by KLC_Killer, HSM team writer

When you hear the word “pirate,” do images of parrots, peg legs and eye patches come to mind?

If so, then you probably read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson a few too many times growing up. That or you spent a bit too much time playing The Secret of Monkey Island. Whichever the case, pirates are described in a very odd fashion in popular culture.

But, in the soon to be released game, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Ubisoft wishes to take a more realistic and much more historic look at pirates. Even though this is the sixth game in six years for the Assassin’s Creed series, the game is a far cry from being a lazy rush job: with a new protagonist, a new setting, new gameplay mechanics and a revamped naval combat engine, this may end up being the best Assassin’s Creed game to date.

Please note: the game  is a hybrid of real-world history and the game’s own universe. The new protagonist, Edward Kenway (grandfather of Assassin’s Creed III‘s protagonist Connor Kenway), like many young men of the day, was part of British royal navy as a privateer — at least until the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in early 1713, at which point he like many other privateers of the day ended up out of a job. And that is when he turns to piracy.

At first he may seem like just another run of the mill pirate captain, described by Game Director Ashraf Ismail as “Estranged. Doesn’t accept rules. Rebel. Brash. Reckless. Cocky. Handsome.” Edward being a run of the mill pirate captain is not completely true, because he soon encounters the Assassin Brotherhood, which is an ancient order that has been around for a few millennia. The setting for the game will be the West Indies, primarily: Kingston, Jamaica,  Havana, Cuba,  Nassau, Bahamas and the surrounding islands. Some of the new gameplay mechanics are ocean-based hunting (whaling and harpooning) and diving for underwater treasure. But the one thing I am most interested in is without a doubt the revamped naval combat engine. When I say revamped naval combat, I mean it: the difference between Ac4’s naval combat and AC3’s naval combat is huge. It’s as much of a difference as Home’s Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove version 1.0 versus  version 2.0.

As you all can tell by now I am excited for the new Assassin’s Creed game, and that is where the following video comes in. It was filmed on board a real ship that Ubisoft used as a promotional event during the San Diego International ComicCon. The ship was docked right behind the Convention Center, and all I can say is they worked quite hard to make it the amazing event that it was.

Special thanks to Olivia_Allin, HSM photographer, for making a great opening for the video, and to fellow team writer Godzprototype for all his help with the video.

Hope you all can enjoy this video at least half as much as I had filming it. It’s a bit strong on the shakycam, but hey, gonzo vlogging is the thing these days!

Share

One Response to “KLC’s Game On: Unplugged, Episode 2”

1. KrazyFace says:

   September 9, 2013 at 8:46 am

   I’m super excited about this one too! I’m not sure why but freedom of exploration in a world so big and deep has me like a kid at Christmas. After playing The Windwaker on the Game Cube years ago I’ve been waiting for a more realistic world of swashbuckling and oceanic exploration, the diving for treasure, the discovery of new islands and being able to sail and command a massive ship!

   Did you know that part of the sailing mechanic involves using sea chanties with the crew? By singing them you will boost the crew’s confidence and get a better response time from them. It’s the little things see! And of course, I have every faith that this next AC game will be as fluid in control and as much a joy to play as the others; can’t, wait!

   Reply