Assassin’s Creed III launch date announced, trailer analysed

Last night Ubisoft unveiled their reveal trailer for Assassin’s Creed 3, which features a brand new setting and protagonist, Connor.

In case you missed it, Assassin’s Creed III will move the action across the Atlantic to play out against the backdrop of the American Revolutionary War.

The video reveals the first location that will be featured in Assassin’s Creed III: The Mohawk Valley, 1777, which is real world location in the state of New York.

The trailer opens up with the image of a Bald Eagle soaring through the sky, combining the trademark Eagle mascot that Assassin’s Creed fans will be familiar with, with the sacred status that the animal occupies in Native American culture.

A clip of a soldier’s hat blowing past in the wind is subtly interrupted by a minor visual glitch – a reminder that the game take’s place within the Animus – the same modern device in which all previous Assassin’s Creed games have taken place. Again, we’re inside the mind of modern day Assassin, Desmon Miles.

The video flashes to our new Assassin, who wields a tomahawk that incorporates the Assassin’s Creed logo into its design. Our new protagonist’s name is Connor, or Ratohnakéton in Native American. His father was an English colonist and his mother a Mohawk Native American.

The video also shows the world’s animal inhabitants, specifically, wolves who are munching on some dead soldiers. Players will be able to hunt these animals and sell their fur, Red Dead Redemption style.

The video shows Connor navigating trees with the same impressive dexterity that previous Assassin’s Creed heroes navigated ancient roof tops.

In Connor’s closeup, we see a mixture between the traditional Assassin’s Creed grab and a Native American style, and the weapons seem to range from a bow and arrow, to knives, axes and even small firearms.

The video pans to an open battlefield commanded by George Washington, who stands commanding the colonial forces. “The time is now near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves!” he bellows, the quote a direct lift from Washington’s speech to his troops before the battle of Long Island.

“Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have therefore resolved to conquer, or die.”

At the end of the trailer we are presented with the game’s official release date: 31 October, 2012.

This applies to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. “PC format release to be confirmed” states the small print, which was expected given the franchise’s history for making PC gamers suffer wait a little longer.

Assassin’s Creed III: many details surface