Assassin's Creed Unity review
I have a feeling I've been here before. Sure, the streets look slightly different, and the main character has a different name, but the DNA of Assassin's Creed games going back to 2007 unmistakably remains. Usually this wouldn't be a huge problem - this is one of the greatest gaming franchises of the modern generation - but Ubisoft was promising French revolution and instead we're stuck with slight evolution.
Does that make Unity a bad game? No, not by any means, and in fact it is a largely enjoyable installment that does another great job at putting players straight into a uniquely intriguing time period. The disappointment comes when you begin to realise it could have been so much more, and we wonder whether a year off from the annual release schedule might be the best medicine to get it back to fighting form.
For now, we have Arno Dorian. Born in Versailles to an Assassin father who is eventually murdered, he is adopted and raised by a man who holds a senior position as a Templar. His adopted father is then murdered too (talk about bad luck) and Arno joins the Assassin Order on a quest for revenge and justice. On the way he's caught up in all the passion and bloodshed of the Revolution, which leads to some thrilling moments, however it is a bit off-putting that every character comes with a posh British accent. Put that aside and it's an entertaining enough narrative that doesn't quite draw you in like the series peak of Assassin's Creed 2, but it gets the job done.
Far more captivating is the Paris setting, which could literally have you gawping for hours at the wonderful architecture and just the sheer amount of NPCs on screen at once. It can really be a sight to behold at times, and this is no doubt the best looking Assassin's Creed game ever, if not one of the most visually impressive games of all time. Perhaps that shouldn't be surprising given the power afforded to developers by the new consoles, but it's worth noting nonetheless.
Traversing Paris has been made slightly easier with enhanced free-running and climbing mechanics. New animations have Arno leaping around and grasping onto ledges after falling greater distances, while there's also a dedicated "free-run down" button that can have you descending from huge buildings much safer than before. Much has been made of the fact that buildings in Unity have plenty of open windows and doors so Arno can pop in and have a look around, but while impressive, getting into a building can be annoyingly frustrating.
Moving Arno from a ledge into a window on either side of him turns into a game of trial and error, as he first goes up, then goes to the left, then sometimes even under where you are directing him to go. Doing this while being chased and fired at by enemies is not equal to fun. Unity also has a tendency to try and predict where you want to go. This can lead to Arno gracefully hurdling boundaries and vaulting over rooftops with great dexterity, or it can see him stuck behind a chimney with nowhere else to go. Again, great when it works, but it doesn't work as often as it should.
Elsewhere the other significant change in Unity comes in the form of combat, which is now much more fluid and requires a higher level of skill than before. Enemies won't just crowd you and wait their turn to go and attack you anymore; instead they'll jump in even when you're busy trying to stab their mate. This leads to slightly more realistic action and a chance for you to test yourself a bit more, too. The best strategy is still to wait for an opponent to attack, counter them and then attack with your own flurry, but it is a step up from previous games.
I also like the greater emphasis on sneaking around and taking a stealthy approach to the main campaign missions, instead of jumping right into the middle of a swordfight. Sure, it's very easy to screw up, get seen and have a massive melee occur, but at least Unity does seem to want to point you in the direction of discretion compared to previous AC titles. As usual though, the campaign missions mostly consist of following people through streets going from point A to point B.
Character customisation plays a pretty big part as you get to choose the colour of Arno's clothes and pick out individual pieces of armour and weapons. It involves a lot of comparing the attack points of each weapon but RPG fans should find plenty to like here. A word on microtransactions, too, which have been forced in and give players the option of spending real-world money to get ahead in the game with less time. Less of this sort of thing, Ubisoft!
For the first time in the series cooperative gameplay has been added. You and three others can team up to take on a variety of missions that combine teamwork. Coop missions are pretty similar to single-player ones, but attempting them with friends definitely brings the best out of them. You can revive downed allies, and when a clumsy teammate attracts unwanted attention on one side of the map it won't affect you, so you're still free to go around sneaking and picking pockets.
Overall Unity is another pleasant experience of going through a historical time period and getting to know some famous faces first hand, but that's what it has been for a while now. More was expected this time and as such it can come across as slightly disappointing. But judge it on its own and it's a pretty satisfying journey, and definitely a beautiful one at that. Much more is needed next time, but Assassin's Creed fans should still have plenty to shout about here.