This is a strategic look at Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, the next installment of the hugely popular franchise by Ubisoft, due out on October 23, 2015. We’ll break down everything we know so far, as well as show you some in-game footage from one of the missions.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will be the first game of the series to allow players to freely switch between two main protagonists, Jacob Frye and his sister, Evie. It’s a system not unlike the one used in Grand Theft Auto 5, and it also marks the first time gamers have the option of playing as a female assassin.
Set in 1868 London at the height of the Industrial Revolution, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will see the city under the control of the Templars, who use violent street gangs to intimidate the population. Playing as Evie and Jacob, players will complete missions and assassinate targets in an attempt to give control back to the working class.
In the gameplay released by Ubisoft, Jacob is tasked with killing a man named Robert Strain. As the mission begins, Jacob must fight his way past several thugs before beginning a chase sequence. What’s new here is that for the first time, players will be able to take control of vehicles, using them as a means to quickly navigate through London. You can ram other vehicles, fight on the roof and even hop over and commandeer another ride. In the case of fighting on top of a vehicle, the game will automatically drive yours and follow your current target.
When the vehicle chase is over, Jacob must continue the pursuit on foot, at which point we get another look at a cool gameplay mechanic, the Rope Launcher. This will allow players to quickly reach great heights, or even set up a zip-line that can be used to travel between two distant targets. After a few quick maneuvers with the Rope Launcher, Jacob finds himself on top of a train, once again hot on the heels of Robert Strain.
It’s here where players get a really good sense of the combat, which in the case of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is much faster paced, focusing on the brutality of close quarters fighting. In order to make this work, Ubisoft focused on reducing the latency of combat, allowing players to quickly switch between targets, attacking with Brass Knuckles, a Revolver, Cane Sword and even the traditional Kukri Knife.
After successfully taking down his target, the gameplay demonstration will end, but it served to give players a good sense of what to expect on October 23, 2015 when the game releases. It looks and feels like an Assassin’s Creed game, but it’s clear some improvements have been made. Of course, we still don’t know much about the story, but that is something unlikely to be revealed until gamers are able to dive in for themselves.
For now, have a look at the gameplay trailer below, or check out our free Assassin’s Creed Unity walkthrough.
