Long before a game like Assassin’s Creed III can be played on a screen with a controller, the world of that game must be visualized. Strong concept art guides the vision of a project, informing the graphical style, locations, characters, and tone of the whole experience.

During our visit to AC III developer Ubisoft Montreal, we saw a wealth of evocative images from the project. We’ve drawn out some of the coolest pieces of concept art from what we saw to help illustrate some of the game’s most compelling locations, events, and characters.

For each of the images below, you may click on the picture for a larger version. Then, read the description below each image to learn more about what that piece of art illustrates about the larger game.

Enjoy your illustrated tour of the world of Assassin’s Creed III.

Boston

Colonial-era Boston is one of two major cities open to full exploration in Assassin’s Creed III. Boston was one of the largest cities in the colonies during the latter half of the 1700s.  Numerous historical events occurred in or nearby to Boston during the period, including the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and even the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and his fellow colonial patriots. Expect to witness some major changes to the city over the course of the full game.

City Life

This interior view of Boston offers a potent vision of the potential for city gameplay in Assassin’s Creed III. Tall brick homes, steepled churches, and docked ships offer a wide variety of climbing opportunities. Life on the streets is also dramatically more varied and lively than in previous installments of the Assassin’s Creed series. While the new game offers plenty of new gameplay experiences out in the wilds, the core excitement of free running through a teeming city remains intact; we witnessed a demo with new hero Connor weaving amid wagons and merchant stalls – and even through building windows – to evade a pursuing squad of British soldiers.

New York

This image shows the aftermath of the Great Fire of New York, a catastrophic event in 1776 that left around a quarter of the city in ruins. To this day, it remains unclear whether the fire was accidental or if it was purposeful arson to hamper the occupying British forces within the city.

In previous installments of Assassin’s Creed, the history enthusiast could delight in visiting particular places. In Assassin’s Creed III, the focus has been shifted to experiencing particular events, like the fire. You’ll see a location before a major event, during, and after it has occurred. When you’re done, you’ll understand why we remember events like the New York fire in the historical record.