In Assassin's Creed Syndicate, I find myself sneaking up to a cemetery full of templars. There are 20 of them roaming the grounds, and it's my job to get rid of each one of them quietly. I creep between gravestones and climb a nearby church's steeple, using Eagle Vision to take stock of every enemy. The bonus objective of this mission is to avoid setting off any of the alarm bells in the vicinity, so it makes perfect sense that Evie has been assigned to this particular task. As the stealthier and more agile assassin of the Fyre twins, it's the perfect opportunity to play to her strengths, and I make quick work of it.
Using throwing knives, I swiftly take out any templars moving in groups of two or three with well-aimed headshots before they can react. Then, I cleanly finish off any enemies foolish enough to stand around solo with my hidden blade. Disabling any bells as I go, it's not long before the cemetery is as quiet as the dead once more. This mission contrasts greatly to what I was doing previously as Jacob. Surrounded by a group of Blighters, I was instead playing to his strengths by fighting in a way that was anything but stealthy. Throwing fists and landing hits with my cane-sword in plain sight, it was just as satisfying as Evie's covert operation – thanks to the slick combos and double-finishers I was landing as her twin brother.
Revisiting Assassin's Creed Syndicate has made me once again appreciate the sense of variety both Fyre twins offer, and I can't wait to see how that might translate over into the dual protagonist set-up in Assassin's Creed Shadows. But there are also other parallels that can be drawn between Syndicate and what we've seen of Shadows so far that only make me more excited for what's to come.
Two sides
Since Ubisoft Quebec worked on both Syndicate and Assassin's Creed Odyssey – two of my favorite entries in the series – I've been riding the hype train for Assassin's Creed Shadows since it was first announced. Returning to Victorian London to relive the Fyre twin's gang-laden, carriage-riding adventures just reaffirms my excitement. Not only does it serve as a reminder of how downright fun a dual-protagonist set up can be, but it also has me looking forward to see how the studio is bringing the 10 years of experience it's garnered since Syndicate to bring us a new, updated take on the feature in feudal Japan.
Big Preview: Assassin's Creed Shadows – Exclusive access and hands-on impressions with the huge open world Japan's impressive stealth and combat
Right away, it's not hard to see the similarities between the Frye twins and Naoe and Yasuke. With Noae being a shinobi who goes all in on stealth not unlike Evie, and Yasuke being a samurai who's more combat-focused which is akin to Jacob, both lean into different strengths and abilities. I always liked how Assassin's Creed Syndicate often gives you free rein to decide which twin you want to play as, but there are certain quests that require either twin, and it always felt like it offered up variety in terms of your approach because of it. Now, Shadows is also going to give us the freedom to choose who we want to tackle a given scenario with, and I can only hope it'll be just as satisfying as my shenanigans with the Fyre twins, if not more.
In many respects, the new protagonists feel like an evolution of the Fyre twins, with their own circumstances – such as the fact that they're not closely related – promising to change up the experience and offer up a fresh perspective on the dual-protagonist setup. And not unlike Syndicate, I can't wait to see how and if their dynamic and different skills will offer up an experience as varied as the Fyre twins.
History and hooks
As a longtime fan, I've often considered Assassin's Creed Syndicate my favorite game in the series, and that's not just down to how well it delivers on the dual-protagonist formula. I always appreciated how it explores the history of the Victorian era, its sense of scale, and its satisfying combo-heavy combat system. Not to mention the traversal, with the grappling hook allowing me to zip up to chimney tops and scale notable landmarks with ease. The latter is happily making its way into Shadows with a grappling hook that's far more physics-based, which again speaks to how the upcoming RPG is evolving what's come before, but I'm also hopeful about the other aspects that spoke to me in Syndicate, too.
In terms of the historic aspect, there were so many collectibles dotted around its setting that would tell you more about the time period, from telling you the meaning of different pressed flowers you find, to showing Victorian newspaper illustrations showcasing different historic events in the city. Even the loading screen – which is now becoming a thing of the past thanks to current-gen hardware – would drop kernels of history. It always felt like I was immersed in the 19th century, with plenty to feed my hunger to learn more about London at that time. I very much hope this will be carried forward into Shadows, and I can't wait to see how it will delve into the Sengoku period of Japan.
Since Syndicate is just set in the city of London, which is made up of different boroughs, it succeeds at providing plenty of exploration without feeling as overwhelming as the likes of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. With Assassin's Creed Shadows following the RPG route of Odyssey, it'll likely feel bigger than Syndicate in this regard – with the developer revealing it will have a map that's similar in size to Origins. But I do get the sense that it will scale things back from the bigger RPG entries, and hopefully tap into the slightly more curated feel of Syndicate.
Of course, Syndicate offered plenty to do within the city, with a host of different side activities to complete that tapped into the culture of the time. Most interestingly, every activity is tied to a particular ally you meet as Evie or Jacob, and completing them will build their loyalty and earn rewards – which incentivizes me to do all of them. I'm curious to know if such a feature, or something like it, may factor into Shadows. We already know that you'll be able to recruit people who will also stay at your home base. You can get to know them and hear their stories, but I wonder if there will be other allies not unlike those in Syndicate that will give you a similar kind of motivation.
I know Syndicate's combat didn't click with everyone, but it really did always make me feel like I was a slick fighter. Landing combos without taking a hit and putting different weapons to use always felt satisfying. While the hidden blade has been a mainstay fixture, combat in the series has changed a lot in the years since. As more entries have gone down the RPG route, we've seen fighting that's far more action-oriented, with more weapons introduced into the mix. From what we've seen so far of Shadows, it looks like it's drawing from Syndicate's mix of the protagonist's strengths and building on it between Naoe and Yasuke, while also leaning into its RPG direction by making full use of the more action-based combat systems we've seen in the likes of Odyssey and Valhalla.
I did enjoy fighting in the latter games, but I'm also glad there'll be more of stealthy focus on Naoe's side to offer up a mixture of approaches. And just like the cane-word, knuckledusters, and Kukri blades in Syndicate, I'm looking forward to seeing how Shadow's arsenal of weapons may offer up something unique to the time period.
My time with Evie in the cemetery and Jacob against the Blighters only makes me more excited about what's in store for us in Shadows. I can't wait to discover how the studio might have evolved the formula over the years since both Odyssey and Syndicate, and how my favorite game may have informed the adventure set in Japan. With only a month to go before we'll be able to step back in time and meet Naoe and Yasuke for ourselves, I won't have to wait much longer to find out.
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