Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington

The Tyranny of King Washington is a downloadable content (DLC) pack for the 2012 video game Assassin's Creed III. It consists of a single-player narrative campaign which is separated into three episodic installments.[1] Players assume the role of Ratonhnaké:ton (also known by his adopted English name, Connor), a half-British, half-Mohawk member of the Brotherhood of Assassins. While the DLC features a continuation of the gameplay elements from the base game, Connor never had the opportunity to become an Assassin in this continuity. Instead, he gains new mystical powers in each episodic installment which are themed after his Mohawk cultural heritage: the "Power of the Wolf" for stealth, allowing Connor to temporarily turn invisible; the "Power of the Eagle" for speed, which allows him to turn into an eagle for short flights; and the "Power of the Bear" for strength, which produces a devastating shockwave to knock back all nearby enemies. Connor also has access to a fourth ability called "Alpha of the Pack" which summons astral wolves to assist in battle.[2]

Some time after the events of Assassin's Creed III and the end of the Revolutionary War, George Washington secretly meets with Connor, telling him of dreams he has received from an Apple of Eden he had seized. Concerned, Connor attempts to take the Apple from Washington, but is transported into an alternate timeline, created by Washington's nightmares. In this reality, Connor never became an Assassin, his mother Kaniehti:io is still alive, his father Haytham Kenway died years ago, and Washington, corrupted by the Apple's power, has crowned himself the "Mad King" of the United States.

After Kaniehti:io tried and failed to steal Washington's source of power—a Scepter with the Apple at the top—a furious Washington has mobilized his army to eliminate her and Connor's tribe. In desperation, the tribe's Clan Mother brews the Tea of the Great Willow, which can grant great physical abilities with crippling side effects. However, Kaniehti:io forbids Connor from drinking the Tea and instead gifts him Haytham's old Hidden Blades. When Washington's army attacks, most of the tribe, including Kaniehti:io, is killed, while Connor is gunned down by Washington himself after being overpowered by his Scepter. After being nursed back to health by the Clan Mother, Connor reluctantly brews and drinks the Tea at her insistence, gaining the power to turn invisible and summon spectral wolves. The Clan Mother is later killed in a raid led by General Benedict Arnold, leading Connor to kill him. With his dying breath, Arnold reveals that he had been mind controlled by Washington, and directs Connor to seek Benjamin Franklin.

Connor is captured by General Israel Putnam and taken to Boston to be executed, but manages to escape. In the process, he is reunited with his childhood friend Kanen'tó:kon, who is part of a resistance group led by Samuel Adams. After Kanen'tó:kon reveals that drinking more of the Tea can grant additional powers, Connor does so, gaining the ability to transform into an eagle. He then tracks down Franklin and frees him from Washington's control, whereupon Franklin agrees to help defeat Washington. However, Putnam's forces ambush and kill Adams and most of his rebels. With no other choice, Connor and Franklin seize a ship to escape Boston. Putnam arrives, holding Kanen'tó:kon hostage, but Connor kills him and rescues his friend. Connor, Franklin, and Kanen'tó:kon then set sail to New York, where Washington is building a pyramid.

As the trio approach New York, their ship is attacked by Washington's navy, scattering the crew. Kanen'tó:kon sacrifices himself to protect Franklin from Washington, and Connor drinks the Tea one final time, granting him the strength of a bear. They encounter another resistance group led by Thomas Jefferson attempting to attack Washington's pyramid. Connor helps Jefferson's rebels withdraw, and then works to gain additional support. In response, Washington addresses the people with a speech, boasting about his plans to invade England and enslave its people. Connor eventually sows enough chaos and support that the entire city rises up against Washington. Using a special key provided by Franklin, Connor infiltrates the pyramid, where he battles and defeats Washington. As Connor reaches for Washington's Scepter, they are both transported back to the original timeline.

Terrified by the Apple's power, Washington gives it to Connor in order to dispose of it and departs. Later, in his office, Washington is met by an unknown man who suggests that he should become the king of the United States to strengthen the newly-formed country. Reaffirmed by the events he witnessed, Washington flatly refuses, and as Connor tosses the Apple into the ocean, the man disappears, revealing him to be another illusion.

On October 3, 2012, Ubisoft revealed The Tyranny of King Washington as the first major downloadable content pack for Assassin's Creed III, and that it would be released in episodic format.[1] The Tyranny of King Washington was available both as a standalone purchase and as part of the season pass for Assassin's Creed III.[1] Scottish composer Lorne Balfe composed the music for The Tyranny of King Washington, with the soundtrack released via digital distribution on April 23, 2013.[3]

On January 24, 2013, the first episode of the DLC was announced, titled The Infamy. It was released on February 19 for Xbox 360 and PC, February 20 for PlayStation 3, and on February 21 for the Wii U.[4] On February 6, 2013, it was announced that the second episode, titled The Betrayal, would be released on March 19 for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 and an unknown date for Wii U (available in the eShop as of March 27) and that the third episode, titled The Redemption, would be released on April 23 for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3. Despite being given a release date of May 16 for Wii U, The Redemption has been available in the eShop since April 27.[5]

The Tyranny of King Washington is included with the remastered edition of Assassin's Creed III, along all with all previously-released downloadable content.[6] Assassin's Creed III Remastered was released on March 29, 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One,[7] and on May 21, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch.[8]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, all three episodes of The Tyranny of King Washington received generally mixed or average reviews on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,[11][13][10][12][14] except for the PS3 version of The Infamy which had an overall favorable reception.[9]

• Cultural depictions of George Washington
• Native Americans in popular culture

• A. Martin Wainwright (2019). "Contingency and determinism". Virtual History: How Videogames Portray the Past. Routledge. ISBN 978-1138069091.
• William Gibbons (2018). Unlimited Replays: Video Games and Classical Music. Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0190265274.