It may not feel like it was all that long ago when Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag hit the ground running towards the end of last year, but already developers Ubisoft are turning their attention to the next iteration of the series, Assassin’s Creed: Unity. The rumour is that they’ve been developing the title for a fair few years now, but the game’s announcement is still in its infancy, so we’re expecting more updates shortly, but what we do have already is the cool looking teaser trailer below to give you a snippet of what to expect.
Release
In addition to the trailer, we also now know that the game has only been developed for release on Microsoft Windows PCs, and the next generation consoles, Xbox ONE and PlayStation 4. It’s a big departure for Ubisoft, which has previously favoured more of a multi-platform approach for the the release of their games, but Unity will be their first designed solely for the next gen platforms.
However, for Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers, all is not entirely lost, as there are a fair few rumours doing the rounds about an Assassin’s Creed title in development for the previous generation of games consoles. While there isn’t a whole lot to go on at the moment, we’d also assume that the game, rumoured to be called Comet in production, may also be getting a port to the Nintendo Wii U.
However, the fact that Unity isn’t set to be released on the console at the moment could be an indication that the developers are ditching the Nintendo console for their bigger title releases going forward, which would be dark days indeed.
As well as the consoles the game will be launched on, we’ve also got a good indication of when the release date will be, although we’ll have to wait for Ubisoft’s E3 announcement before we know for sure. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag had a release at the end of October 2013 on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U, with a later release in November for the PC, Xbox ONE and PS4, so we’re expecting Assassin’s Creed: Unity to hit the shelves around the same period towards the end of 2014, which is confirmed at the end of the teaser trailer, which puts it down to come out around Christmas this year.
Storyline
The reality is that all we have to go on at the moment is the trailer and what little else Ubisoft has released about the game, but it gives us enough in terms of where and when everything takes place. Set in revolutionary France, straight after the timeline of Assassins Creed III, (1789-1799) Unity sees our stone cold killer battle it out with the forces of the Templar order as they stir up trouble on the streets of Paris.
Expect everything from the storming of the Bastille to the rise of Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins to be involved in the plot for the game, along with the downfall of King Louis XVI and the rest of the aristocracy. You’ve only got to see the importance of the guillotine in the trailer to see how steeped in history it’s going to be once again.
Gameplay
As with previous entries in the ongoing saga, Assassin’s Creed: Unity will be based on a 3rd person open-world adventure framework with a sword fighting and gunplay fight engine. Stealth, assassination, information gathering and free-running skills will inevitably be a part of the game’s progression, along with an upgrade system that will allow you to increase your capabilities as your wealth, power and influence in late 18th century France grow.
However, there’s a big question mark over the extent of the open world setting of the game from what we’ve seen up until now. Will it be a massively sprawling and lifelike replica of Paris alone, similar to Watch_Dogs‘ Chicago, or will it cover other areas of France, and potentially Europe, too, like AC3. The answer to this is bound to be one of the most anticipated details to hopefully come out of E3, along with the back story to the latest central character and details about the main storyline.
There will also be the combination of both the central campaign of the game and the massive complexity of all the side assassination missions, almanac hunts and eagle sight unlocks that contribute to the 100% completion of the game. Downloadable content will accompany the game throughout 2015 to extend its epic shelf-life on next gen platforms.
One crucial thing the setting in France during the revolution tells us is that there probably won’t be much scope for the seafaring elements that contributed to making both Assassin’s Creed 3 and Black Flag so memorable, so if you’re a fan of the maritime sections you might end up being a little disappointed. That said, long distance travel has been a big part of the more recent installments of the game, so maybe we’ll see the horse riding fun of III back in the mix to compensate for the lack of a ship.
The online multiplayer section of the series took a pretty sizeable step forward with the release of Black Flag, as it featured a hunt or hide challenge that’s a good bit of fun to play. Unity should kick this up a level and we’re anticipating an increase in the multiplayer capabilities of the game when it’s released later in 2014.
Graphics
It’s tough to tell from the trailer below just how good the graphics will be, but considering the fact that it’ll be the first game in the series to be designed from the ground up exclusively for Xbox ONE, PlayStation 4 and PC there’s a good indication that it could be close to the impressive visuals of Ryse: Son of Rome, which has similarities in terms of its 3rd person gameplay.
The other thing to consider is the fact that the next gen iterations of Black Flag were significantly better looking than the previous consoles, so the new game should be even more refined considering it is being developed only for next gen.
Either way you look at it, Assassin’s Creed: Unity is going to be a big talking point over the coming months as more information about the game is released, so watch this space.
