By: Robert Murphy
Assassin's Creed as a franchise has cornered the market on the alternate history formula over the past decade or so as the g an invisible war of Templars and Assassins. Key moments in history take on a drastically different perspective as players discover that they were all influences by these force. Assassin's Creed Syndicate however takes a far lighter approach to the history lessons we've seen in the past as you play the role of twin assassins Evie and Jacob Frye as they attempt to save Victorian England from the grips of the Templars who control it.
The Industrial Revolution was a fantastic time in history, humanity made huge leaps forward with the introduction of all manner of machinery and devices that connected us all. However, it is easy to forget the darker sides of this time of poor working conditions, child labor and ruthless captains of industry who sought to make their fortune off the exploitation of others. Syndicate does not forget these facts though and decides that the tyrants of this time would make apt additions to the Templar order as they seek to dominate all of England for themselves. Hearing about these tragedies is what leads your assassin's to head for the streets of London in order to put an end to the Templar threat with the help of some important names along the way.
Jacob and Evie both bring a unique perceptive to the game and while their have been other assassin's to share ideals with in the past never have two assassin's been as close as these two. Both were appealing characters to play as and I never found myself wanting to play as one over the other and I purposely created different play styles for each of them to make things far more interesting. In any case, Jacob is the more brutish member of the duo and sees more importance in taking down Templars than he does in the history or the artifacts known as the Pieces of Eden. And, of course, Evie is the exact opposite of her brother. Evie relishes in Assassin history and knowing about their esteemed heritage, she also places huge importance on locating any of Pieces in Templar hands for she knows how powerful they can be. The two's bickering throughout the story makes for some enjoyable dialogue while also giving great perspectives on each side of what it is to be a Templar and leaving it up to you to decide for yourself by allowing you to freely choose between who you play as. Certain missions will put you in the shoes of Evie or Jacob but usually the two are not far from one another, just listen for the yelling and constant arguing.
The focus of the story this time around remains mainly fixed on the events of the Frye siblings, as it should. Too many time have Assassin's Creed game attempted to juggle the Assassin story and a modern world story that revolves around the person whose ancestor players are currently controlling. Many of the plot lines feel rather shallow in that regard, doomsday plots to destroy the world and some ancient "alien" beings from way before humanity began. There is still a brief modern story presented this time around as well but it is thankfully glossed over for the greater part of the gameplay but it frankly should have just been completely omitted as it does nothing for the game.
Like previous Assassin's Creed games, your character and your entire world can be upgraded and changed as players influence the world around you. Victorian England is a hustling and bustling city with life beaming from every corner of it so it makes sense that you would be able to use all that to your advantage. Outside of upgrading Evie and Jacob's outfits and weaponry you can also upgrade your gang of men you created to combat the Templar threat, a group known as the Rooks. Spending in game cash that players earn through various jobs and missions will allow you to add higher ranks to their men, give them pistols, higher men with specific skills and plenty more. Players can also put that money towards weakening the enemy Templar gang known as the Blighters or even use it to get more money to their in-game safe on board of a mobile train base (Wild Wild West style!). There are also upgrades that can be made to the city itself by adding things such as more cargo shipments to allow hanging barrels to be perched throughout the city that can be used to take down large groups of enemies.
Syndicate also features a fast travel system that will allow you to travel to any one of the unlocked synchronize points spread throughout the boroughs but where's the fun in that especially when you have the rope launcher and carriages. As I said, London is a thriving city so there is no shortage of buggies and other modes of transport to steal to get from point A to point B. Stealing some of these carriages plays into some of the games side quests as well which leads to some interesting combat maneuvering. Players will be able to hop into the back of moving cars in order to fight pesky Blighters hitching a ride with a seamless transition from driving to riding.
This free movement however doesn't completely transfer over to the regular gameplay elements for players characters. Free flowing attacks are an ear mark for Assassin's Creed and continue hear for combat and most other regular movements but when it comes to climbing and traversing certain obstacles things get bogged down. Countless times I would be in the middle of a chase or trying to do a specific movement on top of a roof or along a cat walk only to find my character not responding to my controls. Syndicate has made it so moving from low points requires players to switch from free run and press a different button to move downward. It also pops up in situations involving the River Thames where I would attempt to move from boat to boat or other objects and I came to a grinding halt. While these problems aren't enough to ruin the game but did lead to some screaming matches with my TV screen.
The story itself is fluid and works well as you move in between all the random side quests and optional missions that come across your path. I often found myself moving throughout the streets on my way to a destination when a job to assassinate a gang member arrives. I throw caution to the wind and take care of the task and then I was back on my way, it's delightful and highly addictive as I accomplished multiple tasks on my to doing the original one I set out to do. This fluidity though comes to grinding halt once you come face to face with the game's final boss. Rather than a unique and triumphant battle sequences players are left to juggle a few obstacles and then are met with a brief quick time event to end out your session. It's a bit of a let down after so much lead up, it's just one of those moments where you expect so much more after all that has come before.
There has always been a thriving world present in everyone of the Assassin's Creed games that have come and gone but Syndicate has brought the living breathing city of London to it's peek. You can almost feel the grinding gears of industry seep from the game as you swing across the cities skyline with whichever assassin you choose to play as at the time. And just like this Era would suggest, there is plenty of rich opportunity out there to be taken advantage of and I for one was eager to grab hold of it for myself.
Good:
- Victorian England is a living breathing playground
- Story is fun and focuses on what's important, the Assassins
- Customizing your gang as well as your character
- Evie and Jacob are both great characters
Bad:
- Disappointing ending
- Character movements can be imprecise
- The modern day story was dull as usual
Scully Rating: 8.6 out of 10
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