Ubisoft's epic struggle between Assassins and Templars heads to a new location and a new era as gamers take control of Ratonhnhaké:ton, also known as Connor Kenway, a half-Mohawk and half-English rebel who battles for the liberation of his people in the years before, during, and after the American Revolution. Assassin's Creed III finds players bounding through the trees of a sprawling frontier wilderness, battling enemies throughout the fledgling cities of Boston and New York and the fields of Lexington and Concord, and engaging in naval combat along the roiling Eastern Seaboard.

Created for Assassin's Creed III, Ubisoft's new "Anvil Next" game engine was designed to offer more fluid action, allowing for seamless transitions as Connor switches weapons, battles groups of foes, clambers over forest snags, and performs stealth kills. Gamers can make use of a variety of new weapons, including more advanced firearms, rope darts, and classic bows, but Connor is a dual-wield specialist whose signature blade is his new tomahawk. New assassination and fighting techniques abound, but new features like mobile hay carts and the ability to run through buildings ensure that stealth and evasion are still key components of the series.

The mission structure in Assassin's Creed III remains relatively similar to previous titles in the series, with targeted assassinations, side missions to help the downtrodden, and platforming sessions inside iconic buildings, but one big change is the addition of naval warfare. As the commander of a ship, Connor can engage in a variety of sea-based missions that include navigating minefields, boarding enemy vessels, and large-scale ship-on-ship assaults. All of the action can be dramatically altered by a new system of dynamic weather, with thick fog and giant waves providing cover but also making assaults more difficult.

Connor's travels throughout the colonies will put him in contact with iconic figures of the American Revolution, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere, but as always, the entirety of his 30-year experience as an Assassin is witnessed through the DNA memory of Desmond Miles, who players will also take control of for the portions of the game set in 2012. Multiplayer action returns to the series with a variety of modes, including Domination mode, in which gamers vie for control of certain points on the map, and the Wolf Pack mode, where teams work together to assassinate NPC targets.

The first game in the series to be released for Wii U, Assassin's Creed III takes advantage of the Wii U GamePad by allowing players to switch weapons on the fly and providing a persistent map screen.