Coming off of a really humbling release with Assassin's Creed: Unity, a follow up was either going to kill this franchise or bring it back to glory. Syndicate is an interesting follow up, as it came out as a much better release than Unity... yet it didn't quite have the popularity that the typical Assassin's Creed game has. Which is a shame, because whenever I play or even look at Syndicate, I always feel like it's the game that Unity should've been.
The game makes use of the same design and gameplay framework as Unity, but makes MUCH better use of it. The gameplay is a lot more polished and consistent. Combat is responsive and snappy. Freerunning/parkour offers a little bit more control than Unity, while still keeping the flashy animations. The mission design is relatively the same as Unity, although it's much more realized and almost akin to the first Assassin's Creed at times. Blackbox missions feel a lot more nuanced in their presentation and gameplay offerings, while normal story missions make use of the game's core elements really well. The side content is also surprisingly well made for the most part. You have the typical missions of liberating areas, but with unique twists and additional objectives. You also get some pretty good side missions with different historical figures, where the writing is charming and the mission design is quite layered. Collectibles are also diverse and offer loads of interesting lore and historical details. In fact, London is one of the most consistent open worlds that the series has seen. It's condensed enough to offer plenty of parkour opportunities, there's enough points of interests, and the content is well implemented.
The presentation is also really solid. This game can be visually stunning at times. The environmental designs are stunning, the art direction is consistent, and the character models look a lot sharper than they did in Unity. Although, on console, the performance can be a bit choppy. Although there has been a PS5 update that enhances the frame rate to 60fps, the PS4 version plays at 30fps with some occasional frame drops. But for a game that doesn't really have many bugs, I can still appreciate the optimization done here.
The story is where things get a bit choppy. The first mistake the story makes is in its tone - especially in regards to the historical setting. For a game taking place during the industrial revolution of Victorian London, Syndicate seems to avoid the darker aspects of the time as much as possible. Instead, the story is more of a buddy comedy. Now while the comedic aspects aren't necessarily bad, they do waste the potential that Syndicate's story could have had. And while I understand the lead writer's decision to make a light-hearted story, especially within a series filled with moody and grim narratives, I can't help but feel like it was applied to the wrong backdrop and timeframe. The story itself is also a bit flat compared to previous entries. While it's better than Unity by sheer focus and cohesion alone, the writing is admittedly poorer here. The plot itself is good enough, but the characters and some of the dialogue pose the main problem. The Frye twins are charming characters, but their motivations and backgrounds are a little bit predictable and uninspired. While there are stellar moments with the twins, where the writing and the performances (the performances are great all round) come together really nicely with the cinematic direction, there are just too many moments where their conflict and lack of collaboration (throughout the game) hinder the quality of the overall script. But I must say that Syndicate does pay a fair bit of attention to our antagonists and their respective plotlines. While some of the plot points are a bit predictable, the actual characterization of certain antagonists make for some genuinely entertaining villains. While the main villain could've used some of that quality characterization himself, his writing was still quite enjoyable and gave the character enough layers to work with. The VERY brief modern day segments are easily the weakest and most boring aspects of the story, and the overall ending of the game leaves a lot to be desired.
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate has a lot to like and if you haven't given it a chance as an Assassin's Creed fan, do yourself a favor and check it out. The gameplay is some of the best that the series has seen. The open world is filled with quality content, tons of detail, and soul. While the story is a missed opportunity and doesn't conclude in the best way, the plot and antagonists do attempt to keep things going in a more consistent direction.
