Will These 5 Features Land Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Among The Greats Of The Franchise?
Over the years, the world of Assassin’s Creed has been home to many memorable gaming experiences. While many of the games in the series have fallen short of their mark, the upcoming installment, Syndicate (slated for release on October 23rd, 2015), is another chance for Ubisoft to capitalize on everything that has made Assassin’s Creed a success.
Having absorbed all the media related to this upcoming title, there are quite a few things that have me considering a preorder. Herein I present 5 exciting features of Syndicate that will serve to instigate the hype.
This debut trailer does a great job of drawing players into the plot by highlighting the disparity between the upper and working class citizens of London during the Industrial Revolution.
5. Plot
The first area that should be covered is Syndicate’s plot, which is unique for a couple reasons. The first is that Syndicate is set within Victorian London at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution; a point in time which up until now has remained untouched by Assassin’s Creed. Secondly, the game features two playable characters which doesn’t change the plot as much as it gives players the option of viewing it from another angle.
Jacob taking a stroll through a more pleasant section of the city.
The recipe of Syndicates storyline is simple; mix one cup of filthy-rich, upper-class citizens with one cup of disgruntled, working-class citizens. Next, fold in all the pride and animosity that are associated with these life perspectives and watch the mixture come to a boil. The last ingredient is key because it comes into the mix as a wild-card. It consists of those who are so fed up with the imbalance that they are ready to raze the system until it represents justice for those who work so hard to support it. Enter Jacob and Evie Frye.
The working-class literally working themselves to death.
These twins are the main protagonists, they belong to this wild-card group and are out to level the playing field. Jacob is the aggressive one, a born-assassin willing to take the lead and strike at a moment’s notice. Evie strikes me as the tactician, a master calculator, who works closely with Jacob to make sure he doesn’t overextend his luck.
Battlemaster, Evie Frye.
4. Combat
Combat is what has me the most excited about Syndicate. Considering the civilized-shift that is occurring during the industrial revolution, keeping a blade in plain-sight is not an option. Even though that might seem like a setback, combat in Syndicate is the most fast-paced of the franchise, allowing you to devastate with bare hands.
There are some districts where nobody plays by the rules.
What restriction on open-carry does is precipitates fights that resemble those barroom beat downs that everyone dreams of being a part of at least once in their lifetime. These brawls are up-close-and-personal and appear to be under the influence of turbo-mode as combos are dished out to the opponent. If hand to hand is getting stale, Syndicate offers a set of tools sure to spice up any situation.
3. Weapons
A small arsenal of lethal weapons is available to the Frye’s including: the Kukri knife, brass knuckles, a sword-cane, and a revolver. The Kukri knife is a mean looking dagger with a node of serration near the hilt which is there for splitting bone. Brass knuckles speak for themselves in the form of high impacts to the face of your foes. The sword-cane is a dirty little pirate trick that enables the player to smile knowing they are concealing lethal weaponry in plain sight. Last but not least is the revolver, a trusty six-shooter with plenty of stopping power.
"When did I ever say this was going to be a fair fight?"
These will come in handy when facing mob-bosses.
The Kukri knife; like a machete, but meaner.
All of these deadly options supported by the utility of the assassin’s gauntlet afford players the luxury of finding a fighting style that suits their taste.
This image begs the question; can we use the rope-launcher to impale enemies?
The gauntlet is the assassin’s version of a Swiss army knife and includes a few gadgets. The hidden-blade will be the familiar item attached to the gauntlet, but it comes with two new features. Hallucinogenic darts give players a crowd-control card that can be played if the situation calls for it. The other gauntlet feature is the rope-launcher which instantly pulls up memories of Link’s hook-shot. The rope-launcher not only makes it easier to go on the offensive; using it to escape by zip-lining between rooftops reminds players that the tool can be used in a variety of situations.
2. Vehicles
Syndicate introduces vehicular gameplay like Assassin’s Creed has never seen it before. Not only will carriages, trains and steamboats be crucial means of transportation in and around London, they will be your war-machines. You can fight atop all vehicles in the game, use them to pursue your targets, and even utilize them as parkour obstacles.
Jacob posed and ready to strike during a carriage catastrophe.
Official artwork showing a scuffle taking place atop a train.
When your offensive must shift into a defensive, you can always lay down in the back seat of your carriage and let the situation cool off. If you find yourself filled with carriage-envy, why not play Syndicate grand theft carriage style and steal yourself a new ride?
All of that considered, Syndicate is clearly making a bold move by incorporating vehicles into the thick of gameplay as opposed to assigning them the single purpose of transportation.
1. Territory
The Frye’s know that the only way society can be revamped is if the underground is working in unison, so taking command of crucial territory is the topmost priority in Syndicate. Players will quickly learn that the Frye twins’ mission of reworking the system in this fashion puts them in grave danger. Gangs have monopolies on territory and will use lethal force to defend their stomping grounds.
Jacob Frye with a special delivery.
The developers at Ubisoft Quebec have crafted industrial age London in vivid detail, giving players 7 boroughs in which these sub-conflicts will unfold as they rally the working-class citizens.
After everything I have watched and read regarding Syndicate, I find myself more eager than I thought I was going to be. The hook-shot rope-launcher on its own is enough to have my head swiveling in the game's direction. That feature alongside faster combat, a thick plot, and all the weapons and extras I could possibly want have me transfixed and watching the game very closely. Here are a few more clips where you can see all of these features in action.
Gameplay Walkthrough
The gameplay walkthrough elaborates on the plot and gives us a glimpse of what gameplay is actually like. The versatility of the rope-launcher is showcased in this video, as is the crowd-control factor of the hallucinogenic darts. If you are curious what territory battles will look like, this is the video to watch.
World Premiere
The world premiere is a mashup of the previous videos with the added bonus of the development team commentating on their process. It also includes a segment where weapons and utility items are labeled and explained. Seeing the development team so focused and charged with ambition fills me with the hope that this game will deliver on all aspects.
Are you as excited for Syndicate as I am? What are your hopes and dreams for this game after exposure to its features? Where do you think the development team should focus their energy?
