Our moody, broody hero Connor returns to the American Revolution in The Tyranny of King Washington, an exciting DLC trilogy for Assassin's Creed III on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. This time though, his adventures are set in a parallel universe where George Washington has been crowned king and gone bonkers, which means new skills, surprises and some liberal rewriting of history.
But first things first - we bloomin' love Assassin's Creed III. The fantastic setting, the story and its epic scale, the tree climbing, the hunting and yes, even the Animus bits (no, really) - oh, and those sea battles. It also featured some great characters including some of the best, unsung antagonists in gaming in recent years.
While everyone else was going potty over psycho Vaas Montenegro's scenery-chewing in Far Cry 3, we were bewitched by Haytham Kenway's thoroughly gentlemanly thuggery and even more so by his second-in-command Charles Lee as the young toff who turns from naïve Templar wannabe into a complete and utter degenerate over the course of the game (and perfectly voiced by actor Neil Napier).
So being able to return to this world is something of a treat, especially when Ubisoft has decided to twist it into something so different. Two of three chapters have been released to date; the first, The Infamy sets up the new universe with Connor awaking in an alternate reality as just plain, old Ratonhnhaké:ton who never joined the Assassin order in the first place, and is subsequently given a mission by his now-alive mum Kaniehtï:io - to go slit the crazed despot Washington a new one. And be back home before bedtime.
Enter some new skills acquired thanks to a steaming pot of hallucinatory tea (cup of PG Trips anyone?); the assassin formerly known as Connor now able to call on a pack of wolves to join him in battle and use an ancient cloaking ability (aka 'active camouflage' from Ghost Recon...). And off to the Frontier you go to witness Washington's bloody handiwork in the wild before heading to Boston for the second-in-the-series The Betrayal (featuring another new power that lets you soar like an eagle from rooftop to rooftop). And it will all climax in New York in the soon-to-be-released final episode, The Redemption.
What's refreshing about these expansion packs so far is the stripped-back nature of the experience; gone is the crafting, the hunting's been simplified and money has been shown the drain. What you're left with is a breathless and imaginative yarn that captures everything that made you fall in love with the series in the first place - but with the game's writers allowed to kick up their spurs and really let rip, unchained from actual historical events.
It's enough to keep us Assassin's Creed fans happy until the the glorious sequel (well, prequel) Black Flag glides into port to whisk you off to the Caribbean. Unlike so many franchises that feel jaded after a few outings, The Tyranny of King Washington shows that this series is going to run and run (and jump and stab) well into the future.