Chaos and density reign in Assassin's Creed Unity (preview)

If Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag challenged fans as to what an Assassin’s Creed game could or should be, Assassin’s Creed Unity is a deliberate pendulum swing to the series’ roots. The way Ubisoft spokespeople has pitched Unity, you’d think this game represents an unofficial reboot to the series, a reining in of sorts, primed to make the most of the one-year-old PS4 and Xbox One.

Destiny and density

If there’s any one aspect of Unity that sets itself apart from all prior Assassin’s Creeds, it’s its density. From the packed swarms of angry French peasants to the city of Paris itself, this is density on multiple levels. Ubisoft’s Paris is a six-district open world that expands from within, where the interiors of buildings feel larger than what the exteriors imply. Even in the late 18th century, Paris already had a rich history, one that Ubisoft has completely dipped into so as to make the most of this singular setting (although the game does spend its initial events adjacent to Paris in Versailles).