Watch Dogs Legion, the game whereby players can recruit any NPC, was shown off during the Ubisoft Forward event. The preview demonstrates the character recruitment mechanics along with the mission types players will deal with to liberate London from the government’s control.
The Story
After Watch Dogs 2’s events, London has entered the full digital age full of futuristic gadgets, buildings, and clothes along with rising tensions between the city’s government and its citizens. After a recent terrorist attack caused by an unknown organization, the city is cracking down on anybody they can get their hands on. Since then, London has become a bleak but lightly-lit prison filled with dangerous gangs, security, and lunatics. Luckily for London’s population, DedSec has made its way into the UK and is willing to help anybody fight for the cause.
Different Classes means Different Playstyles
Watch Dogs Legion’s biggest gimmick is the fact any NPC inhabiting the world can be recruited into the resistance. Of course, they play similarly as they can run, hack, and engage in combat. This doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same, as each citizen has a unique set of equipment and perks depending on their occupation. Hackers can perform the usual hacks such as messing with traffic lights, looking into security cameras, and making the power go out with efficiency. Anarchist characters act rebelliously with brutal melee weapon attacks and various means of destruction. Even characters such as senior citizens have their place in London as they’re both sneaky and experienced in dealing with ruffians.
The Resistance
Recruiting members depends on who the gamer wants. If the player sees someone with potential, such as a kickboxer practicing on the street, they can recruit them. NPC’s join after completing their story quest. Depending on the situation and who the player wants to recruit, missions will range from rescuing them from a gang to downloading information for them. It’s all about helping one’s neighbors so they help in return.
More Villains and More Ways to Play
The trailer revealed a couple of the main villains. First is the CEO of Albion, Nigel Cass, who is using the private security company to supposedly bring order to the situation, making it worse in the long run. Mary Kelley is another villain players will contend with. She uses the dark web to sell illegal drugs, organs, and people. She’s enslaving the citizens of London for her own gain,using the terrorist attack as a means to further her goals.
Nigel Cass was the preview’s main villain, which demonstrated the use of different playstyles. First, a Construction Worker broke in by force using his trusty wrench nail gun to break into Albion’s headquarters, the tower of London. After that, a Drone Expert was used to demonstrate the variety of drone gadgets at players’ disposal. Finally, an Albion Contractor was shown sneaking into the base,escaping with all the information.
To deal with Mary Kelley, a professional Hitman can be used to take on heavy gunfights. Since he’s a professional, he will likely be a more accurate shot, better at melee combat and can utilize some of the slicker-looking executions with firearms.
With each villain, there’s a set of missions to deal with their operation and they can be handled differently depending on what characters players choose to handle them. While it looked as though there were only two main villains,that’s not the case. When the camera zooms out from Nigel Cass on the map screen, many other people’s silhouettes can be seen on the map, indicating more gangs and bosses will be encountered during Legion’s events.
Unrevealed Multiplayer
Watch Dogs’ multiplayer has always been a fun feature throughout the series. While wandering about, players can meet each-other during multiplayer side-events such as taking out gangs or playing a racing minigame. Legion will likely have the same features seeing as messing around with futuristic tech with players online is amusing. With a game like Watch Dogs Legion, in which players can be any NPC with their unique looks, it’s curious why Ubisoft hasn’t shown this feature off.
Watch Dogs Legion is set to release this year on October 29, 2020 on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One along with being a cross-generation title for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series-X.
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