Watch Dogs Legion

Watch Dogs Legion is a multi-genre third-person sandbox game set in an open world, continuing the popular series of hacker action games. The events unfold in near-future London, which has become one of the centers of the technological revolution. After a series of terrorist attacks, street security is tightly controlled by the private military company "Albion." At the grassroots level, a criminal syndicate has emerged, preying on the weak and vulnerable. Only the hacker group DedSec can fight for justice and freedom, and the fate of London is now in the player's hands.

The Legion sandbox is comparable in size to the original 2014 game but has more "verticality." The city is divided into 8 districts (City, Westminster, Tower, and others), with no possibility to go beyond its borders. Famous landmarks coexist with fictional skyscrapers housing large corporations. You can move around on foot, by car, or quickly via the subway.

In future London, autonomous electric vehicles drive on the roads, and various types of drones for courier delivery, construction, and patrolling fly in the sky. Phone booths provide internet access. There are many smart devices everywhere. Not quite cyberpunk, but close. Futuristic yet recognizable. Everything is controlled by the city OS, which hacktivists exploit to their advantage.

The world-building and detailing are top-notch. London is realistically planned, densely filled with decorations, and covered with signs and graffiti. The map is densely built, but you can't freely roam wherever you want. Most buildings are simple boxes. Clever players on drones will be stopped by invisible walls.

Each district of London has its unique atmosphere, cultural features, and residents. One has more businessmen, another has IT specialists, and a third is home to the working class, and so on. The life simulation system has been improved. NPCs don't just live by a schedule; they go about various tasks, relax in clubs and parks, make friends and enemies, and exchange information.

The absence of a main character is a feature of the project. The player controls the entire London DedSec cell and can recruit any NPC encountered in the game world. Procedural generation creates hundreds of unique characters, each endowed with perks based on their biography, character, age, and occupation. Dozens of unique animations and voices add variety.

Ordinary NPCs in Legion can be useful or not. Some get viral hacking, extra health, or an automatic weapon (all weapons in the game are perks), while others have a chance to die at any moment or attract unwanted attention. Because of the randomness, a 70-year-old granny will fight no worse than a 20-year-old guy. And investors, lawyers, and doctors are hired just for their bonuses.

The game world adapts to the character. Recruiting a police officer allows you to use his right to use force, freely enter police stations and secure areas. A construction worker trying to go where he shouldn't will raise an alarm and be detained. But he can easily access construction sites. A granny can't do either but relies on a spider-bot and hacking.

NPC personal perks are complemented by abilities and gadgets from the entire DedSec cell, available regardless of the chosen character. Often, they are even much more useful. Therefore, the group is composed of unique heroes — a hacker, a spy, or a cyber-beekeeper.

Missions in Legion can be completed by one, almost any, character, and you can act according to the situation. Flew in on a drone, hacked something, snuck in stealthily, shot enemies with a machine gun, and so on. But you cannot bring the entire DedSec cell on a mission as a team and assign each their own task.

The events of Legion take place in turbulent times. Britain's exit from the EU, automation, and artificial intelligence have freed millions of jobs. The familiar economy is collapsing, and the government is losing control, authority, and power.

Organized crime has taken over the streets of London. The criminal syndicate Clan Kelly, led by boss Mary Kelly, controls smuggling, drug trafficking, sells immigrants into slavery, or dismembers them for the black market. Activists fighting against the lawlessness are beaten or even killed. Crime is one of our opponents.

Another opponent is the PMC "Albion," whose head Nigel Cass is a caricature of a hardliner and patriarch, ready to keep the population under tight control and deal with all dissenters. He fully exploits the fears of the population, who have willingly traded freedom for security, and is building total control in London.

The third opponent is the secret society Zero-Day, which actually orchestrated the terrorist attacks in London. According to the plot, it will strike DedSec more than once, but by collecting evidence and testimonies, the player will expose all its members.

The plot of Watch Dogs Legion tells a standard story of hipsters, marginals, activists, and grandmothers fighting for all that is good against all that is bad. Moreover, this struggle has no feedback. On TV, they slander "DedSec terrorists" and show the faces of its members, while NPCs are not even scared when they are recruited in broad daylight by the enemy of society and the state. "Albion" and the mafia, despite their authority and numbers, make a lot of threats but do not act on them.

The story is presented through the viewing of notes, listening to dialogues, and cutscenes; there is no interactive communication system. Against the backdrop of the template main plot, only a couple of secondary quests stand out. However, the entire game can be completed without grinding.

The gameplay is standard for previous games in the series: we perform missions to undermine the digital dictatorship, fight crime, and help ordinary citizens with their problems. Once the regime in a specific area is sufficiently weakened, the opportunity to start a riot will appear, unlocking a liberation mission — a unique task and a real challenge for the player.

Completing it will reduce the presence of "Albion" forces on the streets, boost the morale of the residents, and make it easier to recruit NPCs into the Resistance. By completing missions, the player gains experience and collects money. The latter is needed for cosmetics, while tech points are the basis of the upgrade system. Development affects the entire London DedSec cell, but its members also have their own individual progress.

When performing missions, the current character can be killed, especially if they are not a fighter or an assault specialist. It's not worth the risk; it's better to flee if detected, surrender if wounded, and go to jail.

Weapons can be lethal or non-lethal, both of which can be customized. Однако применять тяжелое вооружение в цивильном Лондоне никто не хочет, поэтому в Legion стало больше драк и физического насилия. Систему усложнили простыми и сильными ударами, блоком, перекатом, стрейфом, контратакой.

Решения, принимаемые игроком по мере прохождения от лица разных персонажей, влияют на игровой мир и отношение населения к DedSec. Также в игре много дополнительных занятий: бокс на голых кулаках, футбольный фристайл, работа курьером, рисование уличных граффити и многое другое.

Рассчитанный на 2-4 человек, сетевой режим Watch Dogs Legion предложил все те же миссии и активности, что были в синглплеере, кроме сюжета, и на той же самой карте. Развивать прогресс и собирать агентов также приходилось заново.

Помимо свободной игры, где можно было выполнять простые задания: убить, спасти, украсть, взломать и т.д. на пару минут, был режим «спецоперации», где 3-4 игрока выполняли задания повышенной сложности в несколько этапов. Они были ориентированы на плотную совместную работу, например, ограбления.

Впервые в серии Watch Dogs появилось полноценное PvP. На старте был доступен режим «Арена с роботами-пауками». От 2 до 4 игроков сражались при помощи вооруженных до зубов боевых дронов. Со временем вернулось и «Вторжение» — классический режим франшизы. Можно залезть в мир другого игрока, чтобы взломать его и украсть ценные данные. Оппонент должен был оказать яростное сопротивление.

Со временем Ubisoft выпустила режим «Легион мертвых», где нужно было выбраться из кишащего зомби Лондона в компании до 3 друзей. Также имелся режим «Захват», в котором игрок, заполучив ценные данные, ехал на другой конец города, чтобы их выгрузить. Другие игроки его преследовали.

Получив 5 сезонов контента, поддержка мультиплеера была прекращена в начале 2022 года.