Assassin's Creed is one of those game franchise that even someone that is only tangentially aware of the existence of video games probably heard of. It's one of those series that hit the collective imagination pretty hard and managed to create a wide fanbase that expect the next iteration of the franchise every year. Once again, Ubisoft does not keep its fans waiting and during the E3 2015 showed us some more of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate.
Syndicate will be the first Assassin's Creed to be set in modern age. Its story develops in the context of 1868 London, at the apex of the industrial revolution. This alone gives some thought on the possible ways the gameplay could change and how Ubisoft will manage it. The technological advancements alone should give the players some new gadgets to fiddle with. The trustworthy assassin's gauntlet will of course be a big part of our equipment, but they have added a few new features. Aside from the inevitable hidden blade, it can now shoot a poisoned dart to take down enemies from afar and it now features a rope launcher, very useful to climb the huge buildings of the Victorian London.
The fight system will receive an overhaul in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. It would be anachronistic to see people randomly walking around in industrial age London while carrying swords. Victorian London was a time of concealed weapons and close quarters combat. That's the reason the more fight oriented of the two main characters fights mainly using his brass knuckles. We can expect combat mechanics that stand out of what the franchise got us used to with a overhauled multi targeting system that, Ubisoft claims, will make fights more brutal, violent and dirty.
Right above, I mentioned two main characters. Those would be Jacob and Evie Frye. Those two Assassins twin siblings, will fight with the purpose of freeing the masses from the oppression. The main plot point of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate is the social inequality that the industrial revolution brought. The gap between the working class and the rich widened in unprecedented proportions, leading to the rise of the gangs that inhabited the underworld of the city. Jacob and Evie will fight to unite this underworld, and will even take the lead of their own gang, The Rooks.
The Frye twins will play very differently. Jacob is a hot head and expert of hand to hand combat, while Evie is a master of stealth and prefers a more subtle approach to her endeavors. During the story, the player will not be able to choose the character to control. Some missions will require you to control Jacob while others will make you use Evie. You will be able, though, to freely switch from one to the other outside of the story missions, to explore the vast open world and undertake the numerous side missions and available activities.
Outside of the main story, there's a lot to see. The setting of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate will make things very interesting for the players. There will be more people in the streets to blend in and the rise of technology will make that you will be able to witness the advent to electricity and railroad transportation. You will be able to use trains to move around the city or escape the city guard. If you prefer more traditional ways, you can parkour over carriages and carts in the heavily congested roads of London. Careful when venturing in the labyrinthine alleys because gang brawls may happen anytime.
When you're not busy doing the hitman job, there will be more activities you can immerse yourself in. You can organize heists of trains or boats, take rival gangs' strongholds, try your hand in brawl or carriage racing tournaments, bounty hunts and much more. Looks like Ubisoft is trying their darnedest to keep things interesting.
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate will be released worldwide the 23th of October 2015 for PlayStation 4, and Xbox One as well as later in fall on PC.
Are you a fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise? What you think of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate given the info released so far? Let us know in the comments
