Assassin's Creed: Unity

Assassin's Creed: Unity is another entry in the successful action/stealth franchise, taking players through an imaginative world of history and fantasy. Assassin's Creed: Unity continues the series formula of delivering exciting third-person action, as players explore an expansive open-world map set during the French Revolution. Playing as the heroic assassin Arno, players must navigate through the flashy yet dangerous streets of Paris as they battle a warring faction known as the Templars. With refined game mechanics, more customization options, and the addition of co-op multiplayer, Assassin's Creed: Unity looks to evolve the franchise in some impressive ways.

Main Game Features

• Explore Paris during the French Revolution
• Single-player and cooperative multiplayer options
• Mixture of open-world action and stealth mechanics

Story

The narrative in Assassin's Creed: Unity takes place during the late 18th century in Paris, France, and follows Arno Dorian, a skilled assassin with a troubled past. After the murder of his father, Arno is adopted by a family with ties to the Templar Order, a nefarious group of politicians and warriors spanning the globe. Unfortunately, death continues to follow Arno, as his adopted father is killed years later, with Arno being blamed for his assassination. Sent to prison in the French fortress of Bastille, Arno makes friends with a fellow inmate, eventually escaping during a large-scale attack on the jail. With the Templar Order hunting him for his supposed involvement in his adopted father's death, Arno joins the Brotherhood of Assassins, a stealthy faction of heroes who oppose the Templars. Intent on clearing his name and earning revenge along the way, Arno makes his way through the streets of Paris while uncovering the truth of his past.

Gameplay

Assassin's Creed: Unity provides players with a similar gameplay experience as other games in the franchise, but with some notable improvements, changes, and new features. Like other titles in the series, players must explore a bustling city, completing quests, assassinating targets, and improving their character. First and foremost, Unity makes some major changes to traversal and combat, introducing simpler yet more satisfying mechanics. Exploring the map is made easier by the refined parkour system, which lets you leap across rooftops, navigate dangerous ledges, and climb towering buildings. There's a brand new skill-system to upgrade and enhance, providing Arno with new abilities and gadgets as he increases in power.

The other major change in Unity is the introduction of cooperative multiplayer, allowing groups of up to four players to enjoy missions together. While there are a handful of story missions that are restricted to single-player only, the majority of content is available for cooperative play. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock various cosmetic options for your costume, along with unique weapons and gear. These elements of customization help you stand out in a group, adding a dash of personality to your Arno. While some elements of the multiplayer system feel cheap, such as the excessive amount of microtransactions, playing Assassin's Creed: Unity with your pals is still plenty of fun.

Conclusion

While Assassin's Creed: Unity doesn't alter the franchise formula too much, it still provides some much-needed improvements while retaining the charm of the series. You'll spend hours exploring the highly-detailed and visually stunning map of Paris, which is loaded with missions, side-activities, and collectibles. Although the game is weak in a few areas, mostly within its online multiplayer, it's still enjoyable enough to please longtime Assassin's Creed fans.

Pros:

• Parkour and combat is satisfying
• The map is well-designed and fun to explore
• Fun to play with friends

Cons:

• Missions can feel repetitive
• Occasional glitches
• Lots of microtransactions