ASSASSIN’S CREED SYNDICATE
Pip, pip. The Frye Twins went large as they retook Victorian London from the Templars
Very much built on Unity’s foundations, Syndicate felt fresh by virtue of just being a bit of fun in Victorian London. It revolved around the escapades of the two playable Frye twins, Jacob and Evie, as they work to restore the Assassin presence in a London that’s been brought under complete Templar control by capitalist fat cat Crawford Starrick. The siblings had some predictable characterisation – Jacob is the rough-and-tumble brawler, whereas Evie is smarter and stealthier – but some expectations were subverted. The two share a mostly supportive relationship, and are both eager to defy their superior’s wishes and start their reclamation of London (by forming a street gang), plus Jacob had an interesting introspective character arc.
Developed by Ubisoft Québec, Syndicate built on the foundation of Montreal’s Unity while that studio was working on the next big Assassin’s Creed shift. Unity made some big changes but was occasionally clunky. Syndicate ironed all that out, while slathering on new additions of its own. And it had a more fun story – one of the most dynamic and exciting of any Assassin’s Creed – to boot.
Victorian London was as wonderfully recreated as Paris before it, with smog and factories aplenty. The Thames split London in two, and was filled with boat traffic that was a delight to hop across, with steam trains also making an appearance (your HQ was on rails). Carriages filled the roads with traffic that you could jump all over or even drive. A grappling hook upgrade to the Assassin Gauntlets (developed, of course, by Alexander Graham Bell) allowed zip-lining up buildings, or across the wide London streets. It had all the bells, whistles, and steam.
“ITS STORY WAS ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC AND EXCITING OF ANY ASSASSIN’S CREED.”