Watch Dogs: Legion Review

Play as Anyone: Innovation with Compromises

The Play as Anyone system is Watch Dogs: Legion's genuine creative achievement. Every Londoner has a procedural background — skills, schedules, personality quirks, and voice lines. Recruiting the right operative for the right mission creates emergent strategy: a construction worker's hard hat deflects attacks and their access to building sites bypasses certain security; an Albion defector can enter Albion bases without triggering alarms; a retired assassin has better combat skills and access to a silenced pistol. The system creates investment in individual characters that more scripted games can't replicate.

The compromise is narrative coherence. Without a fixed protagonist, the story struggles to create emotional stakes. The missions tell a corporate dystopia narrative, but no single character carries it through. The Bloodline DLC (Aiden Pearce and Wrench as fixed protagonists) demonstrates that Watch Dogs works better with a defined lead — and the contrast makes the main game's weaknesses more apparent.

London: The Real Star

The recreation of London is extraordinary. Westminster's gothic parliament buildings, Southwark's industrial Thames crossing, the East End's brick-and-graffiti terraces, and the City's gleaming financial towers are all recreated with genuine architectural fidelity. Near-future additions — holographic advertisements, delivery drone swarms, autonomous vehicles — integrate naturally rather than feeling grafted on. Walking through Legion's London genuinely evokes the experience of the city.

Hacking System

The hacking toolkit in Legion surpasses previous entries. Every camera is accessible; every security system is hackable; vehicle automation, robot control, and network hijacking are all available from distance. The Spiderbot — a remote-controlled spider robot that can access vents, hack directly from adjacent positions, and stun enemies — is the game's most versatile tool. Completing entire missions purely through remote hacking without the player-controlled operative ever entering a building is genuinely achievable.

Verdict

At under $8 on sale, Watch Dogs: Legion is excellent value for its world and hacking innovation. The Play as Anyone system is worth experiencing even if the narrative stumbles.

Pros & Cons