'ello Guv'nor!
We heard the song of angry men in Assassin's Creed Unity, but by this time next year, the series might be singing 'God Save The Queen'. Screenshots from the next Assassin's Creed game have leaked and been confirmed as legit by Ubisoft. They show off a vision of Victorian London, filled with images of Big Ben, cascading factory smokestacks and stuff with the name Brighton on it. The folks at Kotaku claim that the game is code-named Assassin's Creed Victory, though I will personally be referring to it as Assassin's Creed: Steady On, Old Bean.
We're still chuffed about this one, since Victorian England is on our list of places we'd love to see in an AC game. Why, do you ask? Well, I have seven reasons why Victorian London would make for an awesome Assassins Creed setting, right here for your perusal.
Here's the official Ubisoft response about the leak: "It is always unfortunate when internal assets, not intended for public consumption, are leaked. And, while we certainly welcome anticipation for all of our upcoming titles, we're disappointed for our fans, and our development team, that this conceptual asset is now public. The team in our Quebec studio has been hard at work on the particular game in question for the past few years, and we're excited to officially unveil what the studio has been working on at a later date. In the meantime, our number one priority is enhancing the experience of Assassin's Creed Unity for players."
Industrial London will be the perfect Assassin training ground
Britain's Industrial Revolution (which overlapped with the Victoria era) was a time of great change, meaning everything sucked for a while. The shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy saw a mass exodus into cities like London, where workers were packed into sardine-can tenement housing, all while short-term general welfare plummeted. Hunger, crime, and sudden limb removal were all plentiful, and being on the lowest rung of society was even shittier than normal. Now imagine an Assassin growing up during that time - a street urchin who uses his (or her!) impressive acrobatic skills to steal stuff out of people's windows and defend against thugs who want to take his/her last crumpet crumb. Think Oliver Twist 2: Get Some More (mercifully not a real thing), but better.
You could play as Spring-Heeled Jack
For those of you who aren't all up on their English street lore, Spring-Heeled Jack was a popular urban legend first 'seen' in 1837. Described as a demonic creature with clawed hands (or maybe they're wrist-blades, hmmm) and possibly the ability to breathe fire (is that an Apple of Eden he's carrying?), Jack was best remembered for his ability to jump great distances, hence the 'Spring-Heeled' bit. While reports of his monstrous characteristics were likely exaggerated, the whole bouncing between rooftops thing is right out of the Assassins' box of tricks. Not only that - his claws could have been a fancy Assassin weapon, and he was apparently known to wear a 'tight-fitting white garment.' Ruddy brilliant.
Jack the Ripper could be your enemy or friend
If you saw Jack in that last slide and got excited, then deflated at the Spring-Heeled part, don't worry - I know what you're craving. The infamous Jack the Ripper, not to be confused with our coil-footed friend, was a murderer who primarily targeted ladies of the night in Whitechapel, London. He was also never caught, and the investigation has been muddled by copycat killings and the passage of time, so we may never know who he was. He could easily be a villain in Assassin's Creed Victory, or maybe an anti-hero, if Ubisoft wants to go really dark. Killing prostitutes probably isn't the best premise for a video game... but then again, Grand Theft Auto.
London architecture is perfect for parkour
Fledging America and Revolutionary Paris are nice, but aside from their most prominent landmarks, both areas are too big and spread out to use Assassin's Creed's trademark parkour to its fullest. For effective free-running, you need thin alleys, winding streets, and buildings with multiple levels that stick out in weird spots. Wait a sec... I think I know a place. Although modern-day London is a little more spacious than it used to be (only a little), much remains of the Victorian era's compact architecture, making it a perfect playground for an Assassin who knows his stuff.
You can make friends with mechanical geniuses
As much as Assassin's Creed is about going to fascinating places and discovering the wonders of history, it's also about meeting famous historical figures and befriending/executing them as necessary. One such famous face from real-life history was Isambard Kingdom Brunel, an engineer who invented the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship and created revolutionary designs for bridges, tunnels and railways. With his mechanical prowess, he could easily be your prodigal gadget-making pal like Leonardo Da Vinci is to Ezio, or Ben Franklin is to Connor. Plus, you can probably ride that sick steam ship, and go a whopping ten miles an hour! The wonders of technology, right?! Does the fact that he designed Paddington station AND the Clifton suspension bridge (among others) mean we'll get to leave London for other Victorian hot-spots? Like Bristol, Birmingham, and Edinburgh? Hmmm...
and fathers of modern science
Isambard Kingdom Brunel wasn't the only science guy in town during the Victoria era - our Assassin friend could meet the likes of Charles Darwin, father of evolution and world-renowned beardmaster. Darwin had already returned from his famous expedition of South America by the time of Queen Victoria's crowning, so his best research would probably still be ahead of him if AC Victory uses the era's full expanse. Granted it's hard to say what practical part Charlie D would play in the game, if he had one at all. But come on man - it's Charles Darwin! Think of the facial hair tips he has to offer!
You could crash one of history's most important parties
Remember the 1893 Chicago World's Fair? I mean, not personally, but remember how awesome they said it was in BioShock Infinite? There you go. Well, the only reason that World's Fair even happened was because of the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, the first in a series of science exhibits attended by the elite and famous of the era. From a modern perspective, it's basically a symbol of how awesome the Victorian Age was, and you could totally crash it with an assassination or two. Think about it: test rifles with Samuel Colt, trade jabs with Charlotte Bronte, get some of whatever Lewis Carroll is on, accidentally stab a member of the Orlanist royal family and please tell me you know who these people are. Please. Please.
Spot of tea with your stabbing?
Right now we basically know nothing about Assassin's Creed Victory except that it exists - but hey, that's good enough for me. Have you totally lost the plot with excitement over this brand new Creed? Are you pumped to climb Big Ben, or would you rather we just got ninjas already? Tell us in the comments below, while I high-tail it out of here before our UK writers get annoyed with my abuse of Britishisms. - Too late, Andy
Can't get enough Assassin's Creed? Because seriously, this is a lot of Assassin's Creed. Well, get your fix with our What Assassin hero are you? quiz, and a breakdown of every Assassin, ever!
