I know that the Assassin’s Creed (AC) series has had some of the most popular games ever, and it would not surprise you if I told you that this is a good game. But since we the editors are asked to write a game review on the game genre that we usually dislike, I, as an eSports game lover, decided to try this famous single-player stealth game. To be honest, I am very surprised by how good AC Unity is in various aspects! The storyline, the game mechanics, and the visuals are the most satisfying elements in my experience in this game.
Image 1: Gameplay screenshot of the inside of Notre-Dame de Paris
I am usually a gamer who pays little attention to the storyline, but I have to admit that this one starts being quite compelling right after the prologue. From playing as a child to becoming an adult assassin, the game creates a very consistent story throughout different scenes and gameplay. I also like how the game is based on the era of the French Revolution during the late 18th century. Of course, the context is slightly modified to align with the gameplay, but it still resonates with my personal understanding of history by looking at the audiovisual and action representations of the era. The one and the only complaint I can have, regarding the immersion, is the melange of English and French dialogue. It just sounds a little awkward and unnatural to me.
Image 2: Gameplay screenshot of the busy street of Paris
The game mechanics, on the other hand, also amazed me. I was a little bored by the combat actions at the beginning, which were only limited to dodge, parry and attack. But after having evolved into a grown assassin, I was really surprised by the enormous skillsets that are available for various actions, such as stealth, short ranged and long ranged attacks, etc. There are just so many of them that I cannot even manage to go through all of them – not to mention remembering them. Along with the huge variety of equipment, these gigantic skillsets definitely allow the players to create a very personal gaming experience.
Image 3: Gameplay screenshot of the Notre-Dame de Paris
Last but not least, the graphics are just stunning! I just couldn’t help myself to set the graphics quality to ultra high to admire the delicateness of this game. When I walked through the streets of Paris in the game, the conversations of the pedestrians, the architecture, the characters’ appearance and actions – basically everything seems convincingly from France in the 18th century. And as you would have guessed, I am reviewing this game because of the free offering due to the fire of Notre-Dame that happened recently. So I visited the famous 1:1 scale of Notre-Dame that is recreated in AC Unity… words just cannot describe how amazed I was by the artwork of this game. This game definitely succeeds in creating a hyperreality.
At last, I am really satisfied with my experience in AC Unity even though I am an eSports gamer that the games I usually play are mechanics-based rather than story- or graphics-driven. Nonetheless, I rate this game highly and would definitely recommend this game.
Image sources:
Banner: Captured from Assassin’s Creed Unity loading scene
Images 1-3: Gameplay screenshots from Assassin’s Creed Unity
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Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: November 11, 2014
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Series: Assassin’s Creed
Genres: action-adventure, stealth game, single-player game
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