Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate contains some beautiful imagery. Its story takes place in London in 1868 soon after the end of the Industrial Revolution. London is striving and new technologies are beginning to emerge. We see horse carriages and smoking industrial chimneys, families playing in the park and outdoor markets. The light falls beautifully on the Thames and pedestrians hurrying across cobbled streets are dressed in top hats and long dresses. But overlooking all of it in the shadows of the rooftops and in narrow alleys are those who this new-found wealth hasn’t been as kind to. The working class whose sweat and tears built “this glorious empire”. What we see in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is their time for revenge. 

Ubisoft went out of its way to really capture the city the way it used to look during those times. Even though some things might be exaggerated or somewhat inaccurate, game designers and historians spend a lot of time on making the setting historically accurate. There is no question why this game is immensely popular. Some fans have started exploring the real-life places in London as well as the “ghoulish” London Dungeon that can enhance the experience. 

You can find several famous sites in the game: Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Palace, and Trafalgar Square are all featured. 

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

The historian Jean-Vincent Roy spent a lot of time on getting all of the visuals right. Together with world designer Jonathan Dumont and the rest of the design team he discussed even the smallest details, such as the sundial which was put in St. Margaret’s Church in Westminster Abbey in 1982. In in 1868, however, it was a clock. 

“Buckingham Palace and the Westminster area was also super-important,” Roy told USgamer. “Those two stood out early in the process, but as we got further, we realized that the Southend was pretty interesting, showcasing the industrial side of London. Covent Garden and the Strand, was more of an uplifting area. One after the other, all these areas fell into place and made the city work in a way that we wanted to logically showcase the city.”

It was also very important to Roy to capture the fog and the rainy weather conditions in London as well as the dark back alleys. In the end, the historian was happy with the result. “It was always a concern for us to be as close to historically accurate as possible given the nature of the project. I don’t play the game like anyone else. I very much walk the city. To see the city living on its own and being so lively… when the city illuminates at night, it’s absolutely gorgeous. You get the feeling that you’re walking into a Grimshaw painting,” he explained. All the hard work paid off and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate became an outstanding game.

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