Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is One to Get Excited About

After last year’s embarrassingly buggy Assassin’s Creed Unity, Ubisoft has to deliver with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Many fervent fans were burned by Unity’s disappointing launch, and if another sub-par game follows it up, it could spell the end of the Assassin’s Creed franchise altogether. Luckily, Syndicate looks like one of the most promising entries in the series yet, boasting a more modern setting, more refined stealth and combat mechanics and a year’s worth of practice on current-gen consoles.Assassin’s Creed Syndicate features a number of significant changes from past games in the series, none more striking than its 1868 London setting. The industrial Revolution brings with it an array of new weapons, tools and environmental features, most notably a rope launcher that allows players to rappel up buildings and zip-line across rooftops, making moving about unseen easier and more enjoyable than ever. The entire core of Assassin’s Creed feels more refined this time around, with significantly faster combat and more fluid traversal. Syndicate‘s other touted feature is its twin protagonists, a first for the series.

Jacob and Evie Frye both fight to provide for the poor of London, but they have drastically different methods. Jacob is an outspoken brawler, always ready for a fight, and he prefers building up his street gang and rolling deep than working solo in the shadows. Evie, on the other hand, is a more traditional assassin, most comfortable in the dark and an expert in silently extinguishing life. Players will control both during their time with Syndicate, in story missions designed around the traits of one or the other. Having said that, however, you will also be able to tailor the twins to your personal preferences, perhaps specializing Evie in combat and making Jacob more of a typical assassin, or vice versa. During my recent hands-on demo with the game, I got to know Evie on a mission to kill a templar by the name of Lucy Thorne. Ubisoft challenged me to play the same mission twice, each time taking a different path towards the same goal.The first time through I rappelled up the courtyard walls and swung in through a window, unsure of the how I should approach my target. I stumbled upon a captured constable, who I liberated and followed outside. Grateful, and sharing my same distaste for Ms. Thorne, he lent me a legion of guards who I could call at my leisure to assist me in neutralizing any annoyances that cropped up on my way to her chambers. It involved a lot of blood and little stealth, which isn’t quite Evie’s forte. Her strengths lend her well to meticulous planning and deliberate distribution of death, and her bespoke chameleon ability, which renders her invisible if she stands still for a few seconds, making her an obvious candidate for sneaky operations.

Determined to act more assassin-like during my next attempt on Ms. Thorne’s life, I chose a more deceptive route on my second pass at the mission. It first involved me silently terminating a group of Templars disguised as guards, culminating in a crafty plan with one of Evie’s acquaintances. Posing as a guard, he pretended to apprehend Evie, bind her hands and deliver her to Ms. Thorne. It was a refreshing change of pace after the frantic violence of my last plan, and made me feel much more like an insidious assassin, hiding in plain sight. At least until I walked too close to a guard in Ms. Thorne’s abode, and he sounded the alarm. Then I got right back to the stabbing and shooting. But hey, it was good while it lasted.Admittedly, I was skeptical before playing Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Innovating a series year after year is a big ask, but Ubisoft seems to have made a number of small but substantial tweaks to its established formula, and I had a blast. Refocusing on the single player experience is an intelligent decision and 19th century London looks to be an exciting setting full of firsts for the franchise. Only time will tell if Syndicate can live up to fans’ expectations and launch smoothly, but one thing is certain: it has our attention.