Assassin's Creed Syndicate has been on the PC platform for nearly a month after it was logged on to the console platform. In fact, the origin of this game can be traced back to the "Prince of Persia" series, which was also produced and released by Ubisoft in 1989. At that time, "Prince of Persia" was also a single-thread adventure game in which princes saved the princess. It allowed players to see characters who could jump on various walls for the first time, and was nicknamed "Persian Monkey".
The later "Assassin's Creed" was derived from this. Since it caters to the players' demand for high-degree sandbox games at that time, this ancient and modern action game that complements the background of ancient and modern allows players to freely climb, sneak and assassinate in a wider world suddenly emits a huge light and becomes Ubisoft's pillar IP. The Ezio trilogy, which started with "Assassin's Creed 2", pushed the series to an unprecedented peak with its classic plot and constantly improved gameplay. However, the good times did not last long. Starting from the 12-year "Assassin's Creed 3", the series turned into a New Year's goods. The world became bigger and bigger, but the plot no longer had the meaning, and the gameplay began to take advantage of the old gameplay.
However, compared to these, what is more worrying is the optimization of the new work. The various bugs, optimization and networking of Assassin's Creed: The Revolution have caused players to have a lot of doubts and distrust of Ubisoft's works. The PC version of this work "Assassin's Creed: The Hero" also adds the relatively inefficient GameWorks technology. Many players complain that N-card GameWorks special effects often only provide a little picture improvement, but the demand for hardware is one level higher. With a "weak combination" of slag-optimized manufacturers and low-efficiency graphics technology, can our configuration be held? But the author also believes that the manufacturer should not be hopelessly stupid. After all, the Waterloo in the previous work is still vivid in my mind. Ubisoft must prove itself in this generation of Assassin's Creed and prove that this series is still top-notch. And the answer lies in the "heroes", let's take a look together.
Plot background - 7 points
The story of "Assassin's Creed: The Heroes" takes place in London, England during the Victorian period. The Knights Templar Crawford Starry controlled the entire London infrastructure industries such as factories, transportation, and medical care, and intended to conquer the world. The protagonist Jacob Fry wanted to use a series of assassinations to strike the Knights through a series of assassinations with the help of his colleagues. His twin sister and the heroine of this work, Evie Fry, is more interested in the holy weapon "Holy Wraps" that the enemy is looking for. Overall, the plot of the hero is very dull, and the production team is too lazy to lay the groundwork. They will give you a wall of assassination to tell you who to kill next. However, historical themes such as the Industrial Revolution, class struggle, and World War I have not been digging deep.
When it comes to multi-protagonist games, last year's "GTA5"This form of plot choreography is adopted, with three story lines that develop parallelly, division of labor and cooperation when performing tasks, multi-perspective narrative through camera switching, and the grievances and entanglements of the three people, which is dazzling and enjoyable. In contrast, the two protagonists of "Heroes" are simply weak. In the plot, the twin brothers and sisters have always been stuck together. They can switch at will in most cases when controlling them. In fact, there is no problem in changing to a single protagonist. However, in a positive sense, at least we welcomed the first female assassin in the series (the legend does not count), and it was quite lively to listen to the funny duo quarrels along the way. As for the girl's appearance, I personally think it is quite high (Europeans and Americans seem to have a special understanding of freckles)
In addition to original characters, many historical celebrities have also joined in this work, such as the great writer Dickens, Darwin, who compiled "The Origin of Species", the philosopher Marx, Bell who invented the phone, the angel in white who later became the Queen of England, and Prime Minister Churchill, etc. Their roles in the play are consistent with history, but that's all. Everyone will provide several tasks for the protagonist, but in summary, such as their careers, they have encountered some trouble, so I want to ask you to kill a few people, whether it is a dual protagonist or a historical character, such settings have not had a decisive impact on the game. Ubisoft's starting point is probably to create gimmicks to increase popularity.
Picture & Sound Effect -8 points
Assassin's Creed: The Heroes reproduces the Victorian London city street scene for players. Many buildings and attractions have been faithfully restored, and the thick fog that covers the entire game world is also the best portrayal of the "fog city in London" in the past. Ubisoft's artistic description this time is very pleasing. It uses fog to simplify the long-term effect and reduce the burden on graphics cards. It can be said that it is the best of both worlds. In addition, bustling crowds, streets with dragon horses, the Thames River where ferries travel, large railway stations and high bridge rails responsible for urban transportation were added. It can be said that as a sandbox game, the completeness and maturity of the scenes of "The Legend of the World" is quite high. After so many years of production of the "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry" series, Ubisoft's scene construction and design concepts for the open world are indeed ahead.
On the other hand, although the previous generation of "Great Revolution" scene is grand and there are many NPCs, the problems of lag and frame drop caused by poor optimization seriously affected the player's experience, resulting in a wave of bad comments. So for this year's new work, what is most concerned about is not the plot or gameplay, but whether the optimization is good, whether there are many bugs, and whether the basic experience is guaranteed. This expectation is really embarrassing to Ubisoft. It can be said that this time the "Heroes" made great compromises in the picture quality, and the quality of the map, the number of NPCs, the shadows of clouds and some details are not as good as the "Revolution". It is precisely because of this that the game's performance requirements for PCs are much lower. The author usesThe configuration of the GTX 970 can basically run about 50 frames under high image quality, and stuttering and frame dropping rarely occur. Although the picture quality is sacrificed, it at least improves the game experience, and such a result is still acceptable.
The "Assassin's Creed" series has always used the Anvil engine. In addition to its good graphics skills, this engine has the best interaction between characters and the environment and terrain, so players can show their superb climbing skills in the game and stand at the highest point to look down at the entire city. As mentioned earlier, this work has added Nvidia's GameWorks special effects, which are mainly divided into HBAO+ ambient light shading, TXAA anti-aliasing and PCSS soft shadow technology. Among them, PCSS soft shadows can make the shadow softer, the most obvious is the shadow of leaves on the ground; TXAA does make the anti-aliasing effect better, but you need to carefully observe the edges of some objects to see; HBAO+ is the most obscure, and it enhances the three-dimensional sense of the environment by deepening some details such as the shadows of grass. Everyone should carefully look at the curtains, paintings, books, wall cabinets and other objects in the HBAO+ comparison picture below. Have you noticed an extra black shadow? This is the manifestation of simulated ambient light being absorbed by the material.
PCSS Soft Shadow - ON
PCSS Soft Shadow - OFF
TXAA x4
MSAA x4
SBAO+ ON
SBAO+ OFF
However, Anvil engine has always had a disadvantage that there are too few dynamic effects, the scene is basically undestructible, the blasting effect is simple, the lighting is basically still, the explosion of goods, ripples on the water surface, etc. are also pre-written scripts. The smoke coming out of different chimneys on the roof is completely a copy of the animation maps of the past. As for the weather effect, the author only encountered a rainy weather effect during the game (and it was sunny - -!) Another problem is that the light is strong and a bit dazzling, especially when we suddenly turn from the dark to the bright spot, it feels very obvious, so the beginning of the game also reminds "When exposed to specific light and shadow patterns or flashes, very few people will cause epilepsy."
As for the bug problem in the previous work, in this work, N card users remember to turn off MFAA in the driver control panel, otherwise there will be tons of map bugs. In addition, during the game, I was stuck in a V-shaped iron frame and couldn't move. I also saw the carriage jumping up by itself. Another time, when I was grabbing the carriage, I did not drive the driver out of the carriage, but got on and "match" with him. Although it is a bit disappointing, it is not a vicious bug, affecting the game experience.
In terms of sound effects, the BGM of this work is very cheerful, with a Broadway-style drama-themed feeling, which reminds people of the scenes of Chinese and Westerners holding banquets in movies, but there are fewer songs; there are also machines in the factory, trains and ferries.The sound effects of the whistle sound of the boat are very rich in the atmosphere of the industrial age. They are like the echoes of history, evoking people's special emotions and yearning for the past.
Core gameplay/expression - 7 points
After so many years of traveling the Assassin's Creed series, there has been no major changes in the core climbing, stealth, and assassination gameplay. However, this generation of authors can only use the word "simple", because the protagonist's ability is against the will of heaven and the enemy's AI is stupid. First of all, the overly strong Hawkeye. Once the Hawkeye is opened, the enemy's position, height, and even the troops will be displayed in all aspects within a large range. There is no problem with the wall, and it can be automatically marked. Even if the information about the enemy exiting Hawkeye is still there. The stealth game originally played information warfare, but if the enemy's intelligence is completely transparent, what else can I play? Is the picture below full of "Arkham Knight" a visual sense? The problem is that Batman's miscellaneous soldiers are very powerful.
As for AI, first of all, the enemy reacts slowly. When you see you, you first enter a suspicion state and start reading the bar, and then you officially identify the assassin and chase it. This gives the player plenty of time to hide back into the shadows; secondly, he has poor hearing, so he can approach and kill him without stealing. The flying knife flew past his ears without any sense. Secondly, in Ubisoft's "Far Cry 4", if the enemy finds his companion's body, he will enter a warning state and conduct a large-scale search for all members. Among the "heroes", they will only stand beside the corpse and shout, "One of us has been killed", "Which one of them is done by the gods," and will walk away as if nothing is done, so you can ignore the problem of handling the corpse; secondly, the enemy's position is very loose, and they will not form strong protection and cross-views, and it is easy to break them one by one; standing on the edge of the roof and looking at the various stupid situations of the enemy below, you will not sigh after a knowing smile: Ubisoft, dare to enhance the AI!
Each generation of assassin will prepare several close-fitting weapons and tools for themselves. In addition to the iconic close-fitting assassination weapon, the flying knife in this game can easily shoot the head with the help of auxiliary aiming, the smoke bomb can let you instantly kill him in front of the enemy, the thunder bomb has high damage and a staggering effect, the ecstasy needle can be shot into the stove to spread the poison gas. Then the enemies who burn around will be poisoned, and enemies and friends will kill each other without discrimination. Once the medicine is over, it will fall down, saving players a trouble. The most useful one is the hijab gun that debuted in this game. Its function is the same as the one in Batman's hand. It will be thrown out and pulled you up to the roof or used to slide between buildings. During the sliding process, you can control the speed and direction, and you can jump down to perform airborne assassination... For these props, the author must first confirm their playability, especially the hijab gun. It is very convenient to kill enemies and escape, just as a player said: "I have been climbing for so many years, and it's time to change my tricks." However, the game does not use equally powerful enemies to match the protagonist's abilities, or use some mechanisms to limit it, in short, it is quite boring. Ability to defy the skyAnd props, stupid AI enemies, this generation of assassins has basically no depth in combat except for their excitement.
In the head-on confrontation with the enemy, this game is not too difficult for players. Its fighting system is like "Batman" and "Hot Blooded Rogue", which highlights the defensive and counterattacking moves. The "Hero" has quite a lot of movements, and there are small combos that can cause high damage, which is visually smooth and refreshing. The enemy will flash before taking action. Just dodge and counterattack with one-click. It is also quite brainless. Although the game provides three fighting weapons: recurve knife, sword stick and hand-toothed tiger, unfortunately the usage is exactly the same. I'm more looking forward to fighting like Batman that requires skill, even if it's better to go back to the Persian prince.
As for skills, the two protagonists are roughly the same, and there are some differences in the middle and late stages. The male protagonist is good at fighting head-on, the female protagonist is good at stealth, and you can also learn the invisible skills in the place later (it's simply imba). In fact, skills are all used to reduce the difficulty of the game, and you can still pass the level without learning. After all, it is an action game, and the sense of existence cannot be compared with the skill system of RPG.
Sandbox Features - 8 points
When it comes to sandbox features, the most successful examples in recent years are "GTA5", "The Witcher 3" and "Phantom Pain". "Assassin's Creed" has not had any short qualifications. So are there any advantages over the previous three big guys? In "Assassin's Creed: The Heroes", there are quite a few NPCs. They are usually busy with their own affairs, but their interactions are poor and their response to the protagonist's behavior is relatively limited. Although the game has added a day and night cycle system this time, NPCs do not have their own schedule. In terms of the vividness and authenticity of the world, it is still far from GTA5 or Lao Geng. This game provides a carriage as a vehicle, which can be used to detain criminals and transport them to destinations, and can also engage in street chases, which is a new feature that is better than nothing.
The new gang system of "Heroes" has been added to the series for the first time. At first, I was looking forward to it, but after playing it, I found that it actually provides two functions. One is to recruit up to 5 Crow Gang members everywhere on the street to help you fight. This kind of setting actually appeared in previous works. At that time, it was still recruiting assassins, but now it has been downgraded to a gangster; the other is to improve the friendship between the city and after upgrading the gang, you can recruit more troops, the police will control you less, there are more carriages available on the street, and the gang members will give you some supplies from time to time, etc. How to say it, such a gang system is really not an innovation, and it cannot be the highlight of the gameplay.
Of course, tasks full of maps are indispensable. Liberation of London is a series of side missions. There are many tasks on the map of Liberation Factory child labor, hunting of Templars, arresting prisoners and eliminating gang strongholds. After completion, the red coverage marks in the corresponding areas on the map can be eliminated. In addition, some original NPCs and historical figures such as Darwin, Dickens, Churchill, etc. will also need the help of the protagonist to complete the task.You can then increase your loyalty and obtain additional clothing and weapons, etc. The total number of tasks in this generation is not very large. If all completed, it will take more than 30 hours. The degree of freedom is not to be said, but it is still highly repetitive as always. The side story is very, very shallow, and it was instantly killed by "The Witcher 3" in minutes. As for the treasure chests, Helix errors, raw materials and equipment reinforcement distributed throughout the world, if it is not 100% of the party, then look for it as you like.
Summary
The performance of "Assassin's Creed: The Heroes" was basically expected. This time it did not make the mistake of the "Great Revolution", but it did not have many highlights. After experiencing the ups and downs of last year's "Great Revolution", we can find that Ubisoft adopts a compromise attitude in the game to deal with problems, both in the picture and in innovative gameplay. The advantage of this is to ensure that this work is free of faults, is released safely, and sells DLC harmoniously, and everyone is happy; but the disadvantage is that today's Assassin's Creed has no light from the past and has become more and more mediocre, and this old capital is probably about to be eaten up.
Since the New Year's Equity was launched, it felt like it had become a product of assembly line. Its appearance is beautiful and the advertisements are very attractive, but the depth and connotation of the game no longer exist. Its increasingly rough plot, homogeneous gameplay, repetitive tasks, "fast food" - the author is reluctant to use this word to describe "Assassin's Creed: The Hero", after all, I have loved it deeply before. It is very sad to be able to become a sandbox game into fast food, but whenever I try to overturn this conclusion, the in-app purchase element in the game "Ubisoft will help you level up, Ubisoft will help you collect" wakes up my face in minutes.
