"Assassin's Creed IV: Freedom Cry" Drops Today, the Ballad of Adewale (Video)

Adewale brings the pain

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Complex Original

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The first story add-on for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flagdrops today with Freedom Cry. The downloadable content (DLC)allows players to take the role of Edward Kenway's right hand man Adewale who, years later, finds himself stranded on a hostile island and leading a revolt to cast off the chains of slavery.

While the new DLC will still give players plenty of piracy, the focus here is on the grim yet omnipresent subject of slavery. Fifteen years after the events in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Adewale finds himself stranded on the island of St. Domingue and joins others in a revolt against the cruel slavers; heavy stuff for a video game yet Ubisoft says there is no looking away from the horrible past.

Ubisoft isn't trying to tackle any huge social problems here, but confronting such a large part of this time period is important. In a blog post writer Jill Murray explained that while slavery is obviously key to this story it's not the only focus. “I always think it's important to keep in mind that a character is first and foremost themselves,” Murray said. “When I write them, I hope they're never just a stand-in for an issue, and the idea isn't just to confront this thing. Adewale's not standing in for every black man who was ever a slave in the 18th century, He's Adewale.”

Freedom Cry launches today, December 17. For those who didn't pick up the Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag season pass this DLC will cost you $9.99.

Here's a brief synopses from Ubisoft:

Set 15 years after the end of Black Flag, Freedom Cry stars an older Adéwale, who has since stepped out of Kenway’s shadow to become a seasoned Assassin and valued member of the Brotherhood. When the DLC begins, Adéwale is shipwrecked in St. Domingue (modern-day Haiti), where he comes face to face with some of the most brutal slavery in the West Indies. As he makes his way through St. Domingue, Port-au-Prince and the surrounding seas, Adéwale will counter the abominable cruelty festering in the region with his own ruthless justice, delivered via bloody machete, powerful blunderbuss – and while aboard his fearsome brig Experto Crede.”

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[Via RockPaperShotgun]

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