14 DAY TRIAL // During my 4-hour hands-on session with Watch Dogs: Legion, I managed to build a decent net of DedSec agents, each with their own useful skills complementing each other in case shit hits the fan. Here is a short version of some of my worthiest achievements, spoiler-free.
The gameplay session starts with a long, exhilarating cinematic that sets the tone for what's to come. I feel like I'm watching a “James Bond goes to Hackersville” movie, but there's just one major problem: I'm not the hero, it's the people I'm recruiting who do the work for me.
Even in its early stages, there are clear signs that London is in crisis and even the slightest misstep can get you “killed” or imprisoned. Albion's troops, the corrupt private military company hired to keep London safe, after a terrorist attack that blew up several important buildings, are just about everywhere. You can see them guarding subway and police stations, harassing people, or simply enforcing many of the Albion's checkpoints throughout the town.
I'm one of the hunted, a member of DedSec, so I must tread carefully or face the consequences. You see, DedSec has been framed with the bomb attack, its headquarter destroyed, and its members killed or imprisoned by Albion. I'm one of the few remaining, and even though I'm not pulling the strings, I must rebuild the organization while discovering who's behind the terrorist attack.
Welcome to the Resistance
Now that we've established the background, let's talk a bit about what I actually did in Watch Dogs: Legion during my 4-hour playthrough. Well, the first thing I did has something to do with one of the main activities in the game: recruiting. Alas, I was not prepared for my first side quest and I failed to recruit David Ionescu, a higher-up with a very important skill for my organization. Mr. Ionescu would give my net members free pass from jail whenever they're caught by Albion's troops.
I failed because I didn't get the grasp of the game's many hacking mechanics. I ended up in the hospital because the car I had to hijack to bring Mr. Ionescu some much-needed documents, wasn't bulletproofed and exploded after being “stuffed” with bullets. As I've learned later on, Mr. Ionescu is not the only one who can provide you with such a useful skill. Also, I got the chance to recruit him again, even though I failed the first time.
My next two recruits were a drone specialist and a nurse. The latter provided my network of spies with the ability to reduce hospitalization time by a lot. From what I've played, it looks like it's hard to die in Watch Dogs: Legion if you don't excalate conflicts too much. However, once one of your DedSec members is killed, they disappear forever. Most of the time, they will be hospitalized or arrested, so you won't be able to use them for a while.
Armed with enough knowledge after successfully finishing two side-quests, I decided to tackle a couple of main story missions. I'm to visit one of the bombsites and salvage a certain component that would theoretically give me some insight on who's behind the attack. Obviously, the location is heavily guarded by Albion's security troops and, as I've learned soon enough, the main missions have multiple objectives that you have to complete in the same location.
I'm using one of my drone specialists to get a grasp of the surroundings and the force I'm up against. After hacking a couple of video surveillance cameras, I manage to scan the electronic component by hacking a working drone and using it to reach the location of the object. It took me quite a while to find the perfect angle to be able to scan and download the information I need, but I did that without having to enter the perimeter, so there was no fighting at all.
Alas, I'm not finished here. My handler tells me that I have to retrieve more information from the site, which can only be obtained by physically scanning certain objects within the guarded perimeter. It means I have to infiltrate the bombsite without being detected or simply go in “guns blazing.” I switch to another DedSec agent prolific in stealth and start searching for an opening. It takes me about 10 minutes to find an entrance that's not guarded, but I get discovered at some point before reaching my objective. After incapacitating 3-4 Albion agents, I get downed and sent to the hospital.
Ethan Hunt would be proud
I guess it's time call in the cavalry. The next DedSec agent I'm switching to is an amateur hitman (sorry, I didn't have time to find a professional one) and she's not using electroshock guns like the previous one. Since I managed to almost clear the field with my other agent, my amateur hitman's job has become much easier. I carefully approach the remaining Albion agents and take them down silently until only a few remain that are not making rounds near my objectives. I complete my assignment and right at the end I discover another entrance to the site that would've made the entire mission a breeze. It's well hidden and you have to pass an Albion's checkpoint, but it's there … and I missed it every time I circled the site.
I suddenly realize that there's a third option that would have allowed me to complete my mission much easier. There are all sorts of people that you can recruit in Watch Dogs: Legion and some of them can use their clothes to easily enter heavily guarded locations. For example, a policeman can enter a police station without triggering an alarm, and they will be safe as long as they don't do something unusual. If I were to use a construction worker, I believe I would have easily managed to infiltrate the bombsite and retrieve the information required in less than 10 minutes.
There's much more than just stealth or guns blazing
That's just a taste of how deep the game is when it comes to approaching mission completion. I used three different DedSec agents with different skills to complete a story mission, but I'm sure there are other ways to approach it. This is one of the things that I really liked about Watch Dogs: Legion. The game not only lets you play the way you want, but it also makes every mission a puzzle that you must solve. You can force brute it, or you can find an elegant solution.
I'd also like to briefly mention that Watch Dogs: Legion has tons of additional activities that you'll probably want to dabble in. You won't have to gather feathers like in Assassin's Creed, but there are certain in-game currencies that will help you unlock gadgets that tremendously help you infiltrate areas a lot easier.
I'm quite excited about Watch Dogs: Legion, and from the little I played, I believe it's by far the best in the series. Its open world is interesting to explore, yet you'll need some wit and patience to conquer it.
