As a lover of history, and a lover of the Assassin’s Creed series, each year I eagerly wait, ponder and develop my own theories as to where the game is headed next. In a game series so heavily reliant on stealth, maneuverability and exploration, it is vital that the cities and regions of the Assassin’s Creed games be up to par. Up to now, the only settings I’ve been underwhelmed by have been the cities of Assassin’s Creed III, and even then they weren’t that bad. Since the release of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, myself and many others have wondered where the team at Ubisoft might go next, with a number of potential destinations being hinted at in the game itself. Now, with the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Unity, and it’s 18th Century France setting, we have our answer.
I, like many other fans of the series, have my own opinions as to where I wanted to see the game go next. It should be of no surprise to you that I wanted to see a game occur in Feudal Japan. That notion was quickly put to bed, and I was on to my backup choice. If I couldn’t have an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan, I wanted a game in the late 18th, early 19th Century France. My personal hope was for a setting between roughly 1790-1816, a large time frame to cover some of the most major issues in France’s history. So far, Ubisoft has only made a nod towards the French revolution, and made no inference to later events. However, any person that pays attention to history knows what happens after the revolution, and that would make for a thrilling addition to the game as well. After all, the game is titled Unity, but that’s a story for another time.
Assassin’s Creed Unity will be during the French revolution. Now that we know that, the question remains whether or not it is a good choice for the series. One area that you can’t ignore when coming to a conclusion on the matter, is the success that Ubisoft has found with their addition of the open sea. Assassin’s Creed III introduced naval combat to the series, and Black Flag found so much success in the area, Ubisoft have pondered the possibility of a standalone pirate game. However, with the game shifting continents and heading to Paris, and possibly other areas, it looks like naval combat and exploration might be out of the question. The setting and the conflict in which the game will occur is just not suited to the large-scale naval combat. Again however, the events that directly follow the French Revolution might be a more suitable setting for such naval escapades. But gain, that’s a story for another time.
While the lack of naval combat might be a small setback for the series, there are a number of positives that come with the chosen setting. Namely, as the sneak peek showed, the city of Paris is an ideal environment for history’s favorite free-runners. By the late 18th Century, Paris was a bustling urban city, one of the largest in the world, and was filled with multiple-story buildings and intricate networks of streets and alleys. Not only that, but the city is home to some of the world’s most iconic landmarks. While the Eiffel Tower was still a century away, the city was still home to Notre Dame, the Élysée Palace, the Louvre and more. Paris can offer an environment akin to that of Venice, or Florence, environments that were loved by fans of the series. While we might be losing the newer-addition of naval gameplay, we will be welcoming back the bustling city-scape that made Assassin’s Creed II a massive hit.
The city of Paris will provide players with a bustling environment akin to the old Assassin’s Creed games.
While the cities of Assassin’s Creed have always played a part in making them so successful, it has always been the characters and the events of the time period that make the games stand out. Fans of the series have taken part in the Crusades, dabbled with Da Vince during the Renaissance, freed the United States from Britain’s rule, and recently tried to maintain a pirate paradise. Now, gamers will have the chance to play a part in one of the most vital moments in history. The events of the French Revolution marked the end of truly powerful monarchies, and as I’ve hinted at numerous times already, paved the way for an even greater series of events.
One area where the Assassin’s Creed games have always excelled is in their inclusion of historical figures. Assassin’s Creed Unity continues that trend, with the liked of King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Maximilien de Robespierre and more likely to be included in the game. While those names are known to avid lovers of history, they might not be know to the common gamer. However, there is one name that almost everyone in the world will know, who might have a part to play in the game as well. I think I can leave you to determine who that individual is.
While the game will suffer slightly from a lack of naval gameplay, my overall feelings for the game are positive. Assassin’s Creed Unity’s setting of the French Revolution is yet another pivotal time in history that will be deeply explored by the team at Ubisoft. With their track record, they will undoubtedly do the city, the characters and the era, justice.
What are your thoughts? Are you excited to see Assassin’s Creed explore Paris? Did you have hopes of another location? If so, which one? Let us know in the comments below.
You can check out the sneak peek below:
