Our friends over at Ubisoft had us over to the Assassin’s Creed suite during PAX Prime. Normally we would not cover a game like this here at MMORPG.com, however with some great co-op play in Unity and also adding in skill trees and other RPG elements it was about time we took a good look at the game. AC is known for intense story, great characters, and super stealth game play. Fans are worldwide and the franchise is a huge success. Needless to say we were excited about what the team is working on for Unity in terms of online game play, but also got a great look at naval combat in Rogue.
Assassin’s Creed - Rogue
Following the continued North American storyline in AC3, Rogue takes place in the North Atlantic sees during the French and Indian War, so circa 1754 period. We were shown the demo for naval combat in the game. You begin with a great view of your ship from the captain’s position behind the helm. You have a crew around you that man the guns and see to the ships repairs etc. The demo took us through a series of battle where we had to take down up to 5 other enemy ships in order to get to the bay.
You have three types of weapons on your boat. Cannons have long range firepower and are the standard attack weapon. You also get a burning oil slick which you can trigger if being chased. The other weapon involved is the Puckle Gun which was an early version of the heavy machine gun. It was used during that time and acts as a great weapon when in close to finish off a foe.
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The environment of the north seas is a huge element to the combat of the game. Icebergs can be used as cover and places to hide. But more importantly, the waves are a major force in targeting and making your shots. The seas are rough and the boat you drive pays the price. It was a great effect to watch in action trying to match up your ship with the rough waters.
Rogue does have plenty of on land action as well. We watched a video about tracking down an assassin at one of the ports. There is full gameplay in this mode as well. The main focus of the demo was a naval aspect of the game.
AC Unity - Co-Op Gameplay
Unity is one of the flagship titles for Ubisoft on the next gen consoles. Taking place during the French Revolution the assassin’s are caught in a time of huge upheaval in France’s history. With lots of quests and zones for the player to explore we got a run down of weapon and skill upgrades as well as being able to play with your friends.
Unity offers a lot of customization to the players. You can work on the skill trees for your assassin which include: Deadly, Unseen, Resilient, or Agile. Each tree gives you advantages to certain moves and modes in the game. Obviously Deadly makes you hit much harder when trying to kill someone. Unseen boosts your stealth. Resilient makes you stronger and able to take some hits. Agile allows you to dodge much better and add to some of your moves on the field. The tree offered plenty of options and will finally bring some character builds into the game for players to enjoy.
The other major area of customization is in the weapons and clothing for the assassin. You can choose what hardware you want to fight with by selecting a weapon type. Swords, Long (spears), Heavy (picks, axes), Pistols, and Rifles are all part of the options. There are lots of accurate takes on each weapon style for players to choose. If that was not enough, players can select their clothing options and colors as well. Hoods are a major part of your look so Ubisoft made sure lots of hoods were available for selection.
We took part in one of the Brotherhood Missions as part of the demo. Which means you can play with another assassin. These are all narrative based quests you can pick up at the tavern. Different styles of missions are available like heists, contracts, or of course assassinations. Working together as two players was fun and easy to coordinate. Both of us got through the mission by making sure we kept quiet. I did mess up and draw the guards down on us immediately after a very poor leap into a hay bail. Going beyond the single player is a big step for AC and it showed really well in the demo. Let’s hope at launch it will be even better.
So for all of us MMO and RPG fans it was great to see a major game like Assassin’s Creed Unity taking the online and customization elements seriously. We loved the options for the characters now and seeing co-op was a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Keep up the good work Ubisoft.
