From the Wolf to the Eagle – The Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal.
In the second DLC for Assassin’s Creed III from Ubisoft it initially looks as if nothing has changed after the first one. But just a few moments in, The Betrayal is given a whole dimension.
First lets recap what happened in The Infamy. If you have not played the first part prepare for some spoilers.
George Washington has succeeded in defeating the Redcoats by finding a piece of Eden. The ancient power has driven George mad with power and is now seen as a king. His newfound power has taken him down a path of evil.You play as Ratonhnhaké:ton (known in the main game as Connor). His sole mission is to stop George Washington from ruling the world through fear and intimidation. After the murder of his mother, Connor sets out to hunt do ‘The King’. After going on some kind of vision quest, Ratonhnhaké:ton possesses the power of the Wolf.
You end the first episode by assassinating Benedict Arnold and are advised to free Benjamin Franklin. Then getting blindsided by a Bluecoat and getting captured.So in the beginning of The Betrayal you wake up with King Washington a Benjamin Franklin outside of your prison cell. And before you know it you have to try and escape.It is here where the difference starts to occur opposed to The Infamy. You are thrown straight into playing the game because all the skills learnt previously are needed.
Discovering the second special ability happens straight away. This time drinking the crazy tea enables you to learn ‘The Spirit of the Eagle’. This not to be confused with the classic ‘Eagle Vision’, it’s very different.This new skill allows a player to move quickly and invisibly for a short distance or to assassinate on unwitting guard.The new style of movement has similar restrictions to the Wolf ability, in the sense that using it eats away at your health. You health just regenerates by not using it for a short time.
Now you would think that having the ability to fly and sneak up of enemies would make the missions far too easy. This is what I thought, until I realised the tasks are designed so you have to be thoughtful, inventive and judicious in the use of abilities.So you can’t just go storming through a group of bad guys thinking the powers will make it easy because they are designed to aid you, not do all the work for you.To best use the abilities you will need to put them in your d-pad shortcuts and switch between the two so you can mix up the way you play.
Despite there being this frankly awesome new addition to the game-play, it’s not a perfect game.There seems to be an issue with the spawning of guards in certain locations. A number of times I have been fleeing a troop of men when I thought I was running into a clear area, then boom, 5 guys just appear from thin air! Highly frustrating and just ruins the enjoyment factor.
From the whole two-hour plus game-play time of The Betrayal, this is basically my only criticism. The story is gripping; the action is constant and the game is enjoyable as a whole.To top it all off, the best part is – I actually cannot wait until the final part is released next month (April).Ubisoft are really onto a winner here and if the final instalment, named The Redemption is anywhere near as good as the first two, then hardcore fans and enthusiasts of Assassin’s Creed will be left with a smile on their faces.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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