The Potential Redemption of Assassin’s Creed Unity
Whenever Assassin’s Creed Unity has been discussed in the four-and-a-half years since its release, it’s rarely been for good reasons. The game launched in November of 2014 in a poor state, with glitches and crippling performance issues that hinted at how Ubisoft rushed it out for the holiday season. It also contained microtransactions that surprised players as they booted it up, as they weren’t mentioned in previews provided before release, some of which made it easier for players to obtain better weaponry and gear. The glitches were eventually fixed and the microtransactions were toned down through updates, but it was a poor showing for the first real Assassin’s Creed game of the current console generation. (Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was a cross-generation game.)
Opinions about the game itself were divided, the enjoyment of which depended on how much a player could tolerate another AC game that followed the same formula as several previous annual installments with minimal adjustments. There’s a good reason why they eventually gave the franchise a year off and made several changes with Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Now, Unity could receive a redemption arc. Even the least impressive mainline AC games contain lovingly-crafted environments and landmarks featuring places as they existed in the time period the games occur in, thanks to extensive research from the development team members. This applies to the entirety of France in Unity, which contains landmarks as they existed during the French Revolution in 1789. Its recreation of the famous cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris is receiving a lot of attention in light of the tragic event that recently occurred.
Notre-Dame has needed renovations for a while, though its classic décor has long been part of its charm. But the structure went up in flames at the beginning of this week, in a fire that burned for around 12 hours before it was fully extinguished. More frighteningly, authorities explained that the structure could have weakened to the point that the entire building could have collapsed if it burned for another 15 to 30 minutes. The cause remains under investigation as of this writing, though current signs point to an electrical short. It’s fortunate that some parts of the massive building were spared, including several pieces of artwork and artifacts, but the damage was extensive.
This incident has led to several people of varying financial statuses and companies donating to its rebuilding (which itself has been a point of contention thanks to income inequality), though the damage is significant enough that the process will take a while. France President Emmanuel Macron wants Notre-Dame rebuilt within five years, conveniently by the time of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, but several experts claimed it will take around three times that. Hopefully they can rebuild it in good time, though the construction crew shouldn’t be overworked (potentially to death) in the process.
The idea behind rebuilding Notre-Dame will involve keeping its classic-like décor, similar to how it was repaired following the damage it sustained during World War II. Remarkably, Assassin’s Creed Unity’s version of the landmark was so well done that it could be a big help. The game’s version was mainly done by Caroline Miousse, Unity’s senior level artist, who worked on recreating the digital version over the span of two years. She had to take liberties with some pieces of artwork thanks to copyright issues, but the overall monument is faithful to the original.
The labor of love here shows how some individuals within the video gaming media and development weren’t kidding when they suggested that Unity’s version could be used as a base for its reconstruction. Through Ubisoft hasn’t officially handed copies of the game to the French government and the construction crews they intend to use, they did the second-closest thing. They donated €500,000 (around $526,000) to help with its reconstruction, and made Unity a free download on uPlay from April 17th to the 25th, with a message encouraging people to donate left on their website. Regardless of the game’s divisive qualities, it’s tough to complain about a free game regardless of its age.
Unity was continually ridiculed for years, sometime for issues patched out shortly after its release — though they were well worth criticizing back then. But here’s hoping it does get redeemed here. There will be more players commenting on and perhaps complementing the current version of the game as they play through their free copy, which should finally cancel out some more negative opinions. But only some, because again, enjoyment of this game depends on how much you can still tolerate the old Assassin’s Creed style after Ubisoft ran it into the ground. Basically, there will be no need to positively review bomb the game thanks to Ubisoft’s goodwill gestures if current players legitimately enjoy it.
There’s no guarantee that the crews rebuilding the incinerated segments of Notre-Dame will actually use Unity’s version to help walk them through the process, but it would be great even if they only use it for certain parts. Paris is receiving plenty of money to rebuild Notre-Dame, but the arduous task by far will be the actual construction process. Hopefully it all goes well, and no further accidents happen to the building or labor working on it.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
