I had high hopes going into Assassin’s Creed Syndicate that perhaps, just maybe, Ubisoft had been listening to the complaints of its players over the past year as we dredged through the broken mess that was Assassin’s Creed Unity. Now, after spending quite a bit of time in Evie and Jacob Frye’s story… I’m not so sure they’ve even paid much attention to the outcry.
Don’t get me wrong, as with all the past Assassin’s Creed games, the characters, the visuals, and everything going on around you is grand, both in scale and vision. The game looks great for a game as open world and large as it is, but that doesn’t save it from the plagues and trials that Ubisoft can’t seem to shake. I haven’t finished Jacob and Evie’s story yet though, so who knows, perhaps my opinion will change as time goes by.
At the time of this writing I’m well into Sequence 6 of the game, and about 28% through Total Synchronization. I’ve got a good bit of work left ahead of me, and that isn’t counting the plethora of extra content in side missions and collectibles. As with any yearly Ubisoft title, there are collectibles-galore, which is great for players who love to nickel and dime their way through every single game they buy, getting as much time out of it as possible. For the casual player though, a large majority of this content will never be thoroughly enjoyed.
Visually the game is stunning. I think it’s one of the best looking Assassin’s Creed games to date, but that doesn’t save it from the save issues that have been plaguing this series from the start. The parkour is still finicky, resulting in some wild, and sometimes hilarious, jumps. At one point in the game I was tasked with running across the tops of boats, without ever touching the Thames River. I figured it would be fairly easy, but the parkour system had something else planned, and before I knew I was jumping the opposite way I wanted to right into the cold slimy waters of London’s major river.
One of the newest contraptions offered in the game is the Grappling Hook. But, let’s get something straight right here from the start. This isn’t Batman's grappling hook. You have no clear way to aim it, and often times you end up skirting up the side of some building you weren’t even trying to climb. It’s a great idea, but sadly the opportunity has been sorely missed, as it isn’t precise enough for the game. I often found myself relying on the parkour system instead, because the Grappling Hook would often take too long to load up, or aim onto a ledge.
The new carriage transportation is also another missed opportunity, as Ubisoft hasn’t quite worked out the kinks within it. Aside from the immersion breaking bug where Evie finds herself sitting inside of the driver who she just threw off the carriage, the four wheeled - horse drawn - wagons are extremely hard to control, and feel clunky compared to the transportation options in other open world games like Far Cry and Grand Theft Auto. It’s another one of those things where I love the idea, but the execution just hasn’t gone over that well.
“But what about the story?” I hear you ask. After the disappointment of Unity last year, Assassin’s Creed fans are hoping for something better. Sadly, I don’t have a definitive answer quite yet. I want to love it. It’s a nice idea. But so far I’ve found myself at odds with one of the game’s key characters, Jacob Frye. His character fits in a lot differently than the other assassin characters of the previous games, and even Edward Kenway seems more a true-blue assassin than Jacob. I’m hoping maybe my opinions of him will change as I continue through the story, but currently I’m not too fond of him. Also, while the idea of a gang in London during the 1800s seems like a grand idea, I feel like a lot of opportunity has been missed here as well. Evie is clearly the game’s strongest protagonist, and many times she simply finds herself cleaning up the messes left behind from Jacob and his gang of “Rooks”.
I think my dislike of the whole gang idea, however, plays heavily into the format that Ubisoft has taken with the gang wars. After you’ve completed a certain amount of events in one section of the city, you’re challenged to a gang war. It’s a big-to-do of chivalry and “old-school” dueling, but it just feels out of place. The Blighters and the Templars are made out to be these ruthless bunches, and giving them this “polite” and “classy” side just feels off. There's also the nagging feeling that I get every time Jacob and Evie talk to each other. It's almost as if their dialogue was written for a couple, and not a brother/sister combination. It makes things a bit awkward at times, and gets a little tiring as you deal with it more and more.
After spending over 35 hours exploring the nooks and cranny of Assassin's Creed Syndicate, I'm saddened to report that my initial findings still ring true. What I had hoped would be a return to everything great about Assassin's Creed has failed to really pull me in. It isn't a terrible game by any means, and I'd rank it much higher on the totem pole than the previous installment, Assassin's Creed Unity. But that doesn't change the fact that Ubisoft's latest assassin-centered story is only a few shades above mediocre.
This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher. Assassin's Creed Syndicate will be available in retail and digital stores on October 23, for $59.99. The game is rated M.
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