Assassin's Creed Syndicate Review

Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Xbox One, PS4, PC) (Rated Mature)

Never has a series depended so much on the success of one game. Last year Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Unity, which did have a large amount of bugs at launch, still I greatly enjoyed that game. But, I understood that because of that game's shortcomings, this game needs to be nothing short of spectacular, to impress the ever jaded gaming community.

I personally was extremely looking forward to this game's release, I love the franchise and, the setting for this game was really my kind of thing. But, I was also skeptical of how the game would play. It does look and feel fairly different, from the past games in the series. However, it still has the trademark feeling of an Assassin's Creed game.

It is easy to see how elements of Unity affected this game. From the sheer scope of the city, to the way the story is told, this game does take the best parts of last year's game. The city of Paris in Unity was exquisite, the level of density that game achieved was breathtaking. The city was not just large, it was beautifully designed, and packed with things to do. The city of London in Syndicate, not only build's on what made Unity's city of Paris so great, but it truly expanded upon everything that game got right.

The city of London is not only well designed to play in, it is a city that you want to experience. Sometimes, I think open world games forget that the best part of an open world, is getting to explore that game's environment. Sure you need lots of fun activities to do in that world, but the world itself should be compelling enough, that you get caught up in the moment of the experience. And Syndicate nails this aspect of an open world game better, than any in recent memory.

Something very interesting about the design of this game. Is how it carefully balances the ideals of current game design, and classic game design. Many games now focus on telling complex stories with the most advanced tech, and designing these extremely complex game mechanics. But classic gaming was far simpler, it just focused on creating fun gaming moments. Memorable fun experiences that make's you feel like a giddy child when playing them. 

The story sets up the atmosphere quite well, I love the new dual protagonists in the game, Jacob and Evie Frye are a lively brother and sister combo. while the game does have a fairly serious tone, it is delivered with style and an adventurous attitude. This is a game about having fun, yes you will save helpless children, and try to liberate the city of London. But the game is doing all of this with a smile. Cinematically the game is reminiscent of the film Gangs Of New York, but that film had a far more serious and melancholy tone. 

This is a game where you will scale buildings, race across rooftops, and ascend with style with the help of a rope launcher. The traversal mechanics are the smoothest and most intuitive yet. Moving through the world is exhilarating, I especially loved the addition of carriage usage. While it may not seem as cool as it is, racing a horse and buggy through the streets of London is intense and enthralling. Not only can you drive these speedy contraptions, but you can even battle atop them. I also appreciate that firearm usage feels more satisfying than previous games. When you pull out an antique appearing revolver, and fire off a few shots, it just feels right.

You can use a pistol during the games many melee engagements, but you can also draw your firearm and engage in a shoot out. They have had guns in previous Assassin's games, but they never felt like a polished option. It felt like an addition, but not a natural part of combat. In this game when you use a gun, it feels like a normal 3rd person shooter, and then melee combat feels like past Creed games, but also with a bit of the new Arkham games too. 

Melee combat feels a bit faster paced than Unity, while you can become quite powerful and proficient, you will never flow like an overpowered Batman. You well have access to three unique kinds of melee weapons. A huge combat blade, brass knuckles and an ingenious cane sword. They all look and perform satisfyingly and also feel totally different from one another. One thing that has always been true about the Assassin's Creed games, is that combat is extremely visceral and very brutal.

Past games in the series have had a slower more thoughtful pace to their combat, this game has a bit faster kind of rhythmic combat. The pace feels closer to the Arkham games than it has in the past, but it still has the style Creed is known for. I love that both Jacob and Evie feel differently, even when using the exact same weapon, they each have a slightly different feel.

Something that really impressed me, is that I found myself playing the game almost evenly as both characters. I could not pick a favorite, I loved them both almost equally. When traversing the environment, they feel and move differently. Especially when using the new rope launcher to ascend to greater heights and speed through the world gracefully. This all leads to the game having a terrific level of immersion.

I love that the game has so many diverse objectives to complete, some of them are totally optional, but they are all equally fun. I love that each gameplay mechanic or goal feels natural, yet you can tell that this is a game that was made to be fun, above all else. Does everything make perfect logical sense? No, but it shouldn't have to, this is a game made to be played for that fun lose yourself kind of experience.

The world is beautiful, and yet it is also carefully designed to be fun to play in. The visuals are crisp and crystal clear. I love the color palate which is diverse and also helped create the colorful atmosphere of London. I did notice some visual slowdown during my time with the game, but it was rare. I, however, did not encounter any other noticeable bugs or glitches in the game. 

Assassin's Creed Syndicate is one of the very best in the series. I understand that some fans may have grown tired of the yearly releases. And it was evident with Unity, that some people were exhausted with the franchise. Yet Syndicate is a breath of fresh air, this game has all the elements that made the previous games fun. Yet the developers have clearly been looking at the rating players give after each mission. As this game is nothing short of the best the series has to offer, while feeling like a completely unique and compelling experience. 

Sometimes, you can tell when people are trying to make an incredible gaming experience. Few games are as well crafted as Syndicate is. The story is fun, well written and sets up the action nicely. I love that the game gives a great purpose for every action. While this is a game made to have fun with, you can tell they tried to create a memorable and captivating story line. Are some of the game's elements simplistic? Yes, but there is nothing wrong with that. In the end, this game made for an immersive, and compelling interactive experience. 

The pace was perfect, I never got bored. It's addictive and hard to put down, cause this is a game that is fun from start to finish. There could very well be things about this game, that may not be to everyone's liking. But everything about this game, appealed to me. There is so much to do, and even once I am finished doing everything the game has to offer. I seriously doubt I'll stop playing. Anything this fun, never ceases to be entertaining.