Assassin's Creed Unity: An Off-Balance Retrospective.
Looking back on a decade in Revolutionary Paris.
If you missed it last month, be sure to check out my retrospective on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
And while being apart of the Off-Balance community will always be completely free, if you’re looking to support my work in a different way, do consider potentially buying me a beer: either way? Just follow the prompts below.
As always, thanks so much for reading!
Until next time,
Ryan.
Table of Contents
Nobody said evolution was linear.
But after three main titles pioneered a wholly distinct gameplay loop, with Assassin’s Creed Unity, primary developer Ubisoft Montrèal promised something as close to a homecoming that any long-running video game series could achieve.
With its slick demo videos and tightly-produced trailers, Unity was extensively promoted in the lead-up to release, in November of 2014.
The first AC title made exclusively for the then new generation of hardware, it was to be both a “next step” and a return-to-form for the franchise: deeper combat and built-from-the-ground-up parkour. A more living, breathing open-world within a meticulously designed European city. Seamless, corporative multiplayer, coexisting alongside the single player narrative.
Instead, upon release, Unity’s launch was so disastrous, beset with poor performance, corporate missteps and technical imperfections that it remains the go-to talking point for the title, specifically so, in many gaming circles.
Here now however, a decade on, those widely-circulated flaws long since patched and given the requisite polish, just what can we make of it?
For some, it is, inarguably, the series high-point.
For others, it epitomizes missed potential. Its flashes of undeniable brilliance, simply not enough to elevate a game that, while impressive on many levels, too-often struggles in bringing all those necessary elements together consistently.
But as we continue to gear-up for the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows next February, Unity’s continued prominence in any discussion, serves as an important reminder of the status, regardless, that it holds amongst the larger franchise - a lynchpin, whatever your perception.
And so, with liberté, égalité and fraternité front of mind, here is Assassin’s Creed Unity: ten years later.
Intro (Unity)
Following a brief introductory sequence, which puts an AC style spin on the real-life final days of Templar Jacques De Molay, Unity jumps ahead to the late 18th century.
After his father’s murder (as first shown in the closing moments of Assassin’s Creed Rogue) young nobleman Arno Dorian (Dan Jeannotte) is taken in by François de la Serre (series veteran Julian Casey) and raised alongside his daughter, Élise (Catherine Bérubé).
Afforded a life of luxury, Arno, while haunted by his childhood loss, grows into something of a charming troublemaker. His days awash in simplicity, as he carouses throughout Versailles. And as they enter adulthood, having always considered themselves friends above all else, he and Élise become lovers.
But when François is killed and Arno is framed for the crime, he realizes the world is more complex then he ever imagined: mainly, that his late father was an Assassin and the de la Serre family, including Élise, Templars.
Though in joining the Brotherhood, Arno quickly finds himself drawn into their millennia-old struggle. Working to avenge François as he hunts a splinter cell of Templars, trying to maintain his relationship with Élise despite their growing divide while also fighting for France, who, in the grips of revolution, teeters on the brink of chaos.
An effective enough foundation but what truly buoys Unity is its moment-to-moment supports - combat and stealth, for starters.
Combat + Stealth
Starting with 2010’s Brotherhood, speed became the operating word for Assassin Creed’s combat.
In building up momentum, with a chain or a series of rapid-fire counter-kills, you could take on entire garrisons through a sequence of alternating, one-two-three button presses. There were individual tweaks to the system, of course, within each entry but the basic moveset remained the same. Fun and fluid absolutely but all-in-all, not particularly challenging.
In contrast, Unity’s combat feels grounded with a sense of practical realism its predecessors had mostly stayed away from: each swing, strike and dodge, weighted, heavy and purposeful.
Not just fully realized (from the motion capture, stunt-work and the beautifully blended animations) but consistent, as well - a series of building blocks that prioritize player agency rather than overt hand-holding.
Mastery, not a given or obtainable right from the jump.
Being mindful of both timing and space as you wait for an opponent’s parry window to open? It is essential, especially if you’re up against larger groups or enemies of a higher level. A brute’s heavy attack, for example can’t be parried, which would then require one to dodge but if posted snipers haven’t been dealt with, even at street level? Then you may find yourself exposed. And with firearms not as integral and the insta-kill option that was the human shield ability of prior games removed, they’re a more immediate threat. Forcing either another dodge or pressure to close the gap, with a melee or long-range attack if possible, either option, not without risk.
There is an undeniable learning curve to Unity’s combat loop, helpful skills (staggering strikes, strong attacks for specific weapon types, etc) only unlocked through skill point application or story progression. This, alongside the engaging if somewhat surface level RPG mechanics: from which weapons or gear one choses to use and/or wear, while it won’t radically change any single experience it does provide an undeniable sense of growth, sequence-to-sequence.
The quick strikes of a sword or single-bladed weapon, for example, provide a far different tactical advantage or situational approach when contrasted with lances/spears and heavier weapons such as axes, if one choses to use them. Speed and close-range work, crowd control or high damage over anything else. Each brings something different to the table, an appreciated variety, even if most players will probably hone-in on their preferred weapon class early on (swords, being the default) and stick with it.
But the choice to go for deeper experimentation is there, something further highlighted via Unity’s stealth.
In returning to a larger urban environment for the first time since Revelations, Unity afforded the series an opportunity to revitalize its well-established (if conventional) stealth blueprint with a fresh coat of paint.
All of the usual tools return (smoke and distraction bombs, etc) but they’re supported by new additions: an object-based cover system and the Phantom Blade, Arno’s second Hidden Blade which functions primarily as a silent, miniature crossbow. In practice, no, it doesn’t move the needle all that much, simply replacing the gameplay use of well, the crossbow, bow-and-arrow or the blowpipe of previous entires but it is distinctly built into Unity’s stealth framework: from neutralizing a sniper from afar, tagging a brute with a berserk blade to draw focus away and then dropping down to eliminate one’s target, smoke bombs in classic AC style, masking the escape as the player disappears into the crowd.
Large stealth arenas are seen throughout Unity’s campaign and, optional objectives aside, the player can approach them however they decide, without too many roadblocks or developer intrusion. Going straight for the kill or methodically clearing the room instead, to leave the target isolated. Both choices are viable and fit smoothly into the given structure. Yes, while the game’s heavily-promoted “Black Box” missions, in which a series of objectives can be completed in order to achieve the “optimal” result are occasionally worth the extra prodding (the Norte Dame infiltration, most famously) there isn’t too much meat on that bone. Individual input being the operative word, however one choses to play, Unity will respond in kind.
And though both pillars of combat and stealth may feel sluggish or overly stylized at times, to the point of simplicity (again, particularly within the confines of the game’s main missions), they rarely feel boring, either.
This, overall, readily apparent once one steps out into Unity’s crowning achievement: its open world.
Open World + Exploration
Even though the Ubisoft open-world template was a well-oiled machine, even upon release a decade ago, the technical and artistic accomplishment both that is Unity’s Revolutionary Paris was and remains, a sight to behold (as is its two additional locations, Versailles and Saint-Denis/Franciade): the efforts of so many different developers, programmers and countless others behind-the-scenes, melding together in a unified effort that remains a high-bar (perhaps the high-bar) for the series as a whole.
Crowds of active (if visually repetitive) NPCs numbering well into the hundreds, from protesters to those apart of the game’s various dynamic world events, from starving beggars to civilians being mugged. A sense of desperation that encircles Paris (and France at large) as the Revolution progresses and the Reign of Terror begins in earnest, granting the city a true sense of “lived-in” feeling that even the biggest of Triple-A games can often struggle with, their open worlds, in comparison, little more than set dressing.
Consider, when Arno returns to Versailles late in the campaign? The commune is a shell of its former self, having been riddled with famine, conflict and desolation. It is a brief sequence, story-wise but such a complete artistic turnover regardless, speaks to the character that Unity consistently chooses to showcase: its sheer scale.
Maybe it is looking to unravel one of the many murder mysteries around the city or taking on one of the numerous side-missions available. Be it helping Marie Tussaud recover stolen death masks or just lending a hand to a down-on-their-luck citizen. Joining a co-op session to play through, with others, specially-designed missions where teamwork, in taking out targets or retrieval runs, is a must. Engaging with the base-building mechanics as you work to reconnect an Assassin intelligence network in defiance of Templar scheming.
Maybe it is hunting down Nostradamus enigmas or stepping into a “Helix Rift”. An offshoot of the modern day story which works as a data collection mini-game of sorts, putting the player in Paris throughout different times in history from the Belle Époque to the Second World War.
Paris then, however you slice it, is your playground. The City of Light, recreated on a nearly 1:1 level? It is an absolute marvel. From the larger scope to the at-a-glance detail, no expense was spared, a masterclass in pure visual and player-first storytelling.
The lighting, the draw distance, the ambience as Arno perches on the edge of the cathedral or reads a letter in his hideout - it is all so fully-realized. Countless interiors can be entered seamlessly (building upon the chase breakers first shown in III), vigorously maintaining a moment-to-moment flow that works to keep the player in motion, going from one location to the next. From run-down taverns and the Parisian catacombs, the Panthéon to even Norte Dame.
Now, as one of the game’s senior artists, Caroline Miousse spoke too, it wasn’t an exact recreation, for a variety of reasons, from artistic license for the sake of gameplay to legal limitations. But the very fact that it exists here and that players can, if they chose, explore it inside or scale it to the tallest spire? It is a shining example of what the franchise’s open worlds, in the advent of virtual tourism, can do at their very best.
But it is how the player moves through the world which has remained the element of note for many: that being, Unity’s parkour.
One of its most unique additions to the third-person action-game sub-genre from the very beginning, the series’ signature parkour system received a substantial facelift in Unity with the addition of the free-run down mechanic. In essence, removing the barrier that was always present when needing to return to street level. From looking for a haystack (or a zipline) to slowly, sloppily descending - a stark contrast to the distinctive experience that was ascending.
Executed through a trigger hold/button-press, the fundamentals, naturally, are still present in Unity. Virtually anything is climbable, long as one is able is find a proper handhold: this, meaning they’re constantly in motion, either in looking for the most efficient pathway or in avoiding guards in a restricted area. And when the player does reach a standstill, with speed at the forefront, Arno never feels as though he is being held back by an invisible wall, silting or limiting his momentum. As others have noted have noted over the years (notably, for one, YouTube essayist and commentator Whitelight) agency is a key focus in Unity’s parkour.
If you want to jump, hoping only to break your fall only with a perfectly timed ledge-grab? Back-eject to an opposing windowsill, cancel or shift your input mid-motion? You can. Descent is simple sure but effective, with a one-two, there-you-go, back-to-ground approach but as is the case with the system across the board, it all looks just so good, man. The work of the stunt team, motion/performance capture actors and top-notch animators, all feeding into the same central economy: the way Arno sprints up a wall before grabbing a ledge, the way he 360-spins onto a spire when descending, the kinda-sorta Leap of Faith he performs, in diving from height to catch an outstretched beam, only to keep that energy, either parlaying it onto the next rooftop or on the ground, as the player transitions into combat.
There is, every now and then, a stubbornness or a stickiness, especially when jumping over an extended distance or within heavier instances of descent but such memorability overall, it has allowed Unity’s open-world/parkour to endure in a way other games in the series haven’t. The apex perhaps of what the Assassin’s Creed power fantasy could and should be: an entire genre of YouTube Shorts, for example, has developed in the ensuing decade. Those who have broken down Unity’s parkour to the minute, pushing the mechanics to their very limit, all of its smaller, disparate pieces working at once with no overtly visible seems.
But that, more than anything, highlights the dichotomy that has come to define Unity. For its biggest stumbles concern something that can’t be as easily packaged to be presented without fault: its story.
Story (Base Game + DLC)
On one hand, Unity’s narrative promise is evident, even within its elevator pitch - a doomed love story, caught under the cloud of Revolution as France finds itself under the pull of a never-ending shadow war.
It is, as well, chock full of lore and great world-building. From the French Brotherhood’s Assassin Council who have their centuries-old hideout built underneath the Sainte-Chapelle, speak Arabic to each other during ritual ceremonies and present an air of formality around the Assassins overall that was really only hinted at previously.
And although it opens with a terrifically strong prologue sequence, capped off with Arno and his Assassin-mentor Pierre Bellec (Anthony Lemke) breaking out from prison during the Storming of the Bastille, ultimately, the game simply can’t deliver past that high. Hitting one note harder than the others, albeit, with success but leaving the enterprise as a whole feeling throughly disjointed for almost the entirety of its runtime. It may not be an entirely fair comparison but with Unity, one can’t shake lining it up against Ubisoft’s previous “hoods in times of war” effort, 2012’s Assassin’s Creed III.
Which, yes, while guilty of putting players through a Greatest Hits compilation of the American Revolution, had no qualms about addressing the folly of American exceptionalism head on either: while still making sure to keep the focus on Ratonhnhaké:ton/Connor’s (Noah Watts) deeply human journey, as he grappled with the difficult choices present between duty and personal desire.
In comparison? The French Revolution is often little more than background noise in Unity and during the few times when it does take centre-stage, even as very loose historical-fiction, it falters. Ubisoft and their writers apparently unable or unwilling, to not just unravel the inherent complexities that were present in the period but to present them with any sort of confidence. Backpedaling too on the excellent ambiguity developed as apart of the Assassin-Templar conflict in III, Black Flag and to a lesser extent Rogue, it instead drives itself forward at face-value, aiming for heights it simply can’t reach.
This, seen prominently, in what constitutes all of Arno’s story throughout the game - hunting down the rogue Templars who killed his adoptive father in an attempt to shepherd peace between the two factions, if only for the benefit of their country. It is, to be fair, intriguing on its premise alone: an Assassin, looking to avenge a Templar, love for both François and Élise, superseding any one ideology. But none of Arno’s targets, in spite of this, are given any sort of character development or interiority. We’re told their base motives sure: in the absence of any proper Memory Corridors are instead oft-repeating flashbacks showing what pushed them to Templar mutiny but nothing more. They’re not even given the chance to speak in evil platitudes, not really, taken out before they’ve had any opportunity to make a distinguishable impact on the narrative.
Overarching antagonist, a heavily fictionalized François-Thomas Germain (Julian Casey), is given a few moments to shine but there isn’t much there either, even with an appreciation of the series’ lore considered. Boilerplate villainy. He’s a Sage, he alone can restore order, even if he dies, the Templars will have succeeded, etc, etc.
No instead, the crux of Unity’s story lies not within its weak hit-list structure but what was then completely uncharted territory for the series: romance, that between Arno and Élise.
And even as they’re both working towards that same uninspired goal, their dynamic is just strong enough to carry it over the finish line - this, what Ubisoft chose, clearly, to push most of their chips around. When Élise reenters the story around the halfway mark, it provides a jolt of energy most the preceding hours were noticeably lacking, as together, her and Arno look to avenge François despite a “whatever the cost” understanding that quickly comes to find itself, in the face of their romance, fractured: Élise will see Germain dead, even if it kills her. Arno, overall, couldn’t care less for Germain - he just wants Élise to come out of everything alive.
The conclusion to their shared story then, more-or-less lands as expected, with its reverberations playing an important role in Unity’s lone DLC, the epilogue episode, Dead Kings. Arno, hiding out in Saint-Denis/Franciade, and forced to deal with his grief in the wake of Élise’s death, while recommitting himself to the Assassin cause as he works to keep an Apple of Eden out of Napoleon’s hands. In drawing a sense of finality, sure, it works well enough.
But all-in-all? Unity’s story is one of throughly missed potential.
It doesn’t engage with its framework nearly as well or as much as it should and is kept afloat only by a love story that is given room to stretch its legs squarely in the back half. Needing then, to rebuild investment it had long since lost. It mostly stays away from the weirder/sc-fi side of the AC canon, although it is unlikely a stronger focus on Pieces of Eden or the Isu would’ve done much to strengthen an already unsteady foundation.
Even with long-time franchise stalwart Danny Wallace returning as Shaun Hastings, the modern day story, similarly, doesn’t see much screen-time, regulated to just a handful of cutscenes and voice-over work. What little there is, only brought to any semblance of conclusion in Unity’s successor, 2015’s Syndicate.
It is a shame because the performances, from the supporting side to the leads, do deliver strong work - if given limited chances to showcase it.
Performances (Supporting)
With sharp delivery and committed performances, there are no slouches among Unity’s supporting cast. Narrative endurance though, is a tricker bar to clear, simply because they’re given very few opportunities to actually establish a presence.
On the historical side, there is real-life politician and Assassin Mentor Mirabeau (Harry Standjofski), who quickly becomes something of another father figure to Arno. Standjofski, playing him as a calmer voice of reason amongst the rest of the Assassin Council. He believes, even the midst of Revolution, that peace can be found with the Templars, despite their incessant manipulation of the country’s political instability, supporting Arno’s quest to achieve it (that quickly collapses once Mirabeau is no longer there to advocate on Arno’s behalf).
There is the Marquis de Sade (Alex Ivanovici) who appears intermittently as a slippery, kinda-sorta ally to Arno, happy to assist the Assassin, while keeping his own motives close. Ivanovici, to his credit, gives the Marquis life, despite having absolutely no stakes in the larger narrative - replaced with anyone else, fictional or otherwise, his role wouldn’t have changed. And given just how large the Marquis remains as a historical presence (for better or worse) that is disappointing.
On the flip side, while he doesn’t arrive until late in the campaign, Brent Skagford, as a naturally ambitious Napoleon immediately makes an impact. His dynamic with Arno, that of understood unease paired with mutual respect is easily one of the game’s best.
Unity’s most prominent supporting character though, is Anthony Lemke’s Pierre Bellec, a long-time Assassin who is revealed to have been a mentor to Arno’s late father, a role he eagerly takes up in bringing an initially reluctant Arno into the Brotherhood’s fold. There is a sibling-esque banter to their relationship, Bellec’s humorous yet colder, cynical view of the world (particularly the Assassin-Templar conflict) contrasted nicely with Arno’s more youthful optimism. So his turn towards antagonism then, when he kills Mirabeau for suggesting peace with Élise, while not entirely out of left field, is only brought down by the fact that he only has minimal screen-time prior to it.
After the prologue, he disappears for long stretches and then only really remerges once his arc needs to be concluded, forcing Arno’s hand in killing him to protect Élise, one of the few times Unity pushes for emotion in its storytelling. Successful? Not entirely no but Lemke gives it his absolute all, presenting Bellec as someone firmly rooted in his belief, however far it will take him. In a narrative that too often cycles through its characters? Lemke stands out.
For it is around a singular orbit for which Unity operates: that of Arno and Élise.
Performances (Leads)
From an (admittedly) rather rigid storytelling perspective, as Unity sets its pieces into place within its opening hours, it becomes clear it is expecting some heavy lifting on two accounts: that of its audience, as it only implies minimally discussed history between its characters and its leads, Catherine Bérubé (Élise) and Dan Jeannotte (Arno) in bringing that relationship to life.
And fortunately, both are up to task, capturing a multi-faceted feel within their character work very well.
As Élise, Bérubé is a woman who finds herself at a life-altering crossroads but has no hesitation about how she will navigate it. As Unity’s novelization further explains, she was brought up in the Templar Order, a guiding constant in her life which was abruptly shattered when Germain’s coup saw her father killed - something Arno, unknowingly, could have prevented. And so, her love for him aside, if he gets in her way, it is at his own risk.
Élise, cool, relaxed under pressure and deadly in combat: while she easily, given her motives, could have come off as aloof or unapproachable, Bérubé plays her with a sly charm, a this-is-who-I-am honesty that works as a good parallel to Arno’s more militaristic approach. And though Arno tries, she doesn’t waver, she doesn’t oscillate, only to find herself caught on the hook of uncertainty.
To avenge her father, she will, whatever it takes.
So while her death, in doing so, isn’t a surprise and comes with some inherent frustration (in the game, killing off its only notable woman character) it is a proper, fitting conclusion to her arc - not opting for a happy ending, if only because that would be the easiest or safest tactic. Bérubé, with great skill, seeing it through to the very end.
As Arno? Dan Jeannotte faced a somewhat tricker challenge but in peeling back Arno’s various emotional layers, actively works to present the fullest version of just who his character is. His performance, alongside the groundwork laid by Unity’s writers, speaking to a man who slowly comes to realize that the world, though he wishes otherwise, will never be totally black-and-white.
Arno, when he is first met, openly doesn’t allow himself to be consumed with his troubles (grief over his father’s death or his hard-to-pin-down relationship with Élise) but it is apparent he is accustomed to using humour, a deeply ingrained sarcasm, to hide them. But when his world is upended, François murdered, himself framed and thusly brought into the Assassin’s struggle, it is too see Arno come to understand that such a mask will serve him no good in the many fights ahead.
And that isn’t to say that he loses that charisma (an oft-common criticism of the character post-prologue) but rather, he is shown to redirect his energy in more practical ways - he stills mocks his opponents, banters with Bellec and allows himself to be truly vulnerable with Élise when given the opportunity. But Arno is shown to be man who cares deeply for justice - not just for himself or in the memory of his loved ones but for the innocent, for the weak and unwilling, those, who cannot protect themselves: in practical terms, as any proper Assassin would. But this, in comparison to most of his AC predecessors, is where Arno diverges.
It isn’t in the same vain of say, Matt Ryan’s Edward in Black Flag (who was very much a pirate for 3/4s of his runtime) but rather, a stark individualism. Arno may have some adherence to The Creed but respect or reverence for the larger institution around it, not so much. The Brotherhood then, a means to an end, if only to keep Élise safe (although she is far from needing saving) and to win back her love.
It is a real-time, sometimes contradictory maturity-in-progress that Jeannotte finds an early read on and doesn’t let go. Arno, all of those things and yet, none of them, simultaneously.
Taught to channel his rage, his challenging love into his work (that is, killing people) while coming to accept that such an absolute (unlike Bellec) is not how he wishes to live his life. Realizing, if too late, that Élise doesn’t need his protection but only his support, despite her maximalism being something he refuses to concede on.
Balance and a grown understanding for the meaning of The Creed, his key.
It is an arc that is inherently difficult yes (and not without missteps in its narrative presentation) but for which Jeannotte plays with strength - his delivery, never off or poorly-timed, even if Arno’s story seemingly ends at the mid-way point (Unity, one of the many AC games which never received a sequel).
Outro
If any one word (or several) could define Assassin’s Creed Unity, let be it not “glitched to all hell” but rather, ambition.
From its parkour system and beautifully-designed open world, to its pure technical and artistic accomplishments - even now, as of this writing, a decade on, its highs are those for which few, if totally any of its successors have been able to match (be it the animation work at large or the smallest of player-driven inputs, be it combat or stealth).
But there is everything that, bluntly, never once gels as strong as it should, most prominently, the narrative and writer-first characterization stumbles en masse: despite the performers, both supporting and lead, who work to elevate the material whenever they can.
Unity being ultimately, like many of us, unchanging yet remembered fondly - perfectly imperfect.