Assassin's Creed Syndicate

It’s been some time since I properly played an Assassin’s Creed. The previous game I invested into was Assassin’s Creed 2, which still has to be one of my all-time favourites. A.C. 3 was a major let-down and many of the other games didn’t live up to the expected standard these games had already produced. After hearing a lot of mixed reviews about the direction of Assassin’s Creed, I decided to hop back into the Animus with the latest instalment and find out for myself.

I can tell you now, dear reader, that it is surprisingly full of promise to the series. There are some new concepts and design choices which work very well, while others sadly feel a little dated, having been overused in many other titles (including a few Ubisoft ones).
A.C. Syndicate takes us to the city of London during the 1800s, the era of the Industrial Revolution, and another place in time where the Templars’ plot for world domination is brewing. As mentioned, I’ve been in and out of the series but I can tell the story is still a drag from the get-go. I thought by now the story might have shifted to another level or broken away from the whole Templar narrative and their search for the Garden of Eden or whatever. Yet again our main objective is to dive into the memories of an Assassin from the past to find vital clues or train up someone in the process. We’re not really given much else, not even a name for who we are outside the memories of 19th Century London. The overall plot is just uninspiring and a rushed job at best.

You’ll play as the Frye twins, a pair of likable Assassins determined to overthrow the Templar regime and restore order back to London by eliminating their various leaders. Players will explore a beautifully detailed City of London, including key boroughs such as Whitechapel, Westminster, Southwark and The Strand where you can traverse over a multitude of landscapes and view some absolutely stunning scenery. The game implements a great number of ways to traverse the world and allows for climbing to be quick and easy. The controls feel somewhat clunky and descending from short heights can be rather troublesome and more irritating during chases and getaways. The additional zip line tool is a nice touch for quicker methods of traversing but feels overwhelmingly forced into the design, heavily influenced by the Batman: Arkham series rather than something more organic.

The main task for this entry is to conquer London by dismantling several gangs in order to weaken the iron grip of the Templar order in Westminster. Each borough has a gang controlling it and within each section of London is a leader who must be killed. In order to lure them out, the player will have to complete a number of tasks including bounties and assassinations as well as freeing child slaves from factories in order to fight for control over a borough. Once you’ve gained enough influence and angered the right people, you will obtain the chance to kill the notorious gang leader to free the borough and take it under your control.

There are a host of gameplay elements within Syndicate that help give it substance. Building up the strengths of your gang can aid in your travels and ensure you have backup and brutish force on the streets of London. As with any A.C. game there is a vast amount of exploration, optional side quests and bonus objectives and collectables to obtain. However, the game feels somewhat tired and a little shallow as most collectables are nothing dynamic or hold any real substance. It feels more like a step back compared to even A.C. 2.The whole concept of dominating a game world by dismantling the opposing force has been done rather a lot recently. I can name three other games released this year alone which do this and even then with a little more passion in their designs.

The main campaign is mostly repetitive and with only a handful of more engaging missions to offer, most of the game is nothing too inspiring. There was nothing to really captivate myself into the progression of the story other than taking on the gangs and completing essentially what are major side quests. Side quests offer more insight and thought, using the elements of the time era very effectively. You’ll encounter historical figures such as Charles Dickens, Christopher Bell and Charles Darwin who will offer a range of missions to encourage further progression and more insight to the story and surrounding world.

Combat is the greatest improvement overall. Fighting and pulling off harsh and brutal attacks is slick and enjoyable to observe. The counters and actions of your characters, as well as your recruits to help in larger fights, is a jaw dropping sight at times. It’s been simplified a little but still with enough impact to make even small encounters memorable. The stage coach duels and chases are another highlight for this entry, even if they ridiculously over the top at certain moments.

Sadly, the depth of exploration in London is again minimal compared to A.C. 2 and some other titles including A.C. 4 Black Flag. You’ll come across some iconic locations, such as Lambert Asylum and Westminster Abby, but not very many tombs, secret underground temples and the like to find rewards and unlockable items. I understand you wouldn’t find a secret underground temple under London but some more imagination in creating secrets and hidden locations containing special loot would have been a treat for those players with that explorative edge.

Even with many flaws I found myself enjoying Syndicate a great deal but not as much as A.C. 2 or even my brief time with A.C. 4. Still, it’s an improvement over Unity and A.C. 3 and shows greater strengths compared to the smaller titles in the series. The overall experience is enjoyable, complete with a stunning world, some good elements of combat and the ability to create a name for yourself; all highly entertaining but exploration and side quest/extras need to be improved for the next installation to sustain my interest.

+ Wonderfully designed London
+ Great level of customisation and upgrades
+ Interesting side quests and new mechanics for recruiting gang members

- A dull and uninspiring campaign
- Some clunky controls for climbing
- Not enough extra content/collectables to keep players invested