Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Coming off of a really humbling release with Assassin's Creed: Unity, a follow up was either going to kill this franchise or bring it back to glory. Syndicate is an interesting follow up, as it came out as a much better release than Unity... yet it didn't quite have the popularity that the typical Assassin's Creed game had. Which is a shame, because Syndicate feels like the game that Unity should've been.

It makes use of the same framework as Unity, but everything feels MUCH better implemented. The gameplay is a lot more polished and consistent. Combat is responsive and snappy. Freerunning/parkour offers a little bit more control than Unity, while still keeping the flashy animations. The mission design is relatively the same as Unity, although it's much more realized and almost akin to the first Assassin's Creed at times. Blackbox missions feel a lot more nuanced in their presentation and gameplay offerings, while normal story missions take advantage of the game's core elements. I also quite like the side content - as you have base liberation missions with optional objectives, some story-driven side missions with different historical figures, diverse collectibles that are rich with lore, as well as various random events and side activities. London might just be one of the best maps in the series, as it is brimming with life, content, and polish. It's condensed enough to offer plenty of parkour opportunities, there's enough points of interest, and the content is well implemented.

Visually, Syndicate looks a lot more polished than Unity and can look absolutely stunning at times. From the environmental design to the character models, everything just looks sharper and more consistent. On PS4, the performance can be a bit choppy and is limited to 30fps, but the recent PS5 update enhances the frame rate to 60fps. Syndicate also seems to be free of a lot of bugs, since I haven't encountered many during my first playthrough in 2023.

The story is where things get a bit inconsistent for me. Syndicate is by far the most lighthearted story in the mainline series, which isn't a bad thing. It's just that the comedic tone is at odds with the dark setting and backdrop. For a game taking place during the industrial revolution of Victorian London, Syndicate seems to avoid the darker aspects of the time period as much as possible. And while I understand the lead writer's decision to make a more light-hearted story, especially within a series filled with moody and grim narratives, I can't help but feel like it was applied to the wrong backdrop and timeframe. Luckily, the story itself is pretty decent. It's a bit more on the simple side, but it feels like a MUCH more interesting and eventful reiteration of Brotherhood's underwhelming story. Compared to Unity's mess of a story, Syndicate's simplified and focused narrative feels a bit refreshing. The episodic structure from AC1 makes a return and the pacing of the story is pretty good. The plot, while very familiar, is made compelling by the charming characters and some occasionally great writing. The Frye twins are fun protagonists, but their motivations and backgrounds are admittedly a bit predictable and uninspired. I'm quite impressed by the antagonists of Syndicate, as they're respective plotlines develop their personality to varying degrees. While the main villain could've used some quality characterization himself, his writing was still quite enjoyable and gave the character enough layers to work with. The VERY brief modern day segments are easily the weakest and most boring aspects of the story, and the overall ending of the game leaves a lot to be desired.

There is a lot to like about Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, as it feels like Ubisoft put some genuine effort into redeeming this franchise. If you haven't given it a chance as an Assassin's Creed fan, do yourself a favor and check it out. The gameplay is some of the best that the series has seen. The open world is filled with quality content, tons of detail, and soul. While the story is quite flawed and streamlined, it feels a lot more focused and still manages to be quite cohesive, as a result.

i was very excited to play this game after buying it a few months after release. i am quite new to the series but have played enough to be able to compare the games. this game features stunning graphics that craft a beautiful game.

An easy to follow storyline that never gets boring keeps our interested with some great plot twits. playing as two assassins was very fun and enjoyable.

likable main protagonists that have good chemistry and are quite funny at times was a good thing to add to the list of pro's in this game

overall it is definitely a huge improvement over unity, that has reinvigorated the franchise

if you are thinking about buying this game do it and you wont be disappointed.

The setting of 1868 London is beautifully created with a gritty "back alley" feel. Populated with colorful and interesting NPC's. It was a joy to explore. The characters dialogue and interactions were spot on. The story, while interesting, became lost amidst an endless barrage of formulaic side quests. Side quests that were essentially the same half dozen or so but on another section of map, which was barely distinguishable. Have you played the Godfather games? Grand Theft Auto? Don't expect there to be anything new here. The game play itself becomes repetitive after three hours, and painfully repetitive after six.

All in all, once the splendor of a dirty 1800's London wears off the game becomes a chore. Definitely worth a play, perhaps don't buy it and just play it at a friend's house for a few hours.

Honestly, I came not knowing what to expect and stayed for one of the best games I had ever played. In fact, I could go on enjoying it for months.

Let's start with what stroke me first, which is, of course, the Victorian London. Saying 'it's breathtaking' would be an understatement. Even if you decide to explore the city first, you will never be bored exploring/looting/conquering, before embarking on main campaign.

As for the story-telling, Assassin Creed Syndicate is another pinnacle of perfectly executed cut scenes and voice acting. The writing and the execution are simply phenomenal, no other way to put it. The game is so immersive and addictive, I wouldn't even mind replaying it from scratch.

You'll most likely love this game whether you're a fan of the franchise or not. I'll go ahead and call it 'the second true Ubisoft masterpiece after Far Cry 3'. Being my first Assassin Creed experience (not counting 'Origins'), now having finished it I'm ready to play just any title in the series.

Assassin Creed Syndicate could've easily been the Game Of The Year, or least get a 'Must-Play', very surprised it didn't. It's not just one of the best games I've played, not just one of the most beautiful games, but one I will definitely play even after getting the platinum trophy.

Compared to other great Assassins creed games like AC 2/black flag and brotherhood this game is very average and deserves no more than a 6/10 but compared to all games in general it offers a lot in the way of fun. I spent around 80 hours playing the game but was to 100% it and if you're just interested in the story you will probably breeze through the game in no more than 15 hours. As with all Creed games we get the usual scattering of collectibles and busy work tasks to fill time, but that will only appeal to the completionists as it's not required. Gameplay is very solid and has very few bugs however if you've played most other Assassins Creed games you'll realise how much Syndicate holds your hand throughout and never allows you to fall from great heights or jump off buildings etc, instead it's guides you through in one of the most linear of open worlds I've played. That's not a bad thing but it's restrictive at times. The story does a decent job of keeping you entertained as you take over London burrough by burrough and help raise your gang to rule all of London and stop the templars from seizing power. imagine Gangs of New York but with assassin twins. The characters are a sticking point for many but I found Jacob and Evie Frye (Both playable) to offer something abit different than the usual one character that we normally get. However their personalities leave something to be desired. The customisation is limited buy does offer a few different outfit choices and new weapons like Kukris, Cane swords and brass knuckles. You can also change things like the colour etc. Skill points encourage you to push forward and gain new abilities and each twin has a few skills that are only applicable to them, for instance Evie has the ability to go invisible and is the more stealth based character while Jacob offers more damage in fights and is classed as the brawler. The graphics still hold up very well in 2021 and the map is a good size to keep you occupied. Overall a solid game that will keep you entertained for many hours but if you're a hardcore Assassins creed fan then you'll see there is some limitations in Syndicate compared to other games in the series, worth a shot and right now 25/2/21 AC Syndicate and all creed games are on sale on Xbox and steam.