Watch Dogs: Legion Review
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
DeDSec for Life
Ever felt like bringing down shadowy organizations but do not have the energy to leave your home? Then Watch Dogs: Legion has what you need. Ubisoft Toronto starts your revolution in a future London by cleverly layering its sights and sounds throughout the large open world map. The action-adventure gameplay is a little basic during combat, but that is not where the fun of this game lies. Building my crew with wide ranging individual quirks brought enough variety to keep me constantly entertained while recruiting Londoners to my cause. The community based revolution theme and interpersonal relationships make the game unique from others in the genre.
The single player campaign unfolds with a counterterrorist operation gone wrong for a team of DedSec hackers. The organization gets blamed for multiple explosions throughout London and a private military company named Albion dismantles DedSec down to one agent, Sabine Brandt. She rallies a new citizen army starting with a hand-selected volunteer. Every potential recruit has their own abilities and personal connections that help or hurt the cause, including the re-founding member. Having a diverse team helps the revolution face the many threats of London, including several gangs battling for control of the city.
“Beware of the vengeance of any Londoner wronged by DedSec ”
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Expanding the DedSec brand is not easy after the bad press of being labeled a terrorist organization, luckily there are many ways to gather the masses for the revolution. People are most often recruited after being scanned out in their normal life and then approached by one of the agents already on the team. If the citizen is amiable, they can be enlisted after completing a mission or more. My favorite recruitment technique involved saving random strangers from rough Albion arrests, especially after I stood around while they gunned down my operative’s cousin instead of arresting her. It was when I scanned her poor body to find out how bad I failed the city and my team. Those Albion liberations are random unlike the Borough Missions or Bare Knuckle Boxing Leagues which provide whole groups of willing applicants after completing a zone.
Not every Londoner is friendly and willing to join, especially when GTA style driving and antics snuck into my gameplay. Personal relationships of potential members affect their desire to join, especially if you accidentally killed their lover. The complex intimate connections make up an ever-expanding intricate matrix of possibilities. The longer each campaign is played the thicker the web gets. Destroy enough of anyone’s life in the game and they will eventually make DedSec pay. In fact, Phil MacTyr is still making me pay for what I did to his Albion guard boyfriend.
Potential revolutionaries have traits that grant advantages, like Teagan Day who I call Mamma 6G because of her quick hacking capabilities. Other citizens have access to signature weapons or specialized equipment including some unique ones such as a beekeeper’s robotic bees. However, there are agents that boost the team simply by having them around too. One operative never went on missions because she is a keen shopper who automatically spends hard earned crypto on clothes. While her stylish kink may sound bad, I am a sucker for her discounts.
Recruits may have flaws to go with those perks that make the gameplay interesting. My professional racecar driver gets hiccups when nervous, so he has a hard time hiding from imminent danger. On the other hand, my elite hacker Glen had the doomed trait, and he met his untimely death while controlling a drone for a mission. The subtle mix of flaws and strengths made completing similar missions with different characters a strategic and humorous puzzle.
“Permadeath mode brings out my inner John Wick”
I found that if the recruits all have similar talents than the gameplay can get stale. The basic melee mechanics and the enemy takedown graphics only change when swapping operatives. Even parkour prowess can be affected by swapping agents. I loved using Martin with his custom motorcycle, but his arthritis made him frail and easy to take down. I even learned some citizens have their own fighting styles, such as construction worker Phil who swings his huge wrench in melee or Clarice who prefers a taser for those up close encounters.
The hacking functions are also simplified like the fighting mechanics. Most hacking is done by targeting a device and selecting a command such as drones, cars, boats, and some door locks. There are more complicated hacking puzzles that involve tracking and completing wiring patterns. However, all hacking functions are in real time so DedSec agents can be attacked at any time. Hackable devices litter the landscape and pollute the air, but they expand player options for handling different situations. The cargo drones were my favorite hackable devices. Who needs to scale buildings to take out a target when flying is an option?
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
I started the game with Permadeath mode enabled, which helped immerse me into the world of Watch Dogs: Legion. Tears almost came to my eyes when I lost my first operative, but I went John Wick on those poor fools. I got attached to all members of my crew and focused on advancing my revenge. If the current mission were dangerous, I would send in a fresh recruit until I fell in love with them or lost them in epic combat. There is a limit to how many recruits can be in DedSec, and deadly consequences is an unusual way to keep a spot open for the next big revolutionary star.
Searching the expansive map of London for the perfect candidate can feel overwhelming with all the sights and sounds of a lively city under protests. The natural landscape is worth getting lost in occasionally. The city and her landmarks have been faithfully recreated, slightly modernized, and then partially exploded. Daily British familiars like bollards and zig-zag lines scream drive on the left side everywhere. Some London staples are useful during play, for example the Underground stations provide fast travel locations around the city. Added mirroring and paneling on some of the buildings brings a future look into the classic scenery, especially any Albion buildings.
Ubisoft Toronto adds another gem to the Watch Dogs game series with this one. Its story focuses on a hacker group designed to right the balance of a corrupt system. The addition of building a proper hacker team to my desires excellently expands the gameplay started in Watch Dogs 1 and 2. The variety of character traits are expansive and rewarding, however some of the basic gameplay may not be earthshattering. This does not change the fact that the single player story mode is worth playing more than once. I am excited to play Watch Dogs: Legion online multiplayer when it becomes available in December.
Searching the expansive map of London for the perfect candidate can feel overwhelming with all the sights and sounds of a lively city under protests. The natural landscape is worth getting lost in occasionally. The city and her landmarks have been faithfully recreated, slightly modernized, and then partially exploded. Daily British familiars like bollards and zig-zag lines scream drive on the left side everywhere. Some London staples are useful during play, for example the Underground stations provide fast travel locations around the city. Added mirroring and paneling on some of the buildings brings a future look into the classic scenery, especially any Albion buildings.
Ubisoft Toronto adds another gem to the Watch Dogs game series with this one. Its story focuses on a hacker group designed to right the balance of a corrupt system. The addition of building a proper hacker team to my desires excellently expands the gameplay started in Watch Dogs 1 and 2. The variety of character traits are expansive and rewarding, however some of the basic gameplay may not be earthshattering. This does not change the fact that the single player story mode is worth playing more than once. I am excited to play Watch Dogs: Legion online multiplayer when it becomes available in December.
Watch Dogs: Legion
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: October 29, 2020
