Console Corner: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate review

Assassin’s Creed is back with its latest instalment Syndicate, and it is a return to top form for the franchise.

Set on the Victorian streets, and rooftops, of London - FINALLY - Assassin’s had it all to do to repair the damage to its reputation caused by Rogue and Unity which were dogged by sticky gameplay and glitches.

But Syndicate is instantly and infinitely better.

The graphics are stunning as usual and London is the city this franchise has been building up to all along.

Big Ben, St Paul’s, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace are just a small number of the famous landmarks you will climb in the game and each has been expertly and beautifully crafted.

But for the first time since probably Brotherhood in 2010, Assassin’s is about so much more than graphics and scale.

The gameplay is still slightly monotonous but there has been a definite and deliberate drive to fix issues which somewhat spoiled the previous titles.

Everything is much smoother here.

The camera can at times prove a touch frustrating when clambering up walls while frantically trying to escape.

But this is a minor and only occasional issue which fails to impact on your enjoyment of the game.

The plot and characters are superbly woven together and your journey around Victorian London is a pleasure.

You’ll come across a multitude of famous faces from history in the likes of Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria, Karl Marx and Florence Nightingale.

And traversing around the Big Smoke has never been better, or easier, and the biggest compliment I can pay to ACS is that once you start playing it is very difficult to stop.

On my first play I did five hours. It felt like two, it was that engrossing.

ACS while not perfect is a hugely satisfying return to the franchise’s brilliant best and a must-have title.