Game Time: Assassin’s Creed Unity

Newest version of game is worth the time, money

Game Time: Assassins Creed Unity

Logan Reed, Staff Writer

For anyone who has played the previous Assassins Creed games, this iteration will be very familiar.

Assassins Creed is back and more beautiful than ever. The next-gen installment of the Assassins Creed franchise gets many things right, but falls short with some of its core mechanics.

This time around, the player takes control of Arno Dorian, the newest assassin to join the never-ending fight against the Templars. Throughout the game, players get to see history in the making with some added new twists that make the French Revolution more alive than ever.

This game does right on beautiful settings, dozens of character customization options, and new ways to bring friends into the fight.

However, key gameplay controls still hold this game back from being a truly new experience.

The start of the game gives us a glimpse of a beautifully the recreated version of Paris.

With its 1-to-1 scale, the environment feels so natural and realistic that it almost looks like it came out of a movie. Not only is the city’s architecture beautiful, but the people that inhabit it make it feel alive.

From the wealthiest royalty riding down the street, to the homeless man sitting in an alley, the city feels just as good as it looks. Playing as an assassin means running along rooftops and stalking the city below.

And in this game, watching natural events unfold is almost as fun as making them happen yourself.

As for the story, I wish I could say it was just as natural as the setting. But with a simple good vs. evil theme underlying the whole adventure, it’s difficult to make it out as anything else.

Arno wants revenge for a personal loss so he joins the Assassins. This leads to him fighting tons of Templars while he slowly figures out the truth behind it all. No personal connections are present between the player and Arno which makes the only thing I like about him is his ability to kick butt.

And kicking butt is fun.

The fighting mechanics here are just like the game’s predecessors, but that’s not a bad thing. Combat’s been kicked up a notch and it is now more difficult than ever to beat guys down.

When it all works right (more on that in a second) , the finishing moves make the fight well worth it and each bad guy brought down gets you closer to becoming a master assassin.

I say when it all works right for a reason. While the animations and gameplay movements look great overall, they do experience glitches at times and make the controls feel awkward.

For example, when climbing up a building, Arno will sometimes jump in the wrong direction for no reason, even when I aimed for him to continue upwards. The movement overall feels less natural than in the last game and with a few patches, it can become way better.

Playing Assassins Creed: Unity, reminded me of how fun this franchise has become. New gameplay features like co-op add new dynamics to the way I play and being able to play with friends makes this game stay on my play-list for months to come.

It is fun coordinating with fellow players and planning out our attacks in just the right way so no one gets defeated.

Also, being able to customize the way my assassin looks adds a personal feel to the game and makes my game experience different from everyone else’s.

The city looks and feels more alive than ever and with tons of side missions to complete, exploring Paris has never been so engaging. The gameplay mechanics are great when they work yet sloppy when they don’t.

This, alongside the average story, holds the game back from being a truly new and smooth experience.

I give this game an 8.1 /10.