Assassin's Creed: Fact or Fiction? Final part

Written by Vasilis Zafiridis

"My story is ine of many thousands, and the world will not suffer if it ends too soon" 

Ezio Auditore

Assassin's Creed: Unity

In the last part of our tribute we will deal with the two most recent releases of the Assassin's Creed series. Unity and Syndicate.

Arno Dorian

The Assassin's Creed: Unity takes place in the era of the French Revolution (1789).  Our character  is Arno Dorian, born in Verasailles, from an Assassin father. After the assassination of his father, Arno was adopted by a family, which has very close relations with the Templar Order, as his stepfather is the Grand Master of the Order.

In a France confused by the rapid political changes, Arno needs to understand the past, which follows him and take important decisions, which will determine his future and the future of France.

In a multitude of real historical figures, we see and conflict the character of Maximilian Robespierre . Robespierre was one of the most powerful figures of the French Revolution, best known as being responsible for the so-called '' bloody period '' or as otherwise known, Reign of Terror .

Although historically someone whoadvocated for a lot of things that we take for granted now such as abolition of slavery, equality of rights (because this is still the 18th century we are talking about), he appears to have been mad with power in his last years which culminated in him eventually being arrested and executed for his crimes.

How could of course Ubisoft ignore such a personality. So Robespierre is one of Arno's enemies,  in Unity, who just before he was surrended to the mob, they are looking for him in the palace ( later the palace will be the Louvre museum) he was shot in the jaw from Arno's ally, Elise De LaSerre.

Ths dramatization not only of Maximilian Robespierre, but generally of  the people of Paris,  has revolutionize reactions from a sizable part of the population of France. They say that the French people are outlined as barbarians and bloodthirsty and they use propaganda to this game.

However, one of the feelings Unity offers, among others of course, is a tremendous force, which the player has. You take part in events that marked history, like the execution of King Louis XVI, but you also participate in these moments.

Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Jacob and Evie Frye

In the next title of the series we pass the English Channel and we are in Victorian London. So God save the Queen and the player is asked to save London.

Once the nine basic missions are completed, we gain access to London Stories, and we can meet the imposing figure of Queen Victoria and many many more The writers Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens , the biologist Charles Darwin , the inventor Gkrakcham Bell, the sociologist Karl Marx , the nurse Florence Nightingale are just some of the names found in Syndicate.

But what does the Victorian London mean? Rapid industrial development , population explosion of England and Wales and almost a century (1837 -1901) , influenced by the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria , until recently the longest monarch in the history of Great Britain ,reigned from 1837 until her death in 1901 and was the first British monarch , who saw her name be given to her period of reign while he was still alive . Her reign is characterized , as we have said , from industrial development - revolution , by a significant territorial expansion of the British Empire and the radical change in economic and social structures in the United Kingdom.

Therefore, when the player takes the characters Jacob  and Evie Frye, first he expirience a vivid, alive London. London in Syndicate  is 30% larger in size and accessibility than Paris of Unity, full of real historical figures , who come into contact with the characters but fully controlled by the Order of the Templars . The two siblings of the game (both playable) undertake to liberate the city from the Templars , exploiting with outlaws and criminals of the underworld .

The games of the Assassin's Creed series have a unique charm . They entangled the plot of the game with  history and they make us to look for more information about each character (fictional or not). This is because all the protagonists of the game are complex and integrated personalities . They feel anger , jealous , pain, passion , love and they fight trying to do what they think is right.

Being an Assassin is not just a game ... It's a whole mentality and develops all aspects (positive and negative ) of the very history of humanity . From Altair and Ezio, to Jacob and Evie and from the Holy Lands and Florence, to Paris and London we play, we entertaine ourselves and we learn.

Enjoy your journeys!