Ubisoft Production Manager, Jeffrey Spicer demoed Assassin’s Creed: Unity at EB Games Expo Sydney this weekend. The demo that was originally featured at Gamescom this year, takes players into the first ‘black box mission’ for the single-player campaign. During the French Revolution in Paris, 1789, Arno Dorian is assigned to assassinate a member from the Templar Order, Charles Gabriel Sivert in Notre-Dame, as part of his journey to carve a new destiny for the nation.
One of the most unique elements in Assassin’s Creed: Unity is the parkour system, which enables players to move more fluidly and freely in the game, rather than follow the object-to-object approach used in previous titles. The ‘black box mission’ allows players to choose their own path of action, instead of sticking to a predestined linear course to reach their target. In the demo, the first objective for Dorian is to kill one of the criminal associates of Sivert without getting caught. The enhanced stealth mode and eagle vision is perfect for strategic gameplay, and as such, the assassin gets the job done with a smoke bomb and sharp blade. Before entering Notre-Dame to complete the final task, Dorian must track down the keys to the palace, that were stolen earlier from the clergyman; and does so by tailing the culprit into a tavern and stealing back the keys.
During the demo, Jeffrey discussed the seamless interior design of the iconic landmark, stating that;
“It took one individual 5,000 hours to model and integrate the architectural design of Notre-Dame”.
In saying that, the absolutely breathtaking visuals of the city’s entirety in Assassin’s Creed: Unity, would not be possible for Ubisoft without the power of next-gen engines.
The demo concludes with Dorian sneaking into the Cathedral, knocking out guards one-by-one and making quite the entrance from the ceiling to the ground floor, by diving into a barrel of hay. Unaware of his associates recent demise, Sivert walks into the confessional booth and ends up speaking to the assassin, who does not hesitate to cut the enemy’s throat. Although the mission feels complete once the target dies, players are only successful once they safely escape the scene. Using the map, Dorian discovers an underground exit through the catacombs and sewers below the palace, however the area is a restricted zone that will trigger a security breach. Players need to be weary of the decisions they make in the game and what consequences will arise from them. Just so we’re clear, the Production Manager completed the mission successfully!
Assassin’s Creed: Unity will be released November 13 on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. Don’t forget to pre-order the exclusive Notre-Dame edition from EB Games here. By pre-ordering the game, players can join the Unite program with friends to create a brotherhood and unlock a variety of rewards, including the official digital soundtrack and the first chapter of the comic book, The Fall.
To check out all our coverage from EB Expo 2014, with more hands on experiences being added constantly, just follow the link.
