This three-part single-player experience will let gamers discover an alternate history of the events following the American Revolution where George Washington succumbs to the temptation of infinite power and crown himself king.
In the third and final episode of the Tyranny of King Washington series, our hero, Ratonhnhaké:ton, on a ship heading for New York, where we left him at the end of episode two. The Redemption will take gamers through the final step of the journey to dethrone King Washington.
And that is how part three starts – from then on it’s classic Assassin’s Creed III gameplay – going from mission to mission, fighting, killing, rescuing and getting that bit closer to the Mad King. Fans of Assassin’s Creed III’s naval battles will be pleased to hear that the start of part three has a few naval missions to complete.
One thing that is new to this DLC is that each episode will give Ratonhnhaké:ton a new ability which will help him throughout all the parts of the story and transform the gameplay into something new. In order to receive each new ability, Ratonhnhaké:ton has to visit the Sky World and complete a task and upon successful completion he will receive his new ability.
In The Redemption, the new ability is called Bear Power and this gives him the power to smash and destroy both objects, such as doors and the ability to either kill or push back large groups of enemies. But you have to be careful as innocent people can also be hurt and killed and as you are told, your ancestor doesn’t kill innocents.
However as before, using it does come with a price – while it is being used your health will reduce so once you use it you will probably want to hide and wait a few minutes. I found using Bear Power and running away when necessary worked very well for me!
As with the preview episodes, you can still use the power of the Wolf Cloak and the power of Eagle Flight during this episode, and you will need them both.
If you play a lot of Assassin’s Creed III, then the first thing you will probably notice, other than the fact Connor isn’t Connor, is that the art style is much grittier and darker. This is used very well to show how different this “reality” is, and added to that the music for this part is amazing, and really adds to the atmosphere. Once again the music is composed by Lorne Balfe and he has done a wonderful job.
The addition of the new abilities really adds to the game – and with each part you get a new ability and you will be able to use them together. And I am really pleased with how Ubisoft handled this new timeline – they could have just taken Connor and put him in this new timeline without any thought for the Assassin’s Creed story, but they have really given it a lot of thought and I am pleased with the outcome.
The Redemption will take you somewhere between two hours and three hours to finish, depending on how many of the optional mission elements you decide to do, with the all three parts taking around 7 and a half hours. Episode 3 feels a lot more “open world” than episode one did and even episode two. It is important to remember that even though it is split into three episodes, it’s really one 7 and a hour story, so keep that in mind when you consider buying it.
I have tried to steer clear of giving too much of the storyline away because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone – I really enjoyed this part, although I have to admit that there were some frustrating sections at times, such like the previous parts, but nothing that will stop your enjoyment of the game. Whilst I was happy to finish this part, and the overall story, I was also a little disappointed that it was the end.
Also there is a very nice nod to Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag in the opening few minutes of this part – watch out for it! And those fans who miss Connor will be pleased, but I am not saying any more!
If you are a fan of Assassin’s Creed III, then this is a must have addition. Ubisoft took a bit of a risk releasing what is a single game into three parts over a few months, but I think it worked, I know I was looking forward to each part. I hope they do this again in the future with other titles.
The three episodes of the Tyranny of King Washington are available through the Assassin’s Creed III Season Pass, which is available for purchase for 2400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE or £23.99 on the PlayStation Network and Windows PC. Each episode of The Tyranny of King Washington is available for purchase separately as a single DLC pack for 800 Microsoft points or £7.99.
Assassin’s Creed III – The Tyranny of King Washington: The Redemption is available today.
And you can watch our exclusive Interview with Marc-Alexis Cote.
IMHO this was the best episode of them all. Perhaps because finales always feel as the best part (or at least they should). I would still get a single, full story rater than something like these 3 episodes but oh well. It’s not really a problem now. 😛
Stil, I think I would rather pay $20-30 for a single behemoth. But that’s just me – perhaps it sells better in THIS form.