Gamers were not surprised when Ubisoft announced that a new game in the Assassin’s Creed series, titled Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, would be released on October 23. After all, we’ve been getting a new Creed game yearly since 2009’s Assassin’s Creed 2. The games have taken place in different time periods, moving from the medieval setting of the original game to the Renaissance period of Assassin’s Creed 2, to 18th century revolutionary Paris in last year’s Unity.
So the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, which is set in 19th century London after the Industrial Revolution, is the most modern game in the series, as far as the time period it takes place in is concerned. Some could criticize Ubisoft for being conservative and choosing London as the setting for the new Assassin’s Creed game. A Forbes writer called Ubi’s choice of setting “disappointing and bland”, and it is clear that the French video game company is taking more risks with its Assassin’s Creed Chronicles spin-off series, with the first game in that series being set in China and featuring a female protagonist.
But still, Ubisoft could make up for the poor launch of last year’s Assassin’s Creed Unity if it is able to make the series gameplay feel fresh again. After all, the last truly revolutionary game in the series was 2013’s pirate-themed Assassin’s Creed IV, which felt more like a pirate simulator than an Assassin’s Creed game, and was all the better for it.
And judging by Syndicate’s latest trailer, which shows protagonist Jacob Frye brutally dealing with a group of enemies in a train station, it seems that Syndicate could make fans of the Assassin’s Creed games fall in love with the series again. Combat appears to be more dynamic than in previous games, and similar to the action seen in Rocksteady’s Batman games, with protagonist Jacob Frye using his short blade (known as the kukri), revolver and brass knuckles to deal with his enemies.
And speaking of Batman, at the end of the trailer protagonist Jacob climbs to the train station’s rooftop using a rope launcher concealed in his assassin’s forearm gauntlet, which works a bit like the caped crusader’s grappling hook. This is one of the gameplay innovations in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and will surely make getting around the city more entertaining than in previous games.
Also taking into account that the game will be set in late 19th century London after the Industrial Revolution, it will be likely that players will be able to travel across London on train, or that at least there will be a couple of cool action sequences set on trains, which would be a first for the series.