative (particularly in episodes 2 and 3) involve Connor (read- the player) investing large amounts of time aiding (read- grinding for) the revolutionists in their war with the crown, and I can’t help but wonder if the developers were really unable to conceive better tasks for gamers to do than this slog.
Not everything is bad. One of the greatest admirations of Tyranny is its harsher, realistic take on 18th century America. As you guys know, ACIII sanitized the more disturbing parts of American history, and while Tyranny doesn’t quite reach accurate heights, it’s still a good step in the right direction: bloodshed, lack of mercy, and the slur “savage” are magnified in frequency. For a studio that would eventually produce the comedic Syndicate, this is a surprisingly morose video game that feels more in-line with reality than its originator.
In addition, the cutscenes are exquisitely crafted, as in, they might be the best cutscenes in the history of the franchise. Whenever AC tries to go the action or heavily-dramatic route in its in-game cinematics, you tend to get awkward animations that are unable to properly convey the viscerality the developers evidently intended (Giuliano’s death in ACII or Brasidas’s entrance in Odyssey are solid examples of this). Yet here, I can’t find a single fault - you have CGI-level craftsmanship that beautifully incorporates the mo-capped expressions of the actors.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the voicework as a whole, it is a massive step-down, and that’s solely because of the recasts. I get it- schedules don’t always work out, and you sometimes have to replace your VA for future content. But the thing is they didn’t even try to match the OG performers, the most prominent persona being Ziio: Kaniehtiio Horn’s register was distinctly deep; Natalie Brown, on the other hand, goes for an alto pitch. Other instances (that I noticed at least) include Samuel Adams, who went from Mark Lindsay Chapman’s soothing cadence to a bland British inflection by Julian Casey (who, thankfully, would go on to phenomenal work in Rogue, Unity, and Origins), as well as Homesteaders Warren and Godfrey (who lost their accents in this alternate reality- dang it Barry!).
There’s also the indolent decision to not only have all the Mohawk speak English (in comparison to III where they deliberately stuck to Iroquoian), but to portray them by non-Indian actors (one of whom is Andreas Apergis who, sidenote, makes Putnam come across a bit too much like Cesare this time around). I am not someone who is against different races ventriloquizing different cultures- to do so would not only put a cap on the talents of so many hardworking individuals, but also be inherently bigoted. However, the seiyū they chose don’t even TRY sounding like the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka, and it’s off-putting considering the effort that went into this department beforehand (as well as Connor and Kanen'tó:kon being unchanged).
That being said, everyone else does a great job, with Robin Atkin Downes’s Washington and Rick Jones’s Franklin, in particular, standing out in their larger roles.
Lorne Balfe returns to compose the score, and while it isn’t as memorable as his prior work, it still gets the job done. SFX is pretty minimalized, with all your animal powers having rehashed sound bites from the wildlife in ACIII (who were themselves stockish), minus the Eagle, which is literally a clipped redux of the iconic Leap of Faith motif.
Graphically, Tyranny is pretty uninspired. The spirit realms manifest as slightly refurbished Animus loading screens while the free roam areas are lifted from their base counterparts near-verbatim. I guess I shouldn’t have expected radical changes to the landscape, but regardless the first two hubs (the Frontier and Boston) lack any noticeable deviations aside from pro-Washington posters and a slightly remodeled US Flag. In New York, you finally get a large discrepancy in the form of a pyramid that Washington randomly wants constructed. It’s interesting how much it resembles the structures you’ll one day find in Origins, ripe with some illustrious design choices for the interior/exterior (a discount zoo, museum, throne room, and stained glass-paneled roof).
In terms of side content, there isn’t much besides Liberation Missions, which have just been reformulated to accommodate the new timeline (i.e., same errands under a different name). Treasure chests are strewn everywhere like confetti, but given that money no longer exists, all you’re getting from them are ammunition and the occasional new weapon.
In conclusion, The Tyranny of King Washington is a fine add-on. It doesn’t veer as deep into its storytelling possibility as it could have, nor is the altered world particularly enjoyable to roam around in (suffering from the Horizon Zero Dawn issue of constant hostility making casual ambling a bust), yet the story has some superb cinematic moments and feels long enough. Combined with (two of) the animal powers being solid inclusions and you got a decent time killer for AC fans.
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+If this grand illusion was created by the Apple, what exactly was its intent with the Willow Tree? Was this a culturally-adapting contingency implemented to give others a chance to stop the mad ramblings of whoever got possessed by the Isu object (i.e., the Izanami to the Izanagi for you Naruto fans)? On that note, how did Washington even get the Apple? It’s never explained by what means it fell into his hands.
++The whole thing was just an illusion and not an actual temporal disruptor, meaning NPCs could be picked and chosen without a care for continuity.
[Jogado através do Assassin's Creed III Remastered]
A história dessa DLC é infinitamente mais interessante do que a do jogo base, a franquia devia seguir mais vezes essa linha do "what if", mesmo tendo ótimos enredos fiéis aos acontecimentos históricos.
Mas nada me tira da cabeça que o briefing pra essa expansão foi tipo: "e se em vez de fazer uma DLC onde a gente melhora aspectos problemáticos do jogo base, a gente adicionar aspectos novos tão problemáticos quanto?". E assim surgiu Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington.
Eu presenciei mais bugs aqui do que no game base, coisa de inteligência artificial desligando, personagens que ficam presos dentro de um campo de força onde eles não podem te atingir ou serem atingidos. E em um certo momento, durante a missão de cidadão de resgatar os comboios, os carrinhos estavam parados em um ponto do mapa, mas o gatilho de interação ficou preso num ponto anterior, me fazendo ter que interagir com um combio invisível pra completar a missão.
As missões são curtas e grossas, mas os objetivos opcionais conseguem ser tão ou mais frustrantes que os da campanha principal. Principalmente por, em diversos trechos, tu depender das novas habilidades espirituais do Connor. Que até são legais, mas como elas drenam tua vida, se tu faz algo errado, se um dos cachorros te descobre ou se os NPCs tiverem com o olho de thundera (como frequentemente estão), tu é exposto e entra em conflito aberto com a vida no mínimo, o que te deixa suscetível não só a morrer com poucos golpes, mas também a não poder ativar a habilidade de novo pra tentar fugir. Teria sido melhor se tivessem colocado pra essas habilidades uma barra como se fosse de mana ou algo assim.
Como eu disse, a história é muito mais legal, mas o gameplay pra mim foi piorado por essas decisões questionáveis. No fim Assassin's Creed III até o momento foi minha pior experiência, pior até mesmo que com o Unity. O que é uma pena, porque é o jogo que fica entre duas fases extremamente marcantes e queridas da franquia.
A história dessa DLC é infinitamente mais interessante do que a do jogo base, a franquia devia seguir mais vezes essa linha do "what if", mesmo tendo ótimos enredos fiéis aos acontecimentos históricos.
Mas nada me tira da cabeça que o briefing pra essa expansão foi tipo: "e se em vez de fazer uma DLC onde a gente melhora aspectos problemáticos do jogo base, a gente adicionar aspectos novos tão problemáticos quanto?". E assim surgiu Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington.
Eu presenciei mais bugs aqui do que no game base, coisa de inteligência artificial desligando, personagens que ficam presos dentro de um campo de força onde eles não podem te atingir ou serem atingidos. E em um certo momento, durante a missão de cidadão de resgatar os comboios, os carrinhos estavam parados em um ponto do mapa, mas o gatilho de interação ficou preso num ponto anterior, me fazendo ter que interagir com um combio invisível pra completar a missão.
As missões são curtas e grossas, mas os objetivos opcionais conseguem ser tão ou mais frustrantes que os da campanha principal. Principalmente por, em diversos trechos, tu depender das novas habilidades espirituais do Connor. Que até são legais, mas como elas drenam tua vida, se tu faz algo errado, se um dos cachorros te descobre ou se os NPCs tiverem com o olho de thundera (como frequentemente estão), tu é exposto e entra em conflito aberto com a vida no mínimo, o que te deixa suscetível não só a morrer com poucos golpes, mas também a não poder ativar a habilidade de novo pra tentar fugir. Teria sido melhor se tivessem colocado pra essas habilidades uma barra como se fosse de mana ou algo assim.
Como eu disse, a história é muito mais legal, mas o gameplay pra mim foi piorado por essas decisões questionáveis. No fim Assassin's Creed III até o momento foi minha pior experiência, pior até mesmo que com o Unity. O que é uma pena, porque é o jogo que fica entre duas fases extremamente marcantes e queridas da franquia.
very goofy in a good way. love me some werid animal powers. im pretty sure this is the only "what if" dlc they did for the series but they should do this more often. minus 2 and a half stars because the redcoats (the british) are the ""good"" guys. very unrealistic !
Tyranny of King Washington does everything AC3 tried doing but just a bit better.
Pros: awesome powers, interesting to see washington, cool alternate reality
cons: it was mid
cons: it was mid
The Tyranny of King Washington leans into an angle that I wish more Assassin's Creed games did, and that's a whole-hearted push into "what-if" territory. In this game's case, it's "what if George Washington took an Apple of Eden and became a tyrannical god-king?" Each of the 3 episodes sees Connor take the fight to Washington in one of the base game's main areas, but all three are now ruined and cowed under the boot of Washington's brutality. Connor gets to pack some magic powers which adds a new dynamic to the gameplay, but its balanced out by Tyranny being much less forgiving. It's still Assassin's Creed III and shares many of its problems, but it's at least a decent change in direction.
I actually played this as part of the Remastered bundle, but have reviewed them serparately as I don't believe that all of the weaknesses of ACIII apply to the DLC.
Taking part mostly in an alternate univers, TOKW does all the kid bits of the main game, but shaves off some of the fat. I'll be honest, at the time when I played this game I was ready to shelf Assassin's Creed III until such a time came that I was caught up with other games and just wanted to some hunting. But I'm glad I stuck it out because it is a truly enjoyable experience.
While it isn't paramount to how good a game actually is, knowing that actual Native Americans were involved in the process of creating the game does feel nice. You don't see much in video games and when you do we have previously seen the sterotypical savage. Obviously a game about magical pre-humanity artifacts can only be so realistic, but Ubisoft Montreal does the extra work to make sure that when they are representing cultures it is historically accurate.
I mentioned in my review of AC3 that the convoys and trading seems a bit pointless and in the DLC it just isn't a thing. You find weapons in chests, but this too is enirely optional. All 3 chapters only take about 5 hours to complete making it very much a diet AC3, which greatly works in its favour.
If you too became some what fatigued by the end of AC3, I'd recommend you to give it some time then come back to play the DLC. If you hate the DLC too then fair enough, Connor's story just isn't for you.
Taking part mostly in an alternate univers, TOKW does all the kid bits of the main game, but shaves off some of the fat. I'll be honest, at the time when I played this game I was ready to shelf Assassin's Creed III until such a time came that I was caught up with other games and just wanted to some hunting. But I'm glad I stuck it out because it is a truly enjoyable experience.
While it isn't paramount to how good a game actually is, knowing that actual Native Americans were involved in the process of creating the game does feel nice. You don't see much in video games and when you do we have previously seen the sterotypical savage. Obviously a game about magical pre-humanity artifacts can only be so realistic, but Ubisoft Montreal does the extra work to make sure that when they are representing cultures it is historically accurate.
I mentioned in my review of AC3 that the convoys and trading seems a bit pointless and in the DLC it just isn't a thing. You find weapons in chests, but this too is enirely optional. All 3 chapters only take about 5 hours to complete making it very much a diet AC3, which greatly works in its favour.
If you too became some what fatigued by the end of AC3, I'd recommend you to give it some time then come back to play the DLC. If you hate the DLC too then fair enough, Connor's story just isn't for you.
Played it only because it's included with AC3 Remastered, I feel like I was fucking robbed of 4 hours of my life. It's buggy, boring, filler with 2 cool ideas. The 1st cool idea are the spirit animal powers, one of which grants you Predator-like invisibility at the cost of taking damage per second while another one makes you turn into an eagle and dash to vantage points making traversal so fucking smooth that I will ACTUALLY miss this ability for the rest of the franchise. The second cool idea is in the title, it's alternate history with Washington as a tyrant. But the DLC overall is LAZY AS ALL FUCK! There was 15 minutes in my whole 4-hour journey where I felt any effort was put into this, the two last missions that feature a VERY unique location and a unique boss fight. Every single second other than that felt like I was doing some lazy-ass side missions in AC3 with cool powers. Thank the gods this was so short, but if I bought this at launch for GOD DAMN $30 then I would mail something nefarious to EA headquarters. Again, I played this for "free" as it is included in the Remaster, and I still felt ripped off, just do yourself a favor and skip this pile.
This review contains spoilers
(Review from 2019) Interesting side mechanics introduced. I really liked the eagle flight and wolf cloak features, although this DLC has got some bugs
Para começar, "Assassin's Creed III: A Tirania do Rei Washington" é uma DLC do jogo
"Assassin's Creed III", e seria de esperar que a DLC utilizasse a maior parte do
conteúdo do jogo original. No entanto, isso não foi o que aconteceu.
O visual apresentado é praticamente o mesmo de "Assassin's Creed 3". Eu realmente
esperava que as cidades e cenários do jogo ficassem mais bonitos, especialmente
pelo fato do jogo ser dividido em episódios, o que permitiria à Ubisoft trabalhar na
melhoria do visual. O ponto fraco fica por conta das cutscenes, que em
determinados momentos são simplesmente horríveis.
O sistema de combate do jogo continua sendo o seu ponto mais alto, agora com
algumas variantes concebidas pelos acontecimentos da história. A capa do lobo, o
voo da águia e a força do urso agregam muito ao gameplay.
Acredito que o que mantém "Assassin's Creed 3" como um bom jogo até hoje, com
toda certeza, é a sua jogabilidade muito prática e dinâmica, juntamente com uma
excelente história. Infelizmente, "Assassin's Creed III: A Tirania do Rei Washington" tenta
criar uma narrativa interessante e até consegue nos primeiros 30 minutos de
gameplay, mas depois disso, você fica entediado com o jogo e só espera que ele
acabe. A ideia de contar a história de uma maneira alternativa é muito interessante,
mas o problema é que a história é muito genérica e superficial.
O único ponto que quero mencionar sobre a trilha sonora é o fato de a idosa da tribo
ter a voz de uma jovem de 20 anos; fora isso, a trilha sonora é boa, assim como em
"Assassin's Creed 3".
"Assassin's Creed III", e seria de esperar que a DLC utilizasse a maior parte do
conteúdo do jogo original. No entanto, isso não foi o que aconteceu.
O visual apresentado é praticamente o mesmo de "Assassin's Creed 3". Eu realmente
esperava que as cidades e cenários do jogo ficassem mais bonitos, especialmente
pelo fato do jogo ser dividido em episódios, o que permitiria à Ubisoft trabalhar na
melhoria do visual. O ponto fraco fica por conta das cutscenes, que em
determinados momentos são simplesmente horríveis.
O sistema de combate do jogo continua sendo o seu ponto mais alto, agora com
algumas variantes concebidas pelos acontecimentos da história. A capa do lobo, o
voo da águia e a força do urso agregam muito ao gameplay.
Acredito que o que mantém "Assassin's Creed 3" como um bom jogo até hoje, com
toda certeza, é a sua jogabilidade muito prática e dinâmica, juntamente com uma
excelente história. Infelizmente, "Assassin's Creed III: A Tirania do Rei Washington" tenta
criar uma narrativa interessante e até consegue nos primeiros 30 minutos de
gameplay, mas depois disso, você fica entediado com o jogo e só espera que ele
acabe. A ideia de contar a história de uma maneira alternativa é muito interessante,
mas o problema é que a história é muito genérica e superficial.
O único ponto que quero mencionar sobre a trilha sonora é o fato de a idosa da tribo
ter a voz de uma jovem de 20 anos; fora isso, a trilha sonora é boa, assim como em
"Assassin's Creed 3".
This review contains spoilers
Un fanfic en el que el primer presidente de los Estados Unidos tiene poderes y tu te das de putasos con el, argumentalmente solo por esa frase es oro puro.
Esta hecho para que te flipes con los poderes y ya.
Esta hecho para que te flipes con los poderes y ya.
Un What if interesante, y la mención hacia Edward y AC IV le da puntos extras.
Cool powers. Clunky af controls still. But some of the nicest set pieces in AC. I’m talking about the end of episode 3 specifically.
todo cagado mas diverte um pouquinho