All of these are possible, and experimentation is encouraged thanks to Creed Points (their term, not mine) that reward interesting decisions with currency that can be spent to upgrade your weapons and armor. This new depth of character customization is one of Unity’s best contributions to the series. Money and Creed Points are relatively scarce, and I always found myself agonizing over which weapon to purchase, which pieces of armor to upgrade, and which skills to unlock. The decision between lock picking or poison bombs, or between armor that improves combat or stealth, would change the way I approached encounters throughout the campaign in meaningful ways.
While Arno’s 15-hour story arc is one that can only be experienced alone, there are a ton of side missions in Unity that encourage, require, and reward drop-in cooperative gameplay. Two-player Heists demand constant communication, with a single misstep usually resulting in a chaotic mess of steel, bullets, and failure. Playing with a buddy was always entertaining, despite the fact that most missions boiled down to us trying to be stealthy, getting spotted, and then proceeding to just murder every living thing within the city limits. Practice might eventually make perfect.
Once four players team up for a mission, a terrific blend of competitive cooperation forms. If one person dies, the entire team loses, so it’s in your best interest to keep your friends alive. At the same time, your rewards at the end of the mission are dependent on how well you played individually, creating situations where you aren’t sure whether you should hop in and help a buddy in need, or remain hidden and grow your own potential reward.
I really appreciate that single-player and multiplayer all feeds into the same central economy. No matter what I was doing in Unity, I was always progressing my character a bit forward down the path of becoming a master assassin.
THE VERDICT
Assassin’s Creed Unity leverages the new-generation consoles to add spectacular new sights and successful co-op multiplayer, but in doing so, it’s created some substantial new problems instead of solving the series’ most persistent ones. The scope is stunning, the customization is satisfying, and the multiplayer touches upon some really ambitious ideas. But the lack of a strong main character or interesting take on the Assassin’s Creed universe costs it momentum and excitement, and the persistent control problems are still a thorn in its side. The first truly new-gen Assassin’s Creed game is a gorgeous, entertaining, and successful proof of concept for what lies ahead for the series, though it isn’t what I’d call revolutionary.
7.8
GOOD
Assassin's Creed Unity is a gorgeous and entertaining game of impossible peaks and disappointing valleys.
While Arno’s 15-hour story arc is one that can only be experienced alone, there are a ton of side missions in Unity that encourage, require, and reward drop-in cooperative gameplay. Two-player Heists demand constant communication, with a single misstep usually resulting in a chaotic mess of steel, bullets, and failure. Playing with a buddy was always entertaining, despite the fact that most missions boiled down to us trying to be stealthy, getting spotted, and then proceeding to just murder every living thing within the city limits. Practice might eventually make perfect.
Once four players team up for a mission, a terrific blend of competitive cooperation forms. If one person dies, the entire team loses, so it’s in your best interest to keep your friends alive. At the same time, your rewards at the end of the mission are dependent on how well you played individually, creating situations where you aren’t sure whether you should hop in and help a buddy in need, or remain hidden and grow your own potential reward.
I really appreciate that single-player and multiplayer all feeds into the same central economy. No matter what I was doing in Unity, I was always progressing my character a bit forward down the path of becoming a master assassin.
THE VERDICT
Assassin’s Creed Unity leverages the new-generation consoles to add spectacular new sights and successful co-op multiplayer, but in doing so, it’s created some substantial new problems instead of solving the series’ most persistent ones. The scope is stunning, the customization is satisfying, and the multiplayer touches upon some really ambitious ideas. But the lack of a strong main character or interesting take on the Assassin’s Creed universe costs it momentum and excitement, and the persistent control problems are still a thorn in its side. The first truly new-gen Assassin’s Creed game is a gorgeous, entertaining, and successful proof of concept for what lies ahead for the series, though it isn’t what I’d call revolutionary.
7.8
GOOD
Assassin's Creed Unity is a gorgeous and entertaining game of impossible peaks and disappointing valleys.
