Assassin's Creed Syndicate is seriously underrated, with an amazing open world

I had a week off last week (look at me bragging), and feel like I spent most of it trying to decide on something to play. My backlog is positively groaning under the weight of 2023 releases I’ve yet to check out, but I was in a very specific mood.

Taking to PlayStation Plus to comb through the catalogue of free games, I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a classic open world experience. Something admittedly formulaic, but deeply satisfying. It also had to be something I’d never played before. Finally, I found the game I was looking for.

I came to Assassin’s Creed a little late, my first experience with the series being 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins. I played - and loved - the next two games in the RPG trilogy, and eventually went back to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and fell in love with that, too. But one entry I’d never thought to check out? Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.

As I understand it, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is not a game that many Assassin’s Creed fans rush to defend. And I get it! After the stink of Assassin’s Creed Unity, I’d imagine not many fans were in a rush to play the follow up. But having spent countless hours on the game over the last week, I feel compelled to urge any and all sceptics to check it out: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate slaps.

I’m a sucker for Victorian London as a setting any day of the week, and Ubisoft did an incredible job of bringing the capital to life in all its smokey, grimy glory. Darting across narrow alleyways and zipping between buildings with a Batman-style grapple gun is a blast, as is hunting down every last Templar and gradually taking control of the entire city.

As far as open worlds go, I’d suggest Assassin’s Creed Syndicate actually boasts one of Ubisoft’s very best. London is dripping in atmosphere, from the crimes waiting to be solved to the seedy underbelly of fight rings and street races.

The combat and stealth feel especially tight, and as someone who is mostly familiar with the RPG trilogy, I can’t stress enough how good it felt to actually be able to kill enemies with stealth attacks instead of just taking off a chunk of health.

Jacob and Evie Frye are also, I daresay, among the Assassin’s Creed series’ most underrated protagonists. The Frye twins are excellent characters, their inherent differences and frictions making for a fascinating story that zips along. After the size of a game like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it’s certainly a treat to go back to basics and play an open-world game a little more manageable.

All in all, I’m glad I looked past the naysayers and gave Assassin’s Creed Syndicate a chance. This is an excellent open world adventure, and a seriously overlooked experience you shouldn’t miss.