If you’re a bit of a history nut, well, then there’s no shortage of Assassin’s Creed games worth your time. The series spans hundreds of years of human history and mostly does a great job recreating the vibes of what it was probably like in those respective periods.
However, one Assassin’s Creed game is severely overlooked compared with the others in the series. This was not down to the quality of the game. Despite being one of the best, the timing of 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate made it the most overlooked mainline game in the series. For those who missed it the first time, developer Ubisoft Quebec just gave people a good reason to amend that.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate just got a new surprise update on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PS5 Pro that allows the game to run in full 4K resolution and doubles the framerate to 60 frames per second. It’s the best way to play the overlooked entry. If the game isn’t already in your library, fret not: It is on sale on both major platforms until Dec. 3.
Syndicate follows the formula of the pre-RPG games in the series. It’s an open-world action game focused on stealth and hand-to-hand combat. Syndicate stars two twin protagonists, Evie and Jacob Frye, trying to make their way in the gang-riddled streets of Second Industrial Revolution era London. Syndicate takes place in 1868, making it the most modern game in the series.
The Frye twins can be an acquired taste as lead characters. Evie plays the role of the more stoic, traditional series protagonist, while Jacob is more of the rebel. I personally find Jacob more grating than his sister, as his aloof tough guy shtick feels a little played out. But thankfully, the game lets players pick whom they prefer for most of the game outside of some protagonist-specific quests.
Regardless of whom you prefer to play, the people the Frye twins encounter during their story are a mix of iconic 19th-century Londoners. From Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin to Alexander Graham Bell and Queen Victoria, the cast is full of fun appearances. It feels like the developer wanted to focus on fun and made Syndicate more Forest Gump than Les Miserables.
The game’s version of London is simultaneously gorgeous and ugly. The sky is filled with smog that obscures the city’s skyline. The Thames is filled with rusty steam-powered boats that players can use as platforms to cross its sludgy waters. The dirty cobblestone streets are filled with litter and lined by beautiful brick and stone buildings that have seen better days. Syndicate’s London is one of the series’ most interesting cities, maybe only after Assassin’s Creed Unity’s Paris. The ability to see it all in 4K will surely be a treat for new and returning players alike.
Its more modern setting also makes it the most unique to traverse. London’s primary mode of transportation in the mid-1800s is horse and carriage. The ability to engage in chases across city streets and steal carriages from pedestrians makes it the closest the series has ever felt to an open-world crime game like Mafia or Grand Theft Auto, which thematically matches the game’s organized crime backdrop. If you’ve long wondered what Assassin’s Creed would look like in a contemporary setting, Syndicate provided an answer nearly a decade ago.
With the additional options, the game also takes a big risk on the more traditional parkour traversal. Syndicate introduces a Batman Arkham-style grappling hook early on in the game. While the hook expedites the arduous process of scaling England’s massive buildings and structures, it also robs the game’s two protagonists of one of the series’ most iconic mechanics in the process. You can climb like you would in other games in the series. But the grappling hook never feels as cool or as dare-devilish as parkour. It’s a trade-off that marks the only blemish in an otherwise great Assassin’s Creed game.
Almost every other aspect of Syndicate is some of the best the series has to offer. Its stealth mechanics are the most fun Assassin’s Creed has ever been and reminiscent of the equally underrated Watch Dogs 2. Combat, though simple, is fast and responsive. The game’s gang warfare mechanic, which has players taking over the city district by district, makes it the perfect game to drop and return to between releases.
Syndicate’s cardinal sin was released after the universally panned Assassin’s Creed Unity. While public perception of Unity has shifted in recent years, the ripple effect of its buggy release soured Syndicate’s chances. Players were understandably burned out after six straight years of annual releases. Despite Syndicate’s big swings and focus on player fun, it was hard to notice what made it special when everyone wanted a break from the series.
If you missed Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, don’t hesitate to pick it up this holiday weekend. It’s $15 on PlayStation, which includes all of the DLC. Over on Xbox, the standalone is just $9. It’s an easy recommendation and one of the best games the series has to offer.
