Assassin’s Creed Unity vs. Assassin’s Creed Rogue: What’s Different?

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While the annual release of a new game in an existing franchise is nothing new, Ubisoft is taking that approach to new levels with the upcoming release of Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Unity will release on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows, while Rogue will be available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. With the two games releasing on November 11th, it can be a difficult choice for gamers who own current generation and previous generation consoles. Let’s examine some of the differences between the two games.

General Gameplay

Assassin’s Creed Rogue is more in line with being a sequel to Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. While Rogue takes place after Black Flag and even features a character from that game, like most Assassin’s Creed titles, it’s not a direct sequel in the traditional sense. The naval travel and combat aspects return, but this time you’re a member of the Templar Order, hunting down assassins. As the main character was formerly an assassin, most of the combat is similar to Black Flag, with the main addition being a new air rifle that allows for long-range kills.

While Rogue advances the naval combat from Black Flag, Unity goes back to the more traditional gameplay of the Assassin’s Creed series and the added ability to customize your assassin using a skill tree. The combat system was completely rebuilt, with fencing serving as the main basis of the sword fighting. The main character now uses a Phantom Blade, which is essentially a hidden blade mixed with a crossbow. This provides a long-range combat aspect similar to the air rifle, but with a completely new parkour system, movement around the city is considerably different compared to the more traditional wall-scaling methods present in Rogue.

Location

Rogue takes place in the North Atlantic. You’ll travel between destinations similar to Black Flag. There are multiple locations as you travel the North Atlantic in search for assassins to hunt down. However, the underwater diving missions from Black Flag are not featured here due to the frigid temperatures of the water. In fact, your character rapidly loses health when you dive into the water.

Unity goes back to the roots of the Assassin’s Creed series by retaining the entirety of the game within the confines of Paris. The game takes place on the eve of the French Revolution, making tensions high within the city. You will also have access to the catacombs below the city, and with the raw size of Paris and the new parkour system, you won’t feel limited by only being able to visit a single environment.

Premise

The story in Assassin’s Creed Rogue follows Shay Cormac, who starts as a member of the Brotherhood of Assassins but quickly joins forces with the Templar Order when he is discarded by the Brotherhood. This starts Cormac on a mission across the North Atlantic to find and kill as many assassins as he can. While you still have assassin-like abilities, this is one of the first times you get to play as a member of the Templar Order instead of an assassin.

Unity follows the exploits of Arno Dorian, who is the son of an assassin. Arno’s father is killed, which leads to him being adopted by the Templar Grandmaster in the Templar Order. It doesn’t take long for Arno’s adopted father to get murdered, which leads him to the Brotherhood. He then rises in power similar to the ascension of Altaïr and Ezio from the previous games. There’s also a love interest in the game that adds a few twists and turns to a story already soaked in revenge and deceit.

Multiplayer

If multiplayer has been a big aspect of Assassin’s Creed, you may be a little disappointed this year. Assassin’s Creed Rogue does not feature any multiplayer aspects at all. The game is strictly a single player experience. Meanwhile, Unity offers multiplayer co-op with up to three other assassins, but does not feature any kind of competitive multiplayer like we’ve seen in several Assassin’s Creed entries.

The Verdict

In short, Rogue is more of an extension of Black Flag when it comes to gameplay, while Unity rebuilds many aspects of the series from the ground up. If you’re looking for something new (or as new as it can be while still playing Assassin’s Creed) go with Unity. If you really enjoyed Black Flag and want an experience closer to that, Rogue should be your title of choice.

Assassin’s Creed started as a single player experience, so if you’re a big fan of the earlier games in the series, the lack of multiplayer in Rogue shouldn’t be much of an issue. However, if you enjoyed competing against other assassins, you won’t have that option in either game. Unity offers new co-op gameplay, which further adds to the fresh feel of the title.

The best of both worlds is to simply buy Unity and Rogue, but no matter which game you choose, Prima Games will have you covered with strategy-based combat to help you slay the assassins or the Templars.

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Looking for the Assassin’s Creed Rogue Guide? Get the complete, official guide to Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Available now in print and digital formats.