One, none and a hundred thousand, the Watch Dogs: Legion review

After two chapters that are certainly fun and peculiar but that have not managed to completely bewitch the public, Ubisoft changes the cards and tries it with Watch Dogs: Legion. Say goodbye to the lone protagonist, hacking pro and welcome a literally endless array of characters that can be recruited and controlled at any time. Will this unprecedented yet ambitious game mechanic be enough to overturn the perception of the series that the public has built up in recent years? We tell you about it in ours Watch Dogs: Legion review!



One, none and a hundred thousand, the Watch Dogs: Legion review

God save the Reg ... hey, where's the Queen?

London is on its knees. A devastating terrorist attack destroyed some key places in the British capital and the lives of citizens changed forever. DedSec is considered by many to be public enemy number one and the British government, in an attempt to restore order, has relieved the police of their posts and given free rein to Albion, a violent and fascist private militia. The situation is dramatic and no one can do it alone: here then, it is up to the player to get busy to repopulate the ranks of the organization of hackers called DedSec. And it is precisely around this expedient that the whole structure of the game revolves and beyond.

I am the DedSec, you are the DedSec. We are the DedSec.

The London that we tell you in the Watch Dogs: Legion review is the emblem of a city that is as modern as it is dirty, corrupt and criminal. The government and intelligence of the former British monarchy were unable to maintain order and so, after mourning the victims of the attacks, the iron fist imposed by the executive requires us to repress in blood and with false news any form of protest or rebellion, to cover up murders and scandals. If on the one hand we have the 'activist network' in the making, on the other the so-called "Enemies of London" are mostly known from the beginning: taking up a bit the style of Far Cry 5, which proposed several main enemies to be found and then defeat, even in this Legion the players will have to work hard to put an end to the abuses and crimes that have been tearing apart poor London citizens for too long.



We are in 2026 and the English metropolis built by the Ubisoft Toronto team (already authors of the first chapter of the saga, ed) is that of a dystopian post-brexit London, slightly projected into the future, where fear of terrorism and social control are themes very topical. Moving away a little from that too ostentatious lightness that characterized the second chapter, it is nice to read, in many dialogues or videos, messages related to political or ethical issues inserted by the developers to try to give an interpretation of the real world and of what the future could be. Furthermore, the aforementioned game mechanics linked to the recruitment of activists also think about rowing in the same direction: any character you see walking the streets of London can be recruited.

For each of these, as already happened in the past, it is possible to read a set of data collected thanks to the central computer system ctOS (biography, personal data, family ties, curiosities and a possible reason that binds them to DedSec): each NPC with to whom we choose to speak instead, he will ask us to complete a mission for him and once it is completed, he can be considered a soldier available among our ranks. However, not all are sympathizers of our organization of hackers therefore, for some characters, we will have to act with greater cunning trying to intervene with surgical precision in the lives of these people, so as to make them think again about us. Other times, if our past actions have touched them closely, the hatred will be so strong that we can do nothing but abandon the idea of ​​recruiting them.

On the other hand, it is amazing to note how every character we choose to use is always perfectly inserted in the videos of the missions, in the briefings or in our headquarters. Every activist is obviously different from the others and it's not just a matter of gender, appearance, age or weight. Based on their job and social position, activists are able to offer more or less significant bonuses for our cause: whether it's hand-to-hand weapons, shotguns, sports cars equipped with special missiles or drones, everyone can contribute in different ways. Added to this are the unique abilities that activists bring with them: from the 6G data plan that speeds up downloads to the Lightning Hack, from the reduction of the reload times of the skills to the possibility of 'corrupting' the enemy Drones or greater physical resistance, useful to escape a terrible death.



The Permanent Death feature can be turned on or off from the settings

Yes, because, great news of this Watch Dogs: Legion, when an activist dies during a game or a mission, he can no longer be recovered and is considered dead by the whole team (if you really want, you can deactivate the option. "Permanent death" from the settings but not recommended). That's why every mission will always require a good dose of concentration and every mistake you make could cost you more expensive than expected. For this reason, it is good to update and try to set up a heterogeneous team composed of activists with different abilities and different social roles: an activist in bricklayer's outfit, for example, can come in handy because he can be moved with the Cargo Drone as well as a Doctor or an agent in uniform, they can be used to infiltrate without giving into the eye in a hospital or enemy base.

One, none and a hundred thousand, the Watch Dogs: Legion review

Full of technology!

As mentioned, DedSec is perceived by many as the public enemy number one so activists must win back the favor of the people, of the common people, before they can strike power. It therefore becomes fundamental complete activities related to the eight London boroughs: these are fairly standard missions ranging from the destruction of a server to acts against the regime propaganda served up by the Albion militias. Once the neighborhood becomes rebellious, it is easier to recruit people inclined to the ideals of DedSec and moreover, for each neighborhood conquered, the player is rewarded by having an activist with peculiar abilities in the team. Conquering a neighborhood also unlocks new skills that can be purchased with tech points and also reveals where they are hidden in that portion of the city.


Spiderbot, spiderbot ovunque!

As you can guess, the technological points are used to enhance or unlock the super-technological gadgets available to our hackers: most of these have a degree of enhancement ranging from one to three and mostly concern the possibility of deactivating, taking control or bribe drones, automatic turrets, and stun weapons; the organization in the menus is of the classic ones and divides them into Gadgets, Upgrades, Weapons and Hacks. Other upgrades allow you to cloak the player for a short period of time, jam enemy weapons, upgrade melee attacks or unlock cutting-edge technologies such as Spiderbot, a deadly radio-controlled spider capable of jumping, hiding and killing enemies in style. Obviously, the classic types of hacking are also available, such as those that act on cameras or on environmental elements such as ramps, scaffolding and obstacles. Big absent instead is hacking designed to escape from enemies: in Watch Dogs: Legion you will no longer be able to count on traffic lights, bollards or manholes to knock out your pursuers.


As it was in the previous episode, the player is also offered in this Watch Dogs: Legion an incredible range of aesthetic customizations to apply: from hats to masks, passing through pants, shoes and jackets that are nothing short of extravagant. Purchases can be completed through the numerous shops scattered around the city: it goes without saying that if you are looking for luxury clothes, you will have to go shopping for the shops in the center while if you are looking for a punk or casual look, we suggest you give a eye in the Camden area. The currency for this type of purchase, called line up, can be accumulated by completing any game mission or performing specific hacking activities: in any case, if you really can't stop yourself, you can resort to the in-app purchase of eTo packages to give vent to your aesthetic vein.

One, none and a hundred thousand, the Watch Dogs: Legion review

The British will always drive on the wrong side

When London was announced as the setting for the new chapter of Watch Dogs, I exulted: finally a European city, a city that I love and know well, closer to our concept of metropolis and above all far from the expanses of asphalt typical of the American territory that we now have learned about all too well through years and years of video games. The final yield is therefore realistic, although it is very small and narrow in the distances but it still reproduces well the most memorable places of interest and tourist ones and indeed, reinterprets them in a captivating and original modern key. Compared to Chicago in the first chapter and San Francisco in the second, this London is a city in decline, torn apart by street clashes and criminal abuse perpetrated by the Albion militias: it is a city on the verge of exploding, which harbors a feeling of hatred towards power and a very strong desire for revenge.

It therefore appears as a dark, dirty city, not very far from the settings of a The Division, to stay on the Ubisoft theme. The diffusion and capillarity of technology is felt at every corner of the road: the carriageways (where you drive on the right, so be careful!) Are full of electric or self-driving cars, the sky above us witnesses a continuous passage of drones carrying packages, cargo drones but also of 'police' or riot drones. By virtue of a seemingly distant technological future, many car and vehicle models have been invented from scratch to meet this need for modernity. A consequence of this choice, however, can be seen in the vehicle damage system which is confirmed as a step backwards compared to the past and therefore less credible, as well as the reactivity of the police forces is very limited, a symptom of an enemy AI that needs more care and attention.

In any case, to attack enemies we do not necessarily have to resort to the aid of weapons (non-lethal stunners or firearms) or super-technological trinkets: as per tradition, in fact, Watch Dogs also provides the hand to hand combat that this time it seemed slightly more refined, with the possibility of throwing quick punches, slower blows to break the guard or to dodge the opponent's thrusts to the side.

One, none and a hundred thousand, the Watch Dogs: Legion review

As for the graphics sector, Watch Dogs: Legion does not work miracles, just as the two previous chapters never did. Despite this, some views, in particular those related to places of interest such as London Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and the Palace of Westminster are reproduced in a very faithful and convincing way; Thanks to a rather detailed photographic mode, they can also be framed properly in a digital postcard. The English dub is very good (the file for the other languages ​​can be downloaded starting from D1, ed), superior to many other titles and it is surprising to note how the developers have provided so many different voices for the activists at our disposal who, of course, can interact and intervene in the various gameplay footage simply based on who we are currently using.

There are some bugs but nothing alarming: as mentioned, the most felt problems concern more the ability of the enemy AI to read the different situations than real problems strictly related to the game code. The title then, at least on PS4 Standard, is positioned around 30 fps (dropping on some occasions) but we are confident to try the improvements related to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions which will be available for free starting from 10 November next.

USEFUL INFO

We reviewed Watch Dogs: Legion with a PlayStation 4 code provided by Ubisoft. We played for nearly thirty hours, completing the main adventure and building a rather diverse and satisfying network of activists.

Duration
  • Lots of missions to complete
  • Many technological gadgets to unlock and upgrade
  • Ability to recruit any non-player character to the rebellion ranks. Seriously.
Structure
  • As with other recent Ubisoft games (eg Far Cry 5), the main story proceeds through four different lines, each of which is linked to an 'Enemy of London'.
Collectibles and Extras
  • Audio to listen to, graffiti, podcasts, documents and whoever has the most puts the most!
Game Card
  • Game Name: Watch Dogs: Legion
  • Release date: October 29, 2020
  • Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • Dubbing language: Italian
  • Texts language: Italian
One, none and a hundred thousand, the Watch Dogs: Legion review

Watch Dogs: Legion is the third installment of a saga that is trying to understand what its nature is and the direction it wants to go. Taken individually, the three episodes are very different from each other and in equally different ways have so far tried to experiment with a different concept of the game. This third chapter is undoubtedly the most courageous and ambitious: a title that deliberately chooses to abandon the logic of the protagonist and votes to that of the group, of a team, interpreting the story in a more mature key and getting closer to the style of Aiden Pearce's adventure. A certainly risky move - and therefore we feel like rewarding - but also very expensive in terms of resources, and which evidently cost the franchise a few steps backwards as regards the integration of hacking and the construction of the game world. In short, we would have liked to see the absolute variety that the team of activists at our disposal also in the construction of missions, secondary and otherwise, and in the possibilities offered by hacking, often limited and in the long run not very exciting.

Videogamingallday.com review
Graphics

On standard consoles or PS4 and Xbox One, the game certainly does not shine from a graphic point of view and stands at a level very similar to that proposed by the previous chapter. The rendering of the landscapes is weak in the long distance while the models of the activists are well made. We remind you, however, that, starting from November 10, Watch Dogs: Legion will receive a free update for PS5 and Series X and will implement various graphic features.

74
SOUNDTRACK AND DOUBLE ROOM

We played with the English dubbing because the separate download file containing the other languages, at least on consoles, will be published at launch. In any case, a good dubbing, pleasant to listen to and above the general average for this type of production.

85
GAMEPLAY

The biggest news is the possibility of recruiting any activist is real, it works. We can use practically every character we see walking the streets of London, however the recruiting missions are sometimes a bit boring or excessively long. As far as hacking and exploration is concerned, we must point out the absence of some possibilities and the introduction of others including stealth sections that exploit the uniform of our activists.

75
Total Rating scale
76
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