Assassin's Creed: Rogue is single-player only, a new report suggests.

It is the first Assassin's Creed game not to feature multiplayer since 2009's Assassin's Creed 2. This year's other game, Unity, does feature multiplayer - but co-operative rather than competitive.

The upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title has been detailed in full in this month's issue of Game Informer, scans of which have now surfaced online. The article reveals many of the game's new features, as well as more details on new protagonist Shay Cormac.

Rogue is set between 1752 and 1761, against the backdrop of the Seven Years War, and shows Cormac's transition from Assassin to Templar.

It features the return of AC3's Haytham Kenway, who at this point was busily organising the Colonial Templars and near-eradicating the local Assassin Order.

"You're going to play many missions as an Assassin," narrative designer Richard Farrese said. "You'll see Shay grow as an Assassin as well, up until a certain point in the game where he says 'This is wrong, and I have to do something about it.'"

Other familiar faces are likely to appear, too - such as AC4 shipmate Adewale and AC3's mentor Achilles.

"With Rogue you'll have something that will tie perfectly to AC4 - so in a chronological order you'll have a link between AC4, AC3 and AC Unity," brand content manager Jean Guesdon added.

A more overt link between Rogue and Unity exists, but will only be revealed in the game's closing moments.

Cormac's ship, the Morrigan, can experience the reversal of AC3's boarding sequence - where players infiltrated enemy vessels and took down officers and crew. You must now defend your crew against invading forces before too many of your own side get wiped out.

Your ship can be equipped with machine gun-like Puckle guns and burning oil. You'll also have to avoid or blow up ice-bergs which can damage your vessel - but can also be handy as cover from enemies.

Another upgrade will allow you to break through icey areas later in the game, unlocking new portions of the naval map.

The game's icy waters mean there are no diving missions, however, and Cormac will start to lose health if he stays in the sea for too long.

Finally, you can now distract guards with a firecracker gun, similar to AC: Freedom Cry's regular firecrackers, and cover your hero's face with a bandana to protect himself from poisonous gas.