Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is the latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed series following the somewhat horrible launch of Unity last year. Offering both a new setting and story that involves the never ending fight between the Assassins and the Templars, many fans have high hopes that Syndicate will offer something fresh and unique. Unfortunately, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate still has the same formula that has been used over the years, but the small things that are added makes the the game somewhat refreshing for fans to notice.
Another game means another new period is being tacked-on in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. The game now takes players to London in the mid-1800s. As the Templars continue to search for the Piece of Eden, their new base of operations is now located in London being led by Crawford Starrick. With the city being controlled by the Templars and Starrick himself, oppression is on the rise and it will be up to our new Assassins, Evie and Jacob, to liberate London and stop the Templars from getting the Piece of Eden once and for all. For the first time in the series, players will be able to switch between Jacob and Evie throughout the game. Each of the characters have a unique set of skills that play during certain situations. In a more stealthy approach, using Evie is more appropriate in a mission while Jacob is best suited when brawling with enemies. Luckily, both Evie and Jacob have a skill tree that players can pick what kind of Assassins they want them to become. As both Assassins complete an objective or do a certain thing in a mission, they will earn experience points for them to gain a level. For every level that they achieve, a Skill Point will be awarded to both and players can then pick different skills that they can attain.
From the narrative perspective, having both characters play as the main protagonists works well in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. The sibling rivalry between Jacob and Evie makes the story fun to watch, especially when both characters clash with one another. Players will often see Jacob being the impulsive type while Evie is the one that keeps everything under control with her relaxed and more smart-type approach in certain situations. With Jacob’s dream to build his own gang, players will be doing missions where it involves recruiting people in town while Evie is all focused on explorations, and solving the bigger picture.
In the twenty-hour campaign that Syndicate offers, players will venture through the industrialized era of London in the mid 1800s. Players who are familiar with the city will see famous landmarks such as Big Ben, the River Thames, and the Buckingham Palace. Just like in past Assassin’s Creed games, Syndicate excels in providing an environment that is suitable to that era. Those who are sick of riding horses in the past games, players can now ride on a carriage and attack enemies by ramming into them. As far as historical characters appearing in the game, there are several that are present such as the the famous writer Charles Dickens who will play a role in helping Jacob and Evie, and Alexander Graham Bell who will give an important item to them as well.
In terms of gameplay, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate still has that formula that has been used more than once in past games. The progression of the story like the missions and sequences are still the same. Side-quest wise, there are a plethora in the game like collecting stuff or taking missions from Charles Dickens at some point in the game. From the many sidequests available, my favorite is doing the crime-scene investigation missions that allow players to act like a detective. Some of the notable changes in Syndicate that coincides with the era is the mode of transportation. With the growing popularity of carriages and trains during the “Industrial Revolution”, those two will be the new modes of transportation in the game. As far as exploring the city, Jacob and Evie no longer have to keep swinging through rooftops as they now have the ability to use a grappling hook. The use of the grappling hook definitely cuts out a lot of the climbing in the game and the use of Synchronization is now a lot easier.
As for the combat, the combos of Jacob and Evie are more deadly. The basic counter attacking, attacking, and parrying are the same in Syndicate – the rule of being agile in combat is always a must. One change they did in this game that I think makes assassinations a lot better is the throwing knives. When either Jacob or Evie are sneaking behind an enemy, they use throwing knives to kill an enemy. When used in an assassination for certain characters, they don’t work very well.
When it comes to blending into the crowds, or evading from the eyes of the guards in the city, they are done quite differently in this game. This time, there is now a “Threat Ring” that appears when an enemy is near. Pretty much, the ring will pulsate when an enemy is nearby. The ring will give off a color depending if the enemy has seen you or noticed your presence. When doing stealth missions, this is very helpful as you will have an indicator whether or not when enemies are close to your position.
Visually, London in the 1800s looks phenomenal. The bustling city with people walking in the streets and carriages passing by looks so good in Syndicate. From the many Assassin’s Creed games that I’ve played, Syndicate’s setting is my favorite as the city feels more livelier compared to other games and it’s filled with pristine detail. Not to mention hijacking a carriage or hiding in it are additions I like in the game. There are quite a few graphical glitches here and there but they aren’t quite as much as in Unity. As for its frame-rate, I haven’t noticed a big slow-down, which is quite good as they are evident back in Unity.
If Black Flag has Pirates that players have to recruit, Syndicate has gangs that Jacob will have to form to fight off gangs in London. Since Starrick has hos own gangs that are scattered throughout London, Jacob to has fight back with his own gang called the Rooks. Players will scout through the city to build their own gang and level them up. When players have their own gang, they can use them at a certain point in the game where they can be useful as a backup in a fight. With Blightlords protecting and owning a certain area of London, Jacob and Evie have to defeat them to free them from their clutches. Those who have played previous Assassin’s Creed games will find this somewhat similar as they’ve done this in the past games.
As for the new features, there are several that Ubisoft took out in Syndicate. For fans of the multiplayer portion in past Assassin’s Creed games, they are no longer in Syndicate. The game now only offers single-player campaign, which I don’t really mind at all since I don’t play much of the game’s multiplayer mode. Also, the implemented co-op gameplay in Unity is also missing. If there’s one feature that I’m sure everyone will miss, that would be the multiplayer portion. Despite it being taken out, the single-player is good enough to make up for the missing features.
VERDICT
At the end of the day, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will make players feel that they are playing the same Assassin’s Creed games they have been playing in the past. While that may be disappointing to fans who were expecting something new, Syndicate offers some new things to the series such as the ability to switch between the two protagonists, the skill based tree system that allows each character to be different and an engaging story between the Templars and Assassins once again. The plenty of side missions including the Gang War related missions are something that will get players busy for a while, as well as a 20-hour campaign. Syndicate is a great way to relive the industrial revolution thanks to its fictional story and setting. Fans that were disappointed with Unity last year, you’d be happy to know Syndicate is a big improvement and I would recommend you playing it.
[Editor’s Note: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate was reviewed on the Xbox One platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]