AC Unity trailer showcases the game’s open world, side quests and more

Ubisoft released a new trailer for Assassin’s Creed Unity, which showcases the open world eighteenth century Paris, along with some of the open world activities present in the game. In other words, this trailer shows us the co-op heists and the murder mysteries, among others.

Regarding the game’s setting, Alex Amancio, the Assassin’s Creed Unity creative director, says that they wanted to deliver a fully systemic city. He states that Unity will feature a faithful representation of eitghteenth century Paris, with a unique cast of characters and beautiful locations and a wide scope of activity. The developer ensures gamers that the new Assassin’s Creed installment includes “dozens of hours of side missions gameplay”.

First of all, Amancio reminds us of the Murder Mysteries, a brand new type of side quests that has players investigate crimes like in a detective game. You have to find clues, put them together and, based on your own deductions, condemn whoever you think is guilty. If you solve crimes successfully, you will unlock unique rewards. Another featured showcased in the open world trailer is the Contract system, which is now very different from the one in the previous titles. Instead of just going around and killing the people you are paid to, a Contract is now a fully narrative quest, which you can deal with in any way you want. Co-Op Heists are also presented in the video. In this mode, you and your friends have to infiltrate areas that are almost impossible to access otherwise, and reach the loot undetected. These can be played as many times as you feel like, since guard paths, layouts and the loot location are randomized every time you start a new session.

Before moving on with the features shown in the open world trailer, I’d like to make a small observation. Since Assassin’s Creed Unity is promoted as a highly linear experience, this must mean that the Full Synchronization objectives are gone. Why am I saying this? Well, those objectives prevented gamers from going through the missions the way they wanted. Let’s say, for instance, that you want to complete a certain mission stealthily. However, to get full synchronization, you have to perform a certain kind of Assassination that will inevitably draw attention, like shooting someone with the pistol. I don’t know what Ubi is planning, but, in my honest opinion, Full Synch (at least the way it used to be) and a linear experience don’t go well together at all.

Last, but not least, the developer introduced us the Cafe Theatre (pronounced, obviously, with a French accent). This is the equivalent to, for instance, the Montereggioni Villa in Assassin’s Creed 2. In other words, the Theatre is the central hub for Assassin activities. Here, you can access social features, customize your character, view your trophies and even start a practice mode.

Assassin’s Creed Unity is developed and published by Ubisoft. It will be released on November 11, 2014, on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is the first next-gen title in the series, and, according to Ubisoft, it ties in with the other Assassin’s Creed game coming out on the same date, Rogue. This title will be released on last-gen consoles and it might get a PC version as well, but only next year.