Assassins Creed Unity takes a huge step back from the previous instalments in the franchise, a huge gamble from Ubisoft which in my opinion seems to have worked rather well here. So far, I have played for about twenty days and have yet to hit upon any glitches that are game breaking, although it seems to be a huge issue for a lot of reviewers here.

First of all, let me say, finally, Ubisoft have written a character that is quite likeable and rather relatable, the first time since Ezio Auditore da Firenze have I actually cared about the character and his story. Not only is Arno likeable, but quite unique in comparison to the other protagonists, his free running style is quite balletic in comparison to the likes of Altaïr ibn la Ahad or Edward Kenway. While Arno's free running speed leaves a lot to be desired (unlike the others, whom I felt were faster), the flow of his movement is quite beautiful and graceful, with incredible twists and slips from various heights that give the free running aspect of the game a whole new dynamic effect (can almost sense Ubisoft took aspects of Fencing footwork and interpretive dance and included it in Arno's unique parkour). This being said, I feel that free running had become slightly more challenging, as it seems to take far longer to scale and get across roofs and requires more thought to what direction you wish to go, with there often being issues of trying to go into windows or get onto balconies and ledges (ending up leaping from rail to rail rather than getting into it). Arno does, however, climb down buildings far more quickly than any protagonist ever has, making it far more effortless getting down without a leap of faith or potential desynchronisation.

The story, set during the French Revolution (1700s), takes us through a starved and torn Paris, the city being beautifully rendered with plenty of room to climb (unlike the previous three instalments in the franchise), with some incredible viewpoints to synchronise with. Playing this, I haven't felt as in awe of my game surroundings since Assassins Creed II. Not only is Paris massive (perhaps being the hugest game world in this series to date if you don't include the bodies of water in Black Flag and Rogue) but there are what seems to be hundreds of interiors to also cut through and explore, some linked to missions, some not. Unlike interiors in AC: III, you don't just "cut through" these, but rather you can go wandering, climb stairs, unlock doors, find chests and collectables within behind locked doors. Some of these interiors take you through drab hovels and apartments while some are stunningly beautiful mansions and palaces with spiral staircases, marble floors, beautiful paintings, full furnishings, beautifully reflective fabrics and walls and responsive NPCs that react to intrusions (such as extremists who will attack on sight if you're about to try and access treasure chests or townsfolk who will complain about Arno's 'not even asking' before taking treasure, lol). Being able to explore interiors makes the world itself feel twice as large, and makes escaping from chases and finding collectables far more interesting than it ever was before.

One of the most noticeable improvements in the game (some might disagree here) is that the game has a massive cache of NPCs (non-playable characters/townsfolk) wandering around. I'm not talking the ten or twenty you might see on a street at any time in the older games, but we are taking hundreds of visible and responsive NPCs which react to being pushed, seeing fights, etc. I was truly staggered by the vast sea of them just everywhere, making running through streets a real challenge but making you feel slightly more immersed in a torn city, especially when NPCs are rioting outside of buildings and starting to get involved in fights: some you can even catch in fights of their own or in trysts (which isn't new, but far more noticeable here).

The missions are rather interesting, as not only the standard kill, sneak and retrieve missions are hanging around but some incredible side missions. My favourite side missions are murder investigations, in which you'll be sent to look for various clues and be given a set of NPCs to accuse (depending on your accuracy, you get more reward). There is also a new side mission known as heists (which can be played solo or multiplayer in co-op), which is a frustrating but challenging way to burn twenty or so minutes (if you get killed you have to restart the entire thing so beware lol). Co-op missions are interesting and rather time consuming if you handle solo (yes, you can actually play co-op missions on your own, so you don't need to rely on people if you don't have friends to play with) and are still doable regardless of difficulty rating. In addition to heists and co-op missions, you have side missions which have Arno doing a range of things from protecting citizens to investigating murders. In addition, there are the "Nostradamus" puzzles in the vein of a scavenger hunt; given riddles, you have to solve and chase up locations in order to find the next clue - a frustrating but rather challenging thing to take on (a throw back to the glyph puzzles from Assassins Creed II and Brotherhood). With a variation of things to do and random events that you should participate in (stopping extremists from attacking citizens, scaring bullies, giving out money or chasing pickpockets for example) you should be rather entertained for weeks on end (as long as you aren't playing 18 hours a day, lol).

I have to take a moment here to note, as well as being in 18th century Paris, you'll find brief levity being thrown into "rifts" where you might find yourself climbing the Eiffel tower in Nazi occupied Paris during WWII, or climbing the Statue of Liberty, proving that the game can still throw a few surprises.

It's worth mentioning for those of you who like to get full synchronisation in these games (for platinum trophies) that the parameters for completing a mission to obtain full synchronisation is far less demanding. Ubisoft have gotten rid of my worst enemy - the "timer". You no longer have "twenty-five seconds to catch the messenger" resulting in you replaying the same mission a hundred times for the want of a three second error, and you no longer have "two and a half minutes to kill so-and-so" or you instantly fail. This makes the game far less frustrating and less demanding that you "rush" things. Instead, this game actually encourages you as "Arno" to walk around the mission area and listen to NPCs and guards having conversations to hint at where you might find a rather opportunistic kill, find escape routes or easier entrances into your locations. This way, you find more time to access treasure and the other collectables in the restricted area. It no longer penalises you for having to kill a couple of dozen guards on the way to the marked target (i.e. those frustrating missions "Kill no one except the target"). In fact, you'll find that even in the "steal" missions you probably won't find yourself being penalised for murdering the hard to catch and tackle target.

Another nifty feature is that the game at the beginning of a mission a prompt will appear to give you hints to how many possible opportunities you may find to help you along with the mission (such as breaking into the Bastille perhaps, you might be prompted to try and help some prisoners who later, will help take down some of those hard-to-kill guards in the area). It will also advise you of the mission difficulty from one to five stars (so you have the chance to decide whether you've built the character and geared him up enough before participating) and also give you the exact payout you should expect rather than simply starting the mission with NO idea what to expect. I particularly loved this as it gave me more insight into what missions I'd find more challenging or easy depending on my mood.

There is a ton (and I mean a TON) of collectables. As with the last few games, you can buy new equipment and upgrade some others, but nearly everything is upgradable and here is a good amount of different weapons to choose from (reminding me of the choices from the earlier games. Not only can you customise Arno's weaponry but also his clothes, you can mix and match pants, costs, hoods and vambraces, all with different bonuses to stats and skills including perks such as room for extra ammo or lockpicks. Some can be bought immediately, some (most) have to be unlocked through missions, street events or gathering a certain percentage of collectables.

There is money to be made with upgrading and investing in certain establishments in the game (cafes), and you can go finding chests. However, to open some chests you must have lock picking skill, which must be learned by completing missions to receive points to allocate to the skills. There are also some chests which cannot be opened unless you use the companion app on your smart phone/tablet (but as far as I'm aware these aren't included in the 100% completion of the game). Because you cannot simply go around finding/unlocking all the chests in a few hours of gameplay, you will find Arno is not particularly wealthy for much of the first few days, as equipment and weaponry as well as consumables like medicines, bombs and blades cost more than he can usually make from battling extremists and guards. I think this teaches you to be rather wise with the money you have rather than just blowing it all on every item you see: you have to pay attention to item stats (and perks, such as extra room for bullets or medicine) and what you REALLY need for your missions, as it's not easy to gather money initially and can take a couple of hours to afford just one item such as a belt or a pair of pants.

The combat system has been modified and now you will find that there is absolutely NO counter kill, meaning you have to really focus on surviving large fights by paying attention to your surroundings and enemies. In the several districts of Paris, some enemies can die with one or two hits, but in other districts, they can take as many as ten or twelve before they eventually go down, and if you have a group of six at you, you're in trouble. I was a little unhappy with the lack of counter kill, but I feel it was because I'd grown so dependent on it in other games, while now I see more variations in the combat, some interesting moves and challenges. I should also mention that when fighting and killing, you are awarded points that you can use in upgrading weaponry (it also increases your ranking in the game). Things like air assassinations are slightly trickier now, which makes fast kills slightly harder but the combat makes the game essentially last longer so you're unlikely to complete everything in a single day. Its worth saying, Ubisoft have taken away about 99% chance of Arno killing NPCs who are neither Guards nor Extremists; occasionally I have accidentally shot an NPC getting in the way of an aim, but this is as far as it goes, you can no longer swing your weapon at townsfolk (you can't even pickpocket them - accidentally or otherwise as thieving is gone).

As many good things have been added to the game, I did find a few things I missed from the franchise. Ubisoft have removed guilds and factions, so no longer do you have Thieves, Mercenaries or Courtesans/Gypsies/Prostitutes. While these things were helpful in making money or making a mission easier, I can understand the exclusion of them in the game as you are no longer penalised and given an immediate fail for being spotted in a mission, but the use of courtesans as distractions was always exceptionally handy in high-difficulty and restricted areas in previous games and I do miss it. Also, as mentioned above, you can no longer pickpocket from wandering townsfolk so making money (especially early on) can be exceptionally tedious as guards and extremists do not have a particularly good yield of money when looted. While the game has made it harder to fall from a high climb, they have also made it extremely difficult to do air assassinations from even first storey roofs, and trying to do a backwards leap from a wall is far trickier as it will only permit Arno to jump when it detects a ledge behind him, this can be slightly frustrating if you've grown used to the freedom of jumping from ANYWHERE in previous games, as it can be far slower getting down than a quick jump and some slight damage.

As I have played more and more, I have added to my review, as I have gotten deeper and deeper in the game I have found more and more things to love about it. The attention to detail is outstanding; the way blood splatters on walls and floors at a kill, soaking through fabrics on your victims (blood can be switched off, for those who are squeamish), the way cats can be seen wandering around on roofs and rafters, seeing flies buzzing around randomly, the litter in the street, dirt on windows...it all makes the world rather realistic and immersive in fantastic ways.

So far, 20 days later, I'm only 55% in, have played every day and haven't even REPLAYED a single main mission yet and as of yet still haven't completed the game because of the sheer multitude of things to do outside of the campaign. And to boot, and I haven't even gotten to the free DLC yet either; this is a game for those who want to spend HOURS immersed, not for the gamer who casually wants something to complete in a weekend.

Even at full price, this game would be worth every penny, and I think it's gotten a lot of unfair ratings due to the bug ridden code which yes, it did have but for the most part, has since been sorted (other than a couple of minor crashes, I've seen very little glitch in my game since Christmas). This is a highly playable, highly enjoyable instalment, that for me, ticks more or less 99% of the boxes as to what I was looking for from this game (the 1% would have been a new descendent to replace Desmond, as I have missed the modern story and I get rather sick of the Abstergo 'everyman' storylines). It's definitely on par with Assassins Creed II and Assassins Creed: Brotherhood (which in my opinion, were the strongest in the franchise) and I think it proves that Ubisoft are finally listening to their fans as to what they want from a game.

If the next game (Assassins Creed: Victory, rumoured to be set in 19th century London) is anything like this, I will be very happy. Well done Ubisoft, finally got it right!

4 people found this helpful

toblerone93

A unique Assassin's Creed experience.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2015

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Assassin's Creed Unity is the latest in a long running series of stealth and open world games. Unity is set during the French Revolution in the 18th century, based primarily in the city of Paris and continues the secret war between the Assassins and the Templars. Yet while this all sounds fairly familiar with nothing new really leaping out at the player, what is truly revolutionary about the game is the sheer scale of the city of Paris: it is massive; with the added benefit of most buildings in the game being traversable from the inside as well as the outside, which brings a whole new dimension of exploration to the game. In addition to the expansive map, the developers have also improved the crowd system, meaning that in a single street you may encounter literally hundreds of civilians, yet without inhibiting the Assassin's ability to move silently through the crowds.

In terms of actual gameplay Unity has presented several changes which both challenge even the most experienced Assassin's Creed players, and introduce a new dimension of play that wasn't available before. The combat is now more challenging and realistic than before, meaning that attacks from groups of enemies will no longer feel like a 'queue' of one after another, therefore forcing the player to revaluate the situation and consider retreating. Even simple evasion of guards is no longer as simple as it once was, as climbing or running in a straight line will result in the player repeatedly receiving rifle fire in the back. While this is initially annoying, it actually encourages a more dynamic approach and use of Arno's trademark Assassin tools in both combat and escape. The free-running aspect of gameplay that marks the franchise has also received several changes. Scaling buildings now requires more forethought instead of simply holding down a button to run up a building and then waiting for the character to reach the top, and the larger the building the more thought that is required in what route to take. The developers have also introduced a new, faster method of descending from buildings rather than the slow 'crawl' down a building that could often be frustrating in previous games.

With regards to story and characterisation the game revolves around the actions of Assassin, Arno Dorian. Dorian finds his tale inexorably tied up in the French Revolution where the player will meet several important historical figures, all of whom are expertly voiced, and Dorian's interactions with many of them are engaging and at times moving. Yet ultimately his story is parallel to that of the Templars which leads him through several tragic events, both fictional and historical. The introduction of several new types of side mission is also challenging and encourages more thought than simply the 'run and collect this item' mechanic that is found in many video games, instead many missions will involve solving puzzles or analysing given evidence to successfully complete an objective. Arno's appearance is also more customisable than previous titles, as each part of his outfit can be changed to create a fully unique character appearance as well as having several different main-hand weapons to unlock and choose from.

The final aspect of Unity is the introduction of a new multiplayer co-op system, which involves several co-op missions to be undertaken with up to four players. This replaces the competitive multiplayer system from previous Assassin's Creed titles which had grown increasingly stale. Therefore the introduction of co-op multiplayer not just in specified mission but also in free-roam has given a completely new aspect of Assassin's Creed gameplay that has never been seen before.

Ultimately Assassin's Creed Unity brings several, brilliant new levels of original gameplay to the series, in terms of sandbox exploration, multiplayer co-op, combat and free-running, which for a long-running franchise is often extremely difficult. While on it's release the game experienced several latency issues and glitches it is heartening to see that Ubisoft not only resolved many of these issues but also compensated its customers by releasing Unity's DLC for free, showing just how much dedication the developers have for their product.

Alex

Not as bad as people say. Not even close.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2014

Verified Purchase

While this game does have some issues in the form of bugs and glitches, I have personally come across only 2 major FPS problems at the start of the game and the game crashed only once. Having said that, the game itself is very good.

Many of the "hate" reviews don't seem to say much about the game itself, but are rather focus on the technical issues, which I doubt were faced by all the people, it's mainly a hate-train that people like jumping on. The game introduces many new interesting mechanics to the franchise, by both enhancing the combat and the parkour systems that make up an Assassin's Creed game. Combat has become much harder than in previous instalments, pushing you to complete more missions in stealth mode, aided by the addition of a "stealth" button. The downwards parkour system makes your assassin move faster and more fluid through the city, however sometimes this particular element may seem quite clunky. The new customisation features are a welcome improvement, allowing each player to tweak their character to look how they want them to, adjusting them to their own preferred playing style (stealth, all out combat etc.) What I did notice is that the customisation is quite limited later on in the game, wherein your assassin will only have an option between approximately 8 items in each slot, that is head, chest, legs, waist and forearms, if you want your assassin's level to stay at the top. So to put it shortly, late-game content could be much better (especially seeing how the Club Competition mode required for most of the top-level items is not even available yet).

The city of Paris is one of the best ones I've seen in an Assassin's Creed game. It is massive, dense with AI going about their business and you will always find something to do in the city, be it side missions now known as "Paris stories" or murder mysteries, where you solve some straight-forward murder cases by investigating clues and questioning suspects. The introduction of 2-4 player co-op is done very well, and playing some of the missions and heists is a blast, especially with a couple of friends. However these missions will end up getting repetitive later on in the game, as you will only have 2 top-level heists and 2 top-level missions (if I'm not mistaken). All-in-all co-op is very fun, even though some features could be added, such as scaling up the difficulty of earlier missions in order to enjoy them later on in the game. The visuals, I must add, are top-notch, the most beautiful AC game to-date.

Finally, the most controversial topic about this game: micro-transactions and the companion app. Trust me, I absolutely hate pay-to-win games, or "free" games that will only become playable once you put some money into it. However this game is not one of them. I did not use real money even once in order to purchase any of the equipment or "time saver packs". The in-game economy is very rewarding, and by the end of the game doing 3 very short heists will guarantee you a new piece of top-level equipment. If anything, it's actually too rewarding, making it too easy to get the best gear in the game. But still, you DON'T have to buy anything, unless you want to start off the game with top-level gear, but I honestly don't know why someone would want to do that, the game loses its point this way. The companion app is there just as a bonus, for those people who want to complete the game 100%. But surely if you're that kind of person, and I know a few who are, you wouldn't mind using the app in order to complete the game for 100%. Nevertheless, I could see why this bothers some people, it would be much better if all the content was available in-game, but still, unlocking these chests is not essential, you won't miss out on any gear or weapons if you don't.

In conclusion I think that this is a must-buy for any AC fan. I am very sorry for such a long review, but I believe that behind all of this hate, the true essence of the game can get lost. Is this the best Assassin's Creed game? No, it's not. But it's definitely up there. I want to remind you that I'm saying this as a person who came across very few glitches and FPS issues, so this review is just about the actual game. Seeing how the latest patch released on the 26th of November seems to fix the majority of the glitches and other problems, I don't see a problem with purchasing this game. A very good entry in this yearly franchise.

One person found this helpful

Lopote

I love the assassins creed franchise

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2015

Verified Purchase

I love the assassins creed franchise. The freedom it gives you to explore architecture, cities, cultures and time periods is a highly liberating experience. To be honest, the combat and story always came second for me in an AC game, because i was always to busy to explore amazing urban and natural landscapes that i would not be able to in real life (meaning i could never jump around the roof-tops of Paris). Since i am actually studying architecture, i have to say i might have a little bit of a baised opinion towards this game, since the world Ubisoft managed to create is absolutely breathtaking. The fact that you can see the entire, full-scale Paris just by hopping up to the nearest roof-top i find amazing. But instead of rambling on, i'll place my thoughts in bullet points:

The Positives:
+ 18th Century Paris is absolutely to most amazing game-world i have ever seen. (and i have played a lot of games)
+ Graphics, lighting, frame-rate is great
+ I played all assassins creed games, and i enjoyed the combat system in all of them. In unity, its definitely more challenging, but I still really like it.
+ The story wasn't as great as AC 2's or 3's but its still good
+ The new down-ward parkour feels and works great in my opinion.
+ CO-OP is really fun
+ The overall scale in map-size, content, locations, and level of detail is mind-blowing
+ The amount of customization features is great

The Negatives
- A few frustrating moments when the free-running doesnt work
- I enjoyed the modern story aspect of Desmond and the firs civilization. There is barely anything here, even less than AC 4. I find this disappointing. However i know some people prefer just the actual main storyline of AC games.
- Micro-transactions.... really?! (but dont worry you dont need to buy currency. its really easy to make money)

Overall i find this a 5 star game. Obviously this is subjective completely, but personally i have really enjoyed playing this, mainly because of the amazing open world. If you liked previous assassins creed games, then buy this! Just to give reference to my opinions, my favourite AC games in order is as follows: ACII- AC unity- ACIII- AC4- AC Brotherhood- AC 1- AC revelations.

2 people found this helpful

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