POSTED 5/11/15


ASSASSIN’S CREED SYNDICATE

Ubisoft

Millions of people swarming like flies ’round Waterloo underground. But Jacob and Evie cross over the river where they can strafe and pound...

Yes, gender equality hits the AC franchise right between the eyes – see, they could program chicks after all! Evie and Jacob Frye are twins, they’re assassins, and they’ve heard London calling. More specifically, Victorian London calling.

As such it’s rather grotty and Dickensian – so much the latter that you actually meet Chas along your travels, as well as the likes of Chuck Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell, Karl Marx and... more.

As always, this collision of historical fact with hysterical fiction makes for an engrossing story, as you control each twin at various times in order (heh) to overthrow one Crawford Starrick. This will involve getting, well, very English.

You’ll variously start a gang, try to shut down another, ride your very own train, play Grand Theft Stagecoach, beat several shades of snot (and other grotesque bodily fluids) out of innumerable chancers who reckon they’re hard enough to take you on, and traverse the city like bosses. The latter is helped greatly by Mr Bell’s grapple hook invention. Speedy transition is it.

As is the expected collectible accumulation. From flower petals to beer bottles, royal letters and glitches, it’s a collectamaholic’s reverie.

After Unity everybody’s expecting bugginess as usual. A few show – or more specifically don’t, such as a comical proposal from an invisible suitor. But nothing broke our game.

Despite a few reservations with repetitive schlep quests, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is our fave episode yet in the series. Save for one thing that very nearly destroys it – insanity-inducing load times. We often found it quicker to just run from borough to borough rather than invoking “fast” travel, for it’s fast in name only. Weak!

In-game though, it’s brilliant fun getting manic on the streets of London...

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