Easily the most interesting new feature coming to Watch Dogs: Legion is the large collection of characters that players can control, complete with specialized abilities and fighting styles to approach each situation. One demo from the recent Gamescom coverage has given players a closer look at the recruitment process for those characters, including one with a very unique set of skills and some advanced technology.
Games Director Kent Hudson sat down with GamesRadar to show off recruitment missions for Watch Dogs: Legion in an early build of the game. According to Hudson, these recruitment missions will be a huge part of the game, considering that gathering these characters unlock new abilities for players to access, based on the selected character.
In the video, Hudson takes players through a recruitment mission and gives a brief explanation of what two of the characters in Watch Dogs: Legion can do, including one who can use a swarm of electric nanobees in order to fight off opponents. Setting the beekeeper character apart from others is the ability to sick the nanobee swarm on enemies and even make them explode with electricity when shot with the beekeeper's unique weapon. The video unfortunately doesn't show off the bees in action, ending just after recruiting the character and before being able to show the unique nanobee ability in action.
While the Gamescom showcase doesn't really show off the beekeeper, similarly skilled characters have been revealed before in other early looks from Ubisoft. The second of video gives a deep look at what players can expect from the beekeeper, as well as a number of other examples coming from the "play as anyone" mechanic of Watch Dogs: Legion. In fact, much of what Hudson explains in the demo footage is on full display, from using drones to search and fly around the city, to some of the more physical abilities of combat heavy characters.
The huge list of characters available in the game are one of the biggest draws to Watch Dogs: Legion's gameplay, with how each different set of abilities and weapons can completely change how players approach each situation. On top of the large roster, seeing characters with abilities as unique as the beekeeper with the swarm of electric nanobees only begs the question of how far Ubisoft is planning to push the concept. This just means that the possibilities really are endless for what players might find when they start playing, and what the developer might choose to add as the game continues to grow after launch.
Watch Dogs: Legion is set to release October 29th, for PC, PS4, Stadio, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X releases coming later.