Whether it's a title in the classic Ezio trilogy, or the swashbuckling Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, every Assassin's Creed fan has a favorite entry in the series. This often depends on the type of gameplay that the fan prefers. For instance, stealth fans tend to prefer the original or Assassin's Creed II, while action/adventure fans often gravitate towards the newer titles like Origins and Odyssey for the vast range of weapons and sprawling open-world maps.
But there's one Assassin's Creed title that is always brushed past in discussions, the one that's hardly ever remembered fondly: Assassin's Creed Syndicate. The ninth game in the series, Syndicate came out in the wrong place at the wrong time, causing even die-hard fans of the franchise to pass over it. However, if fans revisited it today, they might have their minds changed, as Syndicate is actually an excellent Assassin's Creed game, arguably one of the best in the franchise.
Syndicate: Two Protagonists, Twice The Fun
Assassin's Creed Syndicate follows Evie and Jacob Frye, Assassin twins who take it upon themselves to rid London of its Templar ruler, an enigmatic villain called Crawford Starrick. The game's surface level hook is that it lets players take control of both Frye twins, with each one offering slightly different gameplay styles; Evie focuses on stealth, Jacob prefers his fists.
While both playable characters do essentially function the same and can both share the vast majority of unlockable abilities and weapons, they do have a handful of unique upgrades that reward the player for progressing each of their campaigns. The time that players sink into each character feels worthwhile.
On the subject of upgrades, the game's surprisingly intricate and branching upgrade system makes exploring the massive open world feel truly rewarding. Along with a visually satisfying overworld map that gradually removes red blocks every time the player takes over an enemy stronghold, these events also grant the player tangible gameplay rewards like improved weapons and costumes, along with a range of in-game currencies. These currencies can then be used to upgrade not only the Frye twins and their abilities, but their gang's abilities as well.
Over the course of the game, players will be constantly unlocking and upgrading, fuelling that sense of progression that is so important in open-world video games. The tangible nature of these upgrades makes this progression feel even more rewarding, with new allies and vehicles being unlocked and observable in the open-world, and new weapon upgrades making a noticeable difference during combat. The franchise would go on to use this vast upgrade system and Syndicate's emphasis on upgradable weapons in its modern series of Assassin's Creed games, which take a more Borderlands-like loot-based approach.
There's No Place Like Industrial London
By far, the best aspect of Assassin's Creed Syndicate was its setting. Taking place in 1868, coming hot off the heels of the Industrial Revolution, Syndicate is set in a grimy, dirty, and oftentimes beautiful London City. Players have all of London's key boroughs to explore, using their new grappling hook to scale tall chimney stacks and explore open-ended factories and iconic train stations. The weather effects and lighting in the game go a long way in giving the game a uniquely bleak yet charming atmosphere.
On a similar note, the stellar musical score of the game, composed by Austin Wintory, also emphasises the game's tone and atmosphere. A range of string instruments (now somewhat synonymous with Victorian London-based media) being used to capture the light hearted nature of the story and tone of the game.
The narrative itself is a pretty standard Assassin's Creed affair, with the twins searching for a Piece of Eden that will help bring down Starrick, a Templar who has a hold over the city's major exports. However, it's the game's strong lead performances, witty writing, and endearing characters that help to make the story such a fun and engaging adventure. Of course, as every good Assassin's Creed game should, Syndicate is not without its fair share of historical cameos, with the likes of Karl Marx, Alexander Graham Bell, and Charles Dickens all leading the Frye twins on a number of fantastical missions. Syndicate has plenty of unique Assassin's Creed charm to keep fans of the series hanging on every new mission.
Why Was Assassin's Creed Syndicate Overlooked?
Despite its unique charm, light hearted atmosphere, stellar soundtrack, first-class performances, and rewarding gameplay, Assassin's Creed Syndicate was met with practically no fanfare at all, regardless of its surprisingly positive critical reception. It seemed as though long-time fans of the series were starting to get a little sick of the same general Asssassin's Creed formula that they'd been playing since 2007.
While Syndicate may have used the classic formula to the best of its ability, trying to push the boundaries where it could, there was no denying that it was at its core still a classic Assassin's Creed game. Despite some new combat and stealth mechanics, the game can be boiled down to the same few mission types always present in an Assassin's Creed: Kill someone, tail someone, chase someone.
The failed launch of Assassin's Creed Unity is often cited for Syndicate's downfall, with many fans believing that the infamously buggy and broken state of that game led to general players not wanting to buy Syndicate in case it was more of the same. The oversaturation of the market also made matters worse, with three mainline Assassin's Creed games all coming out within just two years of one another. If players weren't getting sick of the formula before, then this onslaught of similar Assassin's Creed experiences may have been the final nail in the coffin.
It took two years to develop the next game in the series, Assassin's Creed Origins, which acted as a soft reboot of the game. The gameplay formula, while still retaining some core elements of the franchise, was essentially made from the ground up. While many series fans have grown to love these new games, some still yearn for that traditional Assassin's Creed experience like the experience Assassin's Creed Syndicate provides.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One.