'Assassin's Creed III': Blasts From Boston's Past

From the red brick buildings to the bustling crowds, ACIII‘s take on the popular Boston tourist spot looks a lot like it does today, save for the presence of patrolling Redcoats and lack of Red Sox cap-sporting baseball fans.

While we’re not sure we’ll see a re-enactment of Paul Revere’s ”midnight ride” in ACIII, we do know the silversmith-turned-American-Revolution-patriot works closely with new protagonist, half-European, half-Native American Connor Kenway.

ACIII‘s Revolutionary War-era Boston may not feature the towering architecture of its predecessor’s Renaissance Rome, but Beantown’s still a parkour-encouraging playground; scaling the Old North Church’s sky-reaching spire should provide an especially breathtaking view of the city.

Founding Father and brew-master Samuel Adams plays a significant role in ACIII‘s story, which — spoiler alert! — leads to Connor playing an equally important part in the Boston Tea Party. We’ve also got our fingers crossed for a beer-making mini-game.

Drenched in authentic detail — check out the gold lion and unicorn statues — ACIII‘s version of Boston’s Old State House looks near-identical to the one that stands today. We look forward to visiting this in-game landmark…right after we stain the cobblestones leading to it in Brit blood.

Using the profits of his tea trade, British Empire official William Johnson plans to purchase Connor’s peoples’ land — even thought they’re not selling. As this image suggests, the cloaked killer approaches the Brit baddie to, er, renegotiate the real estate deal.

Boston doesn’t sport a cloud-parting skyline like previous series’ settings, but its buildings’ close proximity offers ample opportunity to free-run through the city without touching the ground. Landmark-specific architectural touches, like the Old South Meeting Hall’s clock, also provide cover from prying Redcoat eyes.

The first President of the United States plays an important part in ACIII‘s main storyline. However, it’s his history-altering, power-hungry role in the post-launch chapter ”The Tyranny of George Washington” — where he declares himself King of America — that’s really got us excited to play in the past.