The industrial revolution may have been known for a lot of things - an engineering boom, technological advancements, and a thick smog to name just a few - but one thing we're pretty sure the history books don't usually touch on is assassins. Fortunately for us, publishers Ubisoft have never been ones to stick all too closely to historical reality, as it's now been officially revealed that the latest Assassin's Creed game will see you taking your sheathed daggers, stealth tactics and stylish top hat into the heart of London during the industrial revolution.
Set in 1868, when the industrial revolution was at its peak, the story follows gangster assassins Jacob and Evie Frye. The boroughs of London are controlled by corrupt and violent gangs, and the Fryes have made it their mission to rid the city of this evil. Each of the seven boroughs are under the control of a rival gang, and by making use of your master assassin training, it's up to you to sneak into each borough, take out the leader of each gang, and reclaim control. Of course, this being an Assassin's Creed game, there are Templars involved behind the scenes here too, as the long running feud between the Assassins and Templars continues, but if you're new to the series, all you really need to know is that this is looking great.
Not even the most stylish of assassins can get the trains to run on time...
A free roaming adventure game that lets you go anywhere you please, solving quests and challenges as you go, Syndicate promises a world to explore that's even bigger than the games that have come before. The seven boroughs of London combine to be 30% larger than the Paris map in Assassin's Creed Unity, and with the addition of carriages and trains to use as transportation, it promises plenty to explore and discover. As another plus, the game's surprising lack of any sort of multiplayer mode should give the developers enough time to iron out any bugs before launch.
Other new features included in Syndicate include a rope launcher, helping you to climb high buildings faster - something that's bound to come in handy when it comes to climbing Big Ben. As is always the way in these games, your assassin seemingly comes with very sticky hands and feet, as you can scale even the most vertical of walls with nary a second thought. The ability to use parkour to get to your desired location looks to be as fun in 1868 London as it was in the previous games, and the added option of using your rope launcher as a makeshift zip wire adds a deadly combination of stealth and speed in order to sneak up on your enemies. The only thing that puts us off becoming an actual assassin (well, apart from the actual assassinating, of course) is the amount of mornings you must wake up with a sore back from all that crouching and climbing!
The ability to use your surroundings to aid you during a fight is another new addition. As shown off in the Assassin's Creed Syndicate gameplay walkthrough on YouTube, a conveniently suspended crate of barrels are brought crashing down on a group of enemies thanks to a well timed throwing knife, taking out the baddies without having to get your hands dirty! The newly drivable carriages can also be used as a weapon, letting you run over your enemies, Victorian hit and run style.
While we're a bit surprised that London doesn't look quite as... Londony, as we'd expected it to in the teaser trailer, we're holding out high hopes for this. Picking up the good work Assassin's Creed Unity started, it looks like it's going to be a great addition to the Assassin's Creed family, continuing the trend of combining fast-paced action with a gripping storyline that gives you a feel for what life was actually like during a specific point in history.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate is due to be released 23rd October on Xbox One and PS4, and on PC later this autumn. We'll keep you posted with any more news!
