I finally got around to finishing my third playthrough of the campaign for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and I only have just this to say:
I don’t have too many criticisms about Syndicate - y’all know how much I adore this game, despite whatever flaws it may have - but one thing that always did bug me was the tonal whiplash of the endings of the historical and modern day plots.
First, you have this uplifting ending of the 1800s storyline, where the Frye Twins reconcile their differences, free London from Templar control (well, mostly), and get knighted by the queen, before engaging in a friendly footrace towards the train. The music swells, the camera pans out to show a bright day and a bright future for the city, and you’re on this emotional high because of it all. One can’t help but feel the warmheartedness of that whole scene - in my opinion, a nice change of pace from the usual depressing endings a lot of the AC games get. (Nothing against those endings, mind you, they can be powerful - but one just wants to see the protagonists happy for a change, y’know?)
What a nice way to end things, right?
But unfortunately, that’s not the end of things.
Because then you immediately get switched back to the modern day portion, where everything is dark, Rebecca gets shot, with her survival being left ambiguous, and the Assassin team fails to retrieve the Shroud from the Templars - all while you’re hearing “Underground” drone on with a sort of melancholy in the background. Even with Bishop then reassuring the Initiate afterwards that they will get the Shroud back, you still see the Templar plans for it and even the reappearance of Juno, so Bishop’s words just kind of ring hollow and do nothing for the now dampened spirit of the player.
The whole thing just feels like a slap to the face, really.
The fact that the next screen is one saying that “the adventure continues” in 1800s London is literally the only thing keeping me from completely feeling down upon finishing the main campaign - because I know that I can just jump back to the portion of the game I love: exploring London some more with the Frye Twins.
Nevertheless, I’m still not keen on the modern day ending. (And in truth, it’s honestly not the most memorable, either. I almost always seem to forget what happens in its entirety, probably because I don’t find it as interesting as the stuff with the Frye Twins.)
But this is just a minor nitpick, more than anything else, and doesn’t diminish my overall love for this game. I guess I could just do without it? Let it just end with the happy, triumphant ending for the twins, dang it!
Ah, well.
That aside...I’m ready to jump back into the animus and get back to continuing the Frye Twins’ adventures in London!
