Assassin's Creed Syndicate's vehicles "change the way people play"

It's all change for the free running stabathon with Assassin's Creed Syndicate featuring the most modern setting to date in Victorian London, twin criminal Assassins and interactive carriages, trains and boats. In the new issue of Official Xbox Magazine, creative director Marc-Alexis Cote confirms that vehicles are key to evolving the series.

"Any carriage that the player can see, they can interact with. They can hop on top of boats and trains to manipulate them to their advantage," he says. "Vehicles are so intrinsic to the gameplay experience that they will profoundly change the way people play the game."

The streets of Victorian London are filled with carriages, with pedestrians now sticking helpfully to pavements to let you hurtle through the streets with the crack of the reins. Carriages aren't just for taking in the sights either, they play a big part in the day to day life of Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye.

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"Players will obviously be able to drive through the city but they'll be able to hop on top of their carriage and jump from carriage to carriage," Cote explains. "They are dynamic platforms that the player can jump on. The player will be able to kidnap people and throw them in the carriage. You'll be able to hide in the carriage, so they will act as moving hiding spots."

Cote explains that the vehicles affect all of the traditional Assassin's staples. Navigation has obviously changed but even combat has been updated to allow risky fisticuffs on moving transport. "In terms of fighting, you'll even be able to fight on top of those platforms," he says. "Enemies will hijack a vehicle in the street, give you chase, jump up on your cart, pull you up out of the driver's seat and fight you on top of the carriage." Taxi, anyone?

The new issue of Official Xbox Magazine is out on Friday the 5th of June. You can download it on release here or subscribe to future issues.