Assassins Creed III continues the saga of the Templars vs the Assassins. The fifth installment follows a revolutionary; his name is Connor, and he's an assassin.
While we didn't know that much information about Assassin's Creed III's main character a few months ago, we've learned quite a bit about the new Revolutionary War-era hero in the past few months. We know his motives, we know his skills, and we know his style. And we've brought all of the new information here for you, so you can get caught up on what makes Connor different.
His name is Connor Kenway
The American assassin has a fairly American name: Connor Kenway. Well, actually, that’s not his birth name. He was born Ratohnhaké:ton, but now he calls himself Connor. We don't know exactly why, besides one name being easy to pronounce and the other being slightly more difficult, but we're guessing it has something to do with his mixed heritage.
While we didn't know that much information about Assassin's Creed III's main character a few months ago, we've learned quite a bit about the new Revolutionary War-era hero in the past few months. We know his motives, we know his skills, and we know his style. And we've brought all of the new information here for you, so you can get caught up on what makes Connor different.
His name is Connor Kenway
The American assassin has a fairly American name: Connor Kenway. Well, actually, that’s not his birth name. He was born Ratohnhaké:ton, but now he calls himself Connor. We don't know exactly why, besides one name being easy to pronounce and the other being slightly more difficult, but we're guessing it has something to do with his mixed heritage.
Connor is half Native American and half British. His mother was Mohawk Native American, and his father was a British settler, which explains his alliance in the war. If he was just Mohawk this would be more confusing – the Mohawk actually fought against the Americans during the Revolutionary War for… obvious reasons.
He uses a tomahawk in the shape of the Assassin's Creed "A"
The new assassin's tomahawk looks like it's going to be his crowbar. Every image shows it in his hand, ready to be plunged into the chest of a British soldier (or, more likely, general). The fact that it's shaped like the Assassin's Creed "A" makes it even cooler, and we can't wait to see what we can do with it. We're hoping for the ability to throw it, because throwing axes at people is one of the coolest things you can do. Seriously, look it up. It's a fact.
He uses a tomahawk in the shape of the Assassin's Creed "A"
The new assassin's tomahawk looks like it's going to be his crowbar. Every image shows it in his hand, ready to be plunged into the chest of a British soldier (or, more likely, general). The fact that it's shaped like the Assassin's Creed "A" makes it even cooler, and we can't wait to see what we can do with it. We're hoping for the ability to throw it, because throwing axes at people is one of the coolest things you can do. Seriously, look it up. It's a fact.
He'll assassinate people during battles
Unless the game's cover is pulling our leg, it looks like Assassin's Creed III is going to have us assassinating people during battles. It actually fits right in line with the rest of the series - sneaking around a hectic battlefield while trying to blend into the mayhem while searching for a specific target is essentially an evolution of the series' unorthodox stealth mechanics, and paves the road for other war-based Assassin's Creed games in the future.
Unless the game's cover is pulling our leg, it looks like Assassin's Creed III is going to have us assassinating people during battles. It actually fits right in line with the rest of the series - sneaking around a hectic battlefield while trying to blend into the mayhem while searching for a specific target is essentially an evolution of the series' unorthodox stealth mechanics, and paves the road for other war-based Assassin's Creed games in the future.
He looks like Ezio/Desmond/Altair
Again, this isn't all that surprising. Connor is definitely related to Desmond. Ubisoft has been sure to give each of its protagonists similar looking features, and though the new guy doesn't look like a clone of Ezio or Altair or Desmond, he definitely looks like their half-Native American uncle.
Connor's alliance in the Revolutionary War is clear: he fights on the side of the red, white, and blue (yes, we know those are the Union Jack colors, shh). In every video we've seen he's chased down and killed British Templar, and we've already heard that he's going to be working alongside the founding fathers. That said, we don't know if he's doing it for patriotic reasons, or if his actual motives are more in line with those of the Assassins'.
It makes sense, too, that the settlers would be Assassins. Assassin's Creed: Discovery explained that the Assassins knew of an Apple of Eden in North America, so it fits that it would have gotten to the continent first, only to be followed by Templars trying to take it back.
Again, this isn't all that surprising. Connor is definitely related to Desmond. Ubisoft has been sure to give each of its protagonists similar looking features, and though the new guy doesn't look like a clone of Ezio or Altair or Desmond, he definitely looks like their half-Native American uncle.
Connor's alliance in the Revolutionary War is clear: he fights on the side of the red, white, and blue (yes, we know those are the Union Jack colors, shh). In every video we've seen he's chased down and killed British Templar, and we've already heard that he's going to be working alongside the founding fathers. That said, we don't know if he's doing it for patriotic reasons, or if his actual motives are more in line with those of the Assassins'.
It makes sense, too, that the settlers would be Assassins. Assassin's Creed: Discovery explained that the Assassins knew of an Apple of Eden in North America, so it fits that it would have gotten to the continent first, only to be followed by Templars trying to take it back.
Not only is he fighting for America, but he's fighting with some of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence. The back of the Game Informer cover shows someone who looks a lot like George Washington leading an army, and one of the pieces of art on GI's website has the assassin standing behind the general during the famous crossing of the Delaware.
We're also hearing that he's going to be working closely with Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee, as well as other historical players. We originally guessed that Franklin would be the mad scientist of ACIII, but it sounds like he'll spend more time in the brothel than in the workshop.
He has a bow
We really wish we had more to say about this one, but, yeah, he has a bow. Every image of Connor has a bow on his back, meaning we'll be able to take shots at enemies from afar. There's a quiver, too, hinting that the bow will likely have a limited number of arrows that can be fired before he needs to get more, or pick them out of the bodies of his enemies like a total bad-ass.
We're also hearing that he's going to be working closely with Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee, as well as other historical players. We originally guessed that Franklin would be the mad scientist of ACIII, but it sounds like he'll spend more time in the brothel than in the workshop.
He has a bow
We really wish we had more to say about this one, but, yeah, he has a bow. Every image of Connor has a bow on his back, meaning we'll be able to take shots at enemies from afar. There's a quiver, too, hinting that the bow will likely have a limited number of arrows that can be fired before he needs to get more, or pick them out of the bodies of his enemies like a total bad-ass.
This is actually fairly interesting. In just about every picture, Connor is carrying a flintlock pistol, with another strapped to his side. This is important for several reasons. First, it means the hidden gun from Assassin's Creed II likely isn't returning, since there would be no reason to carry a few guns if there was one hidden in his sleeve. Second, it hints that he might be able to dual wield weapons, or to fire two shots without needing to (very slowly) reload.
And third, it reaffirms that he's working with some high-class individuals. Typical soldiers didn't carry flintlock pistols during the Revolutionary War, they were mostly carried by officers or generals. While we're not going to say this proves that he's a general or an officer, it definitely shows that he works with them quite a lot.
He has new hidden blades
While it looks like his main weapon is going to be a tomahawk, the new assassin will still have access to the series' signature hidden blades. He'll have two - which is sort of the standard in Assassin's Creed games - and they appear to be upgraded from when we last put blade to throat. During one video, Connor actually removed the blade from the wrist-guard, allowing him more versatility whilst killing people.
And third, it reaffirms that he's working with some high-class individuals. Typical soldiers didn't carry flintlock pistols during the Revolutionary War, they were mostly carried by officers or generals. While we're not going to say this proves that he's a general or an officer, it definitely shows that he works with them quite a lot.
He has new hidden blades
While it looks like his main weapon is going to be a tomahawk, the new assassin will still have access to the series' signature hidden blades. He'll have two - which is sort of the standard in Assassin's Creed games - and they appear to be upgraded from when we last put blade to throat. During one video, Connor actually removed the blade from the wrist-guard, allowing him more versatility whilst killing people.
He'll captain a boat
At Sony's E3 2012 press conference, Ubisoft took the stage to show off an element of Assassin's Creed III that hadn't yet been revealed: at some point, for some reason, Connor will become the captain of a boat. The demo looked awesome, and showed him commanding his sailors to fire on enemy ships and even jumping to board another vessel.
At Sony's E3 2012 press conference, Ubisoft took the stage to show off an element of Assassin's Creed III that hadn't yet been revealed: at some point, for some reason, Connor will become the captain of a boat. The demo looked awesome, and showed him commanding his sailors to fire on enemy ships and even jumping to board another vessel.
He can assassinate enemies while running
Guns are scary, and they're pretty easy to use. One shot and bam - you're down. That's why the typical assassinations (jumping on people and stabbing them) simply don't work anymore. Connor adapts by killing on the go, stabbing enemies as he sprints past them.
He's a real Assassin (with a capital A)
It took a little while for Ezio to actually join in the fight against the Templars in Assassin's Creed II. In the beginning he was just a guy out for revenge. This new character, however, is absolutely decked out in Assassin gear, with the emblem all over his outfit. It's on his belt, it's on his arms, and it's on his axe. He's not some guy who decided to start assassinating people, he's a true Assassin, in the Assassin's Brotherhood, fighting the fight against the Templars. He even has that Assassin's Creed notched hood thing going on!
Guns are scary, and they're pretty easy to use. One shot and bam - you're down. That's why the typical assassinations (jumping on people and stabbing them) simply don't work anymore. Connor adapts by killing on the go, stabbing enemies as he sprints past them.
He's a real Assassin (with a capital A)
It took a little while for Ezio to actually join in the fight against the Templars in Assassin's Creed II. In the beginning he was just a guy out for revenge. This new character, however, is absolutely decked out in Assassin gear, with the emblem all over his outfit. It's on his belt, it's on his arms, and it's on his axe. He's not some guy who decided to start assassinating people, he's a true Assassin, in the Assassin's Brotherhood, fighting the fight against the Templars. He even has that Assassin's Creed notched hood thing going on!
He can hang people with the Rope Dart
Connor has access to a new, powerful item in ACIII. It's called the "Rope Dart," and it is exactly what it sounds like: a rope with a dart attached to it. We saw him stand in a tree, throw the dart into a man's neck, and then drop down, hanging the enemy while he takes on the other opponents.
He can assassinate enemies from corners
Connor has an elegant solution to taking down enemies from corners. While standing against a corner, he can grab a foe and kill them with a quick stab, placing them on the ground out of sight.
Connor has access to a new, powerful item in ACIII. It's called the "Rope Dart," and it is exactly what it sounds like: a rope with a dart attached to it. We saw him stand in a tree, throw the dart into a man's neck, and then drop down, hanging the enemy while he takes on the other opponents.
He can assassinate enemies from corners
Connor has an elegant solution to taking down enemies from corners. While standing against a corner, he can grab a foe and kill them with a quick stab, placing them on the ground out of sight.
Connor obviously has a connection to eagles. He has a number of eagle feathers on his outfit, and even one emblazoned on his hood. This, obviously, fits within Assassin’s Creed’s lore, which has the Assassin’s sharing a connection with eagles, and also fits in with his heritage.
Eagles (and eagle feathers) and considered sacred in many Native American cultures. The eagle is considered a messenger to god, and some cultures believed that the eagle had the power to protect people from evil. Since he's part Native American, his association to the eagle is likely stronger than it was for the other assassins in past games, moving from a symbol to a sacred connection.
He can climb trees.
This might seem like a minor addition, but it's actually pretty freaking huge. Connor can climb trees, as seen from this screenshot, which has massive implications not just for the urban environments, but for the outdoors as well.
Stalking prey through the forest by jumping between trees could be an awesome expansion of the Assassin's Creed gameplay style, and from what we've seen it's as fluid and awesome as it sounds.
Eagles (and eagle feathers) and considered sacred in many Native American cultures. The eagle is considered a messenger to god, and some cultures believed that the eagle had the power to protect people from evil. Since he's part Native American, his association to the eagle is likely stronger than it was for the other assassins in past games, moving from a symbol to a sacred connection.
He can climb trees.
This might seem like a minor addition, but it's actually pretty freaking huge. Connor can climb trees, as seen from this screenshot, which has massive implications not just for the urban environments, but for the outdoors as well.
Stalking prey through the forest by jumping between trees could be an awesome expansion of the Assassin's Creed gameplay style, and from what we've seen it's as fluid and awesome as it sounds.
He can hunt
According to reports, about 1/3 of Assassin's Creed III takes place out in the open. Trailers have shown Conner in the open, hunting down and killing different types of wildlife, and one even showed him skinning an animal. Hopefully he'll be able to do something with the animals he kills, or else we're sure some people might be upset to find out that he's not using every part of the animals he slays. We're guessing that there will be some sort of bartering abilities, allowing Connor to trade his gathered goods for equipment or gold.
According to reports, about 1/3 of Assassin's Creed III takes place out in the open. Trailers have shown Conner in the open, hunting down and killing different types of wildlife, and one even showed him skinning an animal. Hopefully he'll be able to do something with the animals he kills, or else we're sure some people might be upset to find out that he's not using every part of the animals he slays. We're guessing that there will be some sort of bartering abilities, allowing Connor to trade his gathered goods for equipment or gold.