Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, a sailor’s life for me! It’s time to step back into a mariner’s shoes and take on the sequel to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. Let’s leave the heat behind and head north in Assassin’s Creed Rogue. After getting a sneak peek at the game at Ubisoft Studios in Montreal, here are some of the new experiences you will find in the game. And we might see a humpback whale or two while we are at it.
Flipping the coin
For the past 7 games, Assassin’s Creed has been about fighting the Templars. Ubisoft turned that on its head and now you are Shay Patrick Cormac, ex-assassin who has joined the Templars to hunt down your old faction. You have the skill set of an assassin and the money of the Templars. An intriguing combination.
Hidden enemies
For those who have played the multiplayer mode in previous Assassin’s Creeds, you will be quite familiar with the whispers that announce an enemy that is creeping up behind you. That mechanic has been taken into Rogue and used to warn you of hidden doom. There are enemies that hide in the bushes, haystacks and rooftops, waiting to sneak up and stab you. Use your eagle vision and the doughnut indicator to track them down and draw them out of hiding by using a distraction tactic. Don’t ignore them because they can totally disrupt your assassination attempt. Make sure you play this game with the volume up.
New ground to cover
We’ve moved from the Caribbean to the North Atlantic, getting the chance to explore areas that really haven’t been focused on much in video games to date. Being a Newfie, I am super stoked to get to sail around my homeland and Nova Scotia. You can head down along the St. Laurent river to Quebec as well as explore the US eastern coast in New York city and Albany. Your boat, the Morrigan, is lower profile than the Jackdaw, so you will easily be able to leave the ocean and traverse shallow waterways.
More power on the water
A few upgrades have been made to the Morrigan, making your ship even more powerful in the water. There’s a ice breaking battering ram, handy for both sailing the frozen waters and splitting offending ships. You can also dump oil into the water and set it aflame. Burn your enemies so that you can force them to sleep with the fishes.
Old friends pop up
Because this is a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, you are going to come across characters that you have met before. You might even have to conduct a hit on one of them. That’s all I’m saying.
Because we all want a grenade launcher
One of the new weapons that I got to play with was a grenade launcher. Get ready to blow stuff up in spectacular fashion. A fun new tool to add to my assassination arsenal.
Assassin’s Creed Rogue is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on November 11th, 2014.