A game that holds a very special place in my heart is Assassin’s Creed Unity. I could go on and on for why this game is incredible, but I will restrict myself to just identifying the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics that make it so good.
There are many different mechanics in Assassin’s Creed Unity, with a few being the ability to climb massive historically accurate buildings, sneak through crowds and tunnels, complete missions with online friends, and, of course, assassinate enemies with a wide variety of weapons spanning from small daggers to huge battle axes.
These somewhat simple mechanics all come together to create diverse play experiences that are determined by the player. A player can adopt any number of strategies to complete missions, which are usually either assassinations or thefts. If a player opts for stealth, they can choose to attack with small hidden daggers, sneak through crowds, and climb above enemies to remain unseen. If a player opts for a brutish attack, they can choose to use large swords combined with explosives and go in without hiding, supported by fun battle mechanics such as perrying, dodging, and heavy striking.
But at the very core of this game are more than a few aesthetics that make it well worth playing. Those aesthetics at play are fantasy, discovery, challenge, narrative, and fellowship. The fantasy element comes from playing as an assassin in historical France; the discovery from exploring historical monuments such as the Notre Dame or finding hidden areas and missions; the challenge from a series of missions that test a player’s sneaking or attacking skills; narrative from the incorporation of historical events; and finally, fellowship from the ability to tackle missions with friends together.
Overall, the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics of Assassin’s Creed Unity come together to create a fun and constantly fresh gaming experience.
