The birth of a new era
So weve been brushing up on our Victorian history. Perhaps while smoking a pipe and gazing broodily into a fire but you cant prove anything - especially about the fire. 1868 in London was a time of massive upheaval. The Industrial Revolution was the true steampunk era as technology drove the world into the modern day with railways, metal construction, modern medicine and even Darwinism. Assassin's Creed Syndicate needs to deliver an entirely new world.
The rope launcher means better free running
While Italy and Paris had their fair share of tall monuments to clamber up like Spider-Man, the cities of past Creed titles have been rather low to the ground. London, on the other hand, has endless streets of buildings stretching six or seven storeys and that means a serious Assassin-ache if you fancy hurtling up to the nearest rooftop to check out the view or chase some pigeons. The rope launcher changes all of that. Part of the new and improved Assassin gauntlet, this tool means a quick tap of a shoulder button can send you speeding up walls. Bet Da Vinci wishes hed thought of that one.
The revolver is the six shooter we deserve
Another big change from even Unity is the weaponry on offer in Victorian London. Its always been the main talking point about the limitations of a modern Assassins Creed as theres nothing terribly sneaky about a machine gun. This time around, Jacob Frye is armed with a six shooter. Gone are the days of Assassins Creed Black Flag when you juggled four guns to get four shots in a row and it looks like Ubi is taking the upgrade seriously.
Vehicles are a whole new world
London in 1868 wasnt just packed with humans (3 million of them, no less) but there were multiple ways for people to travel. Prepping for your commute, the London underground was under construction at the time, the Thames was packed with boats and the streets filled with carriages. Adding a fourth pillar to the three traditional Creed staples of navigation, combat and stealth, the systemic vehicles in the game are a significant addition to the Creed as whole.
Combat gets closer and nastier
Creed combat has gradually evolved over the years but countering has always been key. Black Flag almost made hammering counter into an art form as Edward Kenway expertly stabbed and twirled his way across the Caribbean. Unity attempted to rein things in a bit with harsher combat and less connected counter kills but Syndicate is upping the game further with closer kills and a better flow.
Now with even better sneaking
Stealth has had a significant overhaul. Not only does Jacob switch from his dapper hat to a hood for stealth, the mechanics have been tweaked for a far sneakier experience. It was only last year that Unity introduced a crouch button to the series but now the cover system has been significantly improved. While Unity had you juggling buttons to snap to a wall, Syndicate does all that automatically, promising a better flow when you're getting your stab on.
This city is alive
London is a modern city. The 19th century might still have been a terrible time to be alive but it was a terrible time that had carriages on the streets, people on pavements and a hive of industry hard at work. This is an Assassins Creed with traffic rules and the the names of companies emblazoned across the skylines. Its fresh ground.
