In the build-up to the quickly approaching launch of Assassin’s Creed III Electronic Theatre has covered many aspects of the videogame, from the historical accuracy to the implementation of original techniques in this new time period, from the relaxing Homestead to the tense multiplayer gameplay. Today however, we look at just how that combat system has become more refined in this new iteration.
“We were getting into a really good place with Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, good combat systems but the level of strategy and the variety that we bought to it now is I think much now 
compelling.” Offers Steven Masters, Lead Game Designer on Assassin’s Creed III. “Sometimes you’ll have to escape to avoid getting killed; you know we don’t have health potions anymore so when you get twenty enemies it’s going to be much more challenging than two enemies which is a great change for us.”
One of the frequently discussed issues with the Assassin’s Creed franchise is that it threw many cool elements at the player yet failed to exploit them to their fullest. The combat was highlighted as part of this, and so it’s good to hear that the development team has been taking on board this criticism.
“When you see the different enemy types in the fight around you you’re going to have to use a different strategy for every person that you see, be it the regular soldiers which you can kill using pretty much anything or the brutes who if you try to kill chain on to them or counter kill them they’re just going to slap you away… What you have to
remember to do with them is break their defence and then kill them, so then you’ll have the officers that you can’t do that to and you use your tools to defeat them, for example you can get the rope dart up, hit a guy, drag them to the ground and kill them on the ground.
“You’ll have two enemies attacking you at the same time, you can kill them both in one move and you can turn into this really fluid killing machine and really elegantly move enemy to enemy in a really fluid and dynamic way, but only once to master the strategies. So it becomes really much more fun and so rewarding when you get it right. You face a huge group of enemies and you hit them all with the right thing at the right time and at the end of it you’re just like ‘wow, I’m an enormous badass right now.’”
Much of this new combat system goes hand-in-hand with Assassin’s Creed III’s new protagonist, the aggressive Connor Kenway. Fighting for good in the same fashion as Altair and Ezio, Connor does so with gritted teeth and a severe hatred of all who stand in his way.
“Having a character that’s more raw and more brutal really helped us to develop some really cool new moves. How he handles the tomahawk and the hidden blade in a fight gives us some really awesome moments. 
And you’ll see, I think the best combat animations that we’ve ever done.”
Set for release one week from today, Assassin’s Creed fans will be waiting with baited breath to see first hand just how damaging Connor can be. Assassin’s Creed III will launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on 30th October 2012, with a Wii U version to follow, and Electronic Theatre will keep you updated with all the latest details on the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
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