It really is impressive how good AC Syndicate is. The first main entry not being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, who handed the reigns to developer Ubisoft Quebec. They could of just taken it easy, making sure to just slightly improve over Unity and call it a day, but this is so much more. It's a beautiful world, and it feels like it's being lived in by real people. Whether it's the music playing in the parks or bars, the conversations of politics you can overhear or just seeing how bad people have it in the slums, this world feels alive.
In a first for the series, you play as two characters, twins Jacob and Evie Frye. The writing is great and they act in a way that's believable. It shows in the way they poke fun at each other or get under each other's skin. Jacob is reckless and doesn't pay much to the history or ways of the creed, while Evie is careful and a expert on the history of their lineage. You can switch between them in the open world for all side missions, while main missions focuses on one or the other. I personally loved playing as Evie, so it was kind of sad to see her disappear for a chunk of the last couple chapters.
The biggest new entry to the game is the grappling hook, which you get pretty early on in the campaign. The hook is simple to use and it's hard to imagine going back to the series without it. It made getting across the city much faster, it has a long range so you can easily go across the streets and large gaps. You can also ride in a horse carriage which is the fastest method to get across large chunks of maps if you don't want to wait for excessive load times of fast travel.
The grappling hook isn't the only thing new though as Ubisoft Quebec brings upgrades and crafting to Assassin's Creed. You can make your gang (the Rooks) stronger, you have a skill tree with a couple special abilities for each twin, you collect supplies from chests and side missions to craft new capes, gauntlets and weapon/health upgrades. In my fifty hours of playing the game, I still had a lot of things to be crafted or upgraded. Make no mistake, there is a lot of content in here.
The base game without side missions is lengthy, I'm guessing between twenty-five and thirty hours. But you'd be doing yourself a great disservice for not playing through the side missions. They are unique and charming, whether it's helping Karl Marx fight for the working class or going on ghost hunts with Charles Dickens, they are fleshed out and enjoyable. There's also the non-story side missions where you have to take back each section of the map through things like bounty hunts, kidnapping and freeing children from harsh labour conditions. Each section of the map has it's own level suggestion, needless to say by the time you get to the last section these missions become much harder. These missions offer loyalty rewards to a certain character, unlocking special items, and they also handsomely reward you with money and crafting items.
The combat in the game can be challenging, especially if you're fighting against guards/gang members who are a higher level than you. It could only take a couple hits to kill you, yes there's time to counter but it's much harder now that they attack in numbers. The fighting can be brutal too, with Jacob and Evie having multiple different finishers that might make you smile or wince. It's still very rewarding when you get three enemies in a low health state and trigger a triple take down. But no matter how good you are, you will die and that's not a bad thing. The franchise needed a kick up in challenge.
Ubisoft Quebec plays it smart and focuses the majority of the game in London, with only a few quick trips to the present and none of the present is playable. The story in the present is fine, probably because it's told in small chunks and doesn't have a huge part, but it sets up the next game nicely. Another nice touch is a whole new area you can go to once you get to chapter six, another couple hours of playtime set in World War 1. You play as a direct ancestor to the twins, and it was pretty cool seeing the series take on that setting.
The main story has fully fleshed out characters that have their own motivations, not just a two-dimensional enemy. I really enjoyed the arc the game tells, because like any good story it needs a great bad guy. This was my favourite entry in a long time, with polished visuals, game play, crafting/upgrades and story. I highly suggest you forget the pitfalls of Unity and step into the wonderful world of Syndicate. Ubisoft Quebec took a great step forward with the franchise, and I hope the next entry takes the foundations laid here and runs with it. Seriously though, how can you go back to no grappling hook?