Friday, October 23, saw the newest release in the Assassin’s Creed universe… Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.  Coming up to the release of this game, I had a mix of nervousness and excitement.  With the numerous bugs and less than stellar storyline, last year’s Unity was one of the worst games of the franchise.  Syndicate had to prove to me that Assassin’s Creed could still be a respected series.

There were a few concerns I had about the game, such as if they would continue to build upon the systems created in Unity of if it would scratch the slate clean once and for all.  I also didn’t quite know what to think about the two characters that one could play as (Jacob and Evie Frye).

Most of my doubts were drowned out during the first mission in the game.  The player jumps right into the action, without any prior knowledge of the twins, and goes from there.  As my first hour dragged into the long hours of the night, I couldn’t help but become addicted.  

Players can run across the rooftops of London, a brand new city, introduced to the franchise.  Yet, with a brand new innovative tool that turns the characters into a batman like badass…the rope launcher.  This and many other tools greatly increases the stealth mode in Syndicate which was greatly needed.

Another development worth discussing is the horse carriages and the trains.  The player is able to jump on nearly any horse drawn carriage, and ride around the city of London as they so choose.  It reminds me of Grand Theft Auto style of driving, and makes traveling a lot faster.

With a new upgrade system as well, I couldn’t help but try to become the ultimate assassin.  The skill points were much easier to get than that of Unity, and the skills that can be bought are much more useful than the handful of skills you’re allowed to choose in last year’s installment.  That and the women upgrades, you feel like the ultimate badass.

Finally…the storyline.  It reminded me of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.  It was much more free form than any of other Assassin’s Creed games.  You could choose the sequence, and the missions in the order that you wanted to play them in.  That along with interactions with many famous people populating London during the time of the Industrial Revolution, it makes for a great story.

In my opinion, this game makes up for last year’s failure, and makes me a believer in Ubisoft’s ability to create great games once more.