Fans of the highly popular Assassin’s Creed franchise are in for treat today, with the highly anticipated release of Assassin’s Creed III. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal, and is the eighth installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, being preceded by games Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr ’s Chronicles, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines, Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.

The franchise is famous for giving players the ability to experience a compelling story through tight gameplay, as well as introducing players to an array of interactive and rich historical environments. According to the Assassin’s Creed III website, the game does not stray from this path, and invites players to “experience the untold story of the American Revolution through the eyes of a new assassin, Connor.”

Previous games featured protagonists Altaïr ibn-La’Ahad, a disgraced assassin on a quest to redeem himself amidst the Third Crusade, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a charismatic assassin in Italy during the late 15th and early 16th centuries of the Renaissance. The focus of the story in the series is the experiences of “modern” protagonist Desmond Miles. Desmond was captured by the Knight Templars, the antagonist force of the series bent on world domination, and forced to enter a machine known as “The Animus”, which allows the person inside to re-live the experiences of their ancestors by accessing their genetic memory sequences.

Desmond has re-lived the memories of both Altaïr and Ezio, learning vital information regarding how to save the world from impending doom, but his journey has yet to be completed, and Assassin’s Creed III will finish his expansive story. In this installment, Desmond must use the Animus to experience the memories of his ancestor Connor Kenway, otherwise known as Ratohnhaké:ton, a half-Mohawk, half-English Assassin during the American Revolution to find the final answers that he seeks. Although the story can be difficult for new fans to fully understand, IGN.com assures gamers that players new to the series will still be able to enjoy everything the game has to offer.

“With the impending launch upon us, it can be tempting to go back and play through all the other games before stepping up to Assassin’s Creed III. But if you managed to make it this far without playing any of the others, it might not be worth your time. Assassin’s Creed III has expanded upon the successful formula and is undoubtedly the biggest game in the series to date, making it the perfect entry point for players new to the series.”

So if you haven’t been able to play through an Assassin’s Creed game just yet, it seems that today is a great time to get acquainted with one.

“Assassin’s Creed has always placed a heavy emphasis on narrative, but despite that, it hasn’t really pulled the threads together in a coherent way… yet,” Alex Rubens of IGN.com said in an article. “Thankfully there’s a ‘previously on Assassin’s Creed’ wrap-up at the beginning that summarizes the story so far. It doesn’t cover everything, but it summarizes enough to get the main point across for new players. It also helps that each game in the series works as an independent experience. Sure, they might be better as a whole, but they can stand alone, both in terms of story and mechanics.”

Aside from the focus of the story of the franchise, Assassin’s Creed III will also feature stunning new visuals created by the all-new game engine Anvil Next, which was exclusively designed for Assassin’s Creed III, and is capable of delivering astonishingly realistic detail to the game. The Anvil Next team spent three years perfecting the new engine, and gamers can finally experience everything it has to offer today.

Another feature of the game will be its multiplayer. Assassin’s Creed III will offer seven new multiplayer modes, known as Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch, Artifact Assault, Domination, Assassinate, and Wolfpack modes.

Assassin’s Creed III seems to be the most anticipated title in the series, as well as something special that all gamers should look into.