When you tell a story, the most important thing is to immerse a player in a certain context or world. This will then produce a series of positive effects that will ensure that the player can fully enjoy the potential of that world. Ubisoft has now focused on a type of world and context of which, over time, different variations and facets have been seen. The reality is that, with Watch Dogs: Legion, they created a fun and engaging game with very interesting ideas, but obviously not without its problems. Here is my Watch Dogs: Legion review on PlayStation 4.
TAKE LONDON BACK
Your primary aim in Watch Dogs: Legion will be to fight a new authoritarian state that has taken possession of the city thanks to an advanced surveillance system known as ctOS. To do so, you will have to put together a team of revolutionaries in DedSec (your group of hackers) to carry out your battle victoriously.
In my opinion, this third chapter is the best of the Ubisoft saga thus far, offering you the opportunity to feel an integral part of the storyline through the use of a series of structural and gameplay choices. Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 offered the video game world some interesting innovations, but over the years it became rather quiet.
Free roaming always needs some particular elements that make it different from the others. Watch Dogs: Legion tries to get all the good things that have already been included in the previous chapters and tries to push even slightly more on the accelerator, getting a very positive result back even if it is not entirely perfect.
BUILD THE REVOLUTION
Starting a revolution can be extremely noble, but it risks being destructive. This concept is what Ubisoft has attempted to offer with Watch Dogs: Legion. Let’s be honest, the choice not to have a main character gave me more than a few doubts given the excellent narrative potential of the title. The attempt that is made in this case, however, is precisely to raise the concept of involvement, making you the real protagonists of the game.
Any human being that you meet on the streets of London is a possible affiliate of DedSec. To recruit someone, just talk to them and carry out a mission for them. Each person will have unique characteristics and abilities based on the elements that characterize their lives. From the old lady to the spy, from the homeless to the worker, each of them can be useful in different situations.
Don’t expect, however, to be faced with as many personalities and predispositions for as many people on the map. In fact, it will sometimes happen that you find people with identical characteristics. I do not feel like condemning this element as a real defect, as many similar personalities exist in real life as well.
GETTING ATTACHED
With Watch Dogs: Legion, Ubisoft tries to offer unique gameplay situations through the use of different gadgets and skills. You can purchase, unlock, and upgrade them using the technology points that you will find scattered in certain areas of the map. They achieve this gameplay diversification thanks to the many opportunities offered by the characters that will involve different approaches to the missions.
The distinct characters will present different moral but also physical elements, underlined and highlighted by the animations and other game situations. An elderly character will move much slower, just as a gambling-inclined character will make you gain or lose ETO (your in-game currency) and so on. The missions, however, basically all have a similar structure.
Infiltrate certain forbidden areas unnoticed, hack the security systems of that area to get data and information, and start the AR reconstruction. Something that is really fun is when choosing which skills and gadgets to use. Among the most interesting, I really like the drones, especially the cargo drones.
On board the latter it will be possible to fly over London’s most famous skyscrapers and buildings. In the long run, however, also given the poor AI of the enemies, some of these gadgets (especially the Spiderbot) could be slightly overpowered. The AI of the enemies, as just mentioned, does not shine for wit or cunning, an element that the saga also carries with it from previous chapters.
When playing Watch Dogs: Legion, make sure permadeath is set to active. This all results in a greater possibility for you to keep your character alive. Permadeath is a highly appreciated feature that offers the possibility of becoming particularly attached to your team members and further tension in the most dangerous phases.
NEVER SURRENDER
The Watch Dogs saga has never been a benchmark in terms of technique or graphics. The titles of the series have been able to defend themselves well and have always presented graphics in line, not exceptional, with the current and respective generations. Watch Dogs: Legion also follows in the footsteps of the previous chapters, offering a good glance but nothing that makes you stare in awe.
The 30 FPS on my PlayStation 4 remain stable for most of the time and drop (not drastically) in the most hectic situations and during the “rainy days”. When it comes to the ordinary NPCs walking on the streets, they are certainly alive and enjoy good physics and destructibility, but the overall facial animations are practically absent in most of them.
This is a real shame given that Ubisoft could have added that something extra to some key characters, like each having unique enemies. The surrounding natural environment is also less alive. Walking in puddles will have no effect. This is the same when walking through lawns, plants, or even flower beds.
However, the music is excellent, perfectly fitting with every phase of the game and which gives a sound level to a characteristic that is also clearly visible: style. Watch Dogs: Legion has its own style, appreciable or not but certainly recognisable. In addition, there were some unnecessary crashes and bugs that hopefully will be addressed in future patches.
Do you want to try Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs: Legion? What do you think of my Watch Dogs: Legion review on PlayStation 4? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Are you interested in more games? Check out our reviews for Watch Dogs, Amnesia: Rebirth, Aquanox Deep Descent, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, and The Survivalists.
