It would really make no sense for there to be a French accent because that would mean that this French character is trying to address you in accented English.” Yada, yada. Ubisoft explains this as “…the Animus translating everything into the language you’re playing in. Yes, that Napoleon – the French military and political leader. Every character in the game speaks with a British accent, even Napoleon Bonaparte. However there’s just one problem, and that’s the lack of French accents. Dan Jeannotte and Catherine Berube turn in great performances as Arno and Elise respectively, as do the rest of the voice cast. The effects, from the unique sounds of each weapon to the tick tock of the grandfather clock in the luxury homes, are just fantastic.
The orchestra-based soundtrack is modern in style and full of energy. Sound design is equally brilliant, as it has been since day one for this franchise. The infancy of the new tech has resulted in numerous performance issues, including a variety of bugs and glitches, textures and characters popping in and out, drops in frame rate, ridiculously long load times, and even the occasional freezing and crashing. Assassin’s Creed Unity is simply the best-looking next-gen title to date, but all that beauty comes at a price. On several occasions, I stopped dead in my tracks just to take in how gorgeous the city looked at different times of the day. The interiors of some of Paris’ iconic landmarks – Palais de Versailles, Notre-Dame, The Bastille – are just as exquisitely detailed as the exteriors, and the transition from one to the other is seamless. Everything from character models and animations, to lighting and fine points like materials is outstandingly good. It seems inappropriate to describe Paris during the French Revolution – a bloody and brutal period – as breathtaking or stunning, but that’s exactly what it is. In a rush to meet its annual schedule, Ubisoft shipped Assassin’s Creed Unity in an unfinished state. That’s how long the development team was given to fix the numerous issues with this game. Assassin’s Creed Unity was originally slated for release on November 4th, but was eventually delayed to November 18th. Apparently, neither could Ubisoft – wait that is. I loved Black Flag and couldn’t wait to see what Ubisoft had in store for the first truly next-gen entry in the long-running series. It pains me to say that because I’m a big fan of Assassin’s Creed. All of this, too, is Assassin’s Creed Unity. It’s carefully planning a unique assassination, just to watch it fall apart due to imprecise controls and a clumsy cover system. It’s a HUD that constantly bombards you with messages at the most inopportune times.
It’s attempting to loot a chest and being greeted by a message asking you to sign-in to your Uplay account or download the companion app before you can access its contents. It’s getting surrounded by a group of enemies, throwing down a smoke or stun grenade, and watching as the frame rate plummets. It’s hopelessly trying to infiltrate a second floor balcony window, only to end up anywhere but inside said window.
Unfortunately, that’s not all that Assassin’s Creed Unity is. And if matters weren’t complicated enough, Arno’s adoptive sister and love interest, Elise, is herself a member of the Templar Order. His late father figure was Grand Master of the French Templars while his biological father, who also died under suspicious circumstances when Arno was only 8 years old, was a member of the Assassin Brotherhood. When his adoptive father is mysteriously murdered on the eve of the French Revolution, Arno can’t help but feel responsible so he joins the Assassin Brotherhood to seek vengeance. Though you wouldn’t know it by his accent, Arno Dorian is a dashing young Frenchman who is also kind of a brat.