Assassin’s Creed Unity is just what the franchise needs

It’s been nice running around colonial America and setting sail on the high seas, but I can’t help but feel we’ve been getting away from what Assassin’s Creed is all about. Sure, there was plenty of history to get involved with in Assassin’s Creed III, but it felt more like an action game. The franchise isn't particularly well suited for the action genre, as its combat still boils down to waiting and countering.

While I can't speak for everyone, I want more stealth, more sneaking, and more quiet assassinations. It’s hard to sneak around a city when it’s a small settlement in the middle of the woods, though, meaning we've slowly but surely departed from that.

Now, that’s all about to change. Ubisoft has confirmed that we’re being thrown into the middle of the French Revolution: A period of time ripe with history to meddle with, a setting with hundreds upon hundreds of buildings to climb and places to hide, and an all-out assault on the Bastille. Yes, I’m pretty damn excited.

There’s something important to take away from the game’s teaser: it’s incredibly similar to the original Assassin’s Creed E3 trailer from 2006, featuring a public mob gathering around a pending execution. Our Assassin overlooks the events, ready to intervene. The bells toll, the tension grows, and—the guillotine drops. No intervention this time, just a (presumably) happy Assassin who wanted an enjoyable viewing point.

Now, as we all know, the French monarchy was abolished post revolution, meaning that unless we’re going to change history, our Assassin friend wasn’t going to intervene the way Altair did back in 2006. Still, the similarities remain: you’re going to being used to help write the future during an incredibly violent period of time. It’s one I’m eager to help pen, but it will be all for naught if the gameplay can’t keep pace.

As much as we’ve all enjoyed setting sail on the high seas with the recent naval trend, I can’t help but feel that it has been falling away from what originally made Assassin’s Creed so enjoyable: rich history, the exploration of famous cities, and climbing anything and everything in sight. Let’s hope this marks a return to that.

Now tell me more about this new parkour mechanic you’re using, Ubisoft..