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To put it short...
Syndicate: More traditional AC and no RPG - Just do it with action because nothing is true, everything is permitted!
Origins: Action RPG - Let's make a Witcher game instead!
AC as a franchise was always going through changes, but After AC III (Americas series), modern day stories were never the same and constantly changed character roles filled when ACIV: BF (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag) rolled around, so they are less important at this point. None are as engaging or serious with tension as what was established with Desmond Miles and his story. Original writing plans had changed going forward, and it did leave modern day stories questionable. Even though IV was more of a high quality pirates game, it is to this day a creative experience that properly combined AC lore and pirates-focused gameplay with improved uses of ranged weapons and naval combat above AC III (also considering the century and setting.) It did new things, such as activities around the ocean environment and still provided a lot of fun and story impacts that kept it entertaining as an AC experience.
Let's move forward though. When compared to Origins, Syndicate is much more of the true Assassin's Creed experience and does a greater job of actually being an Assassin's Creed game. It even made some improvements over Unity, such as not needing co-op multiplayer to factor towards 100% synchronization. No companion app needed either. It also didn't feel as much of a grind as Unity did with collectibles, or at least that is my view of it. However, the game has gone through some minor gameplay changes to be more like the Batman Arkham series in combat and also in similarity with Shadow of Mordor because of the combo counter during gameplay fights and how it factored with combat mechanics. Aside from that, stealth and assassinations function like an AC player would expect of an AC game. If you wanted to kill a target that could be killed, you were able to kill that target! You can still use hiding places and pull off your low and high profile kills. The player can still choose between one character and another (Jacob and Eve) that are not just a simple gender swap. They both have their own personalities and roles/styles to show off in gameplay and the story. I love the setting and I do think the game looks beautiful in many places, and that the gameplay is somewhat a breath of fresh air because it offers more opportunities to be skilled in combat. Otherwise, the combat is still Assassin's Creed gameplay.
AC Origins is not a bad game to me. It has an interesting story and setting. I also enjoy Bayek as a character. However, Origins doesn't play as close to a full AC game either. That is with some exceptions of basic gameplay like having mounts/rowboats (including fast travel) to travel around in an open world environment, stealth gameplay, and simply doing a leap of faith. Yes, there is an interactive modern day story, but the characters are more generic and less iconic from what I can tell. It turned out to be a new experience created with the AC name, considering the gameplay changes that added RPG elements because this is where it is mainly different from other AC games before it. The traditional AC experience is more about straightforward action that lets the player jump into a game and use the gear they acquire to simply accomplish their goals and kill their targets. That's it! There's no magic to it! AC Origins wanted to be a Witcher game because the first thing many will notice is not just the leveling system slowing down the pacing of the gameplay, but also the same past skill tree combined with it to still lock off certain abilities (like back in Unity and Syndicate) until you have the points and upgrades necessary to acquire those abilities. Also, you just happen to be weak and less powerful, if you don't meet the right level to face more dangerous enemies and enter new areas. Also, weapons can have elemental/magical properties! Yes, AC is less about historical accuracy from this point, even with all of the previous fictional pieces added to build the worlds of AC.
Combine this with tons more side activities and you have a massive grind to go through doing everything to have truly completed the game. Even with AC Unity's assassin rank and leveling system, it still focused on keeping the feel of the AC gameplay balanced with player choice. Unity encouraged players to choose what kind of assassin they wanted to be with how they played, and the abilities they upgraded and used. Even while collectibles/side activities were numerous in past games, this grind is nowhere as excessive as AC Origins and the player didn't have to factor as much into a leveling system, as they did with gear and general abilities/skills. While different enemies in AC games have their own strengths and weaknesses, I could still literally make a joke about the gameplay logic of how I can't at first target one enemy (or simply assassinate them) because of my level, but in past AC games, I can just usually kill or knockout any of the targets/enemies I want to. Now, a player can still achieve more by actually playing through the game and using better quality gear in addition to upgrades and leveling. I am not saying it is impossible, but it is a longer and slower process than just being able to simply fight and kill a target. I said all of this and haven't even gone over the lower quality animations (like for climbing) after Unity and Syndicate or the microtransactions used in some of these games.
Even after saying all of this, Origins is fun if just viewed as a standalone experience when disregarding AC, but for those expecting straightforward action title without the leveling mechanic and skill tree system, you're not getting that here. It will affect the pacing of simply advancing through the game. The main point I was making is that it is different than what could normally be expected of an AC game.
I love action RPG experiences in general, but I do prefer the old AC experience over what is masking itself as AC, when a lot of the gameplay due to a new focus of genre is no longer what AC was before.
I have played through Syndicate again after several months of not playing, and I must say that the game is beautiful. I enjoyed exploring different parts of London and feeling the freedom of traveling around. The smog detail blended with various shadow and lighting effects is charming, especially around River Thames. I was platforming from steamboat to steamboat admiring the view. Also, Syndicate still runs smoother than Unity did, even though Unity in its current state has less issues than it did in its earlier days. The carriage-related gameplay is also quite entertaining and fast-paced. I enjoy it!
I also went back to Origins and with plenty of patience, I experimented with more weapons and skills, which added to more gamelpay variety. Again, it will take patience, but the game can generally be fun as its own game. It's still a heavy action experience, but it's an action RPG experience, so the leveling impact on gameplay pushes the player to work harder at growing their character. Exploring the world is still fun. The desert and Nile go long distances, and there are hidden secrets (easter aggs) to exploring the world. It also wouldn't be fair of me to not point out Discovery mode for simply being able to peacefully venture out and learn about the real-world human experiences that are brought together with the world of AC Origins.
However, without going into too much detail, I do still actually prefer the more simple combat and quality of the climbing mechanics in Unity and Syndicate over Origins, but that's my own opinion. Yes, Syndicate and Unity have their own leveling/skill tree system that was focused on progressing the character for different gameplay situations. However, the leveling and combat systems didn't make the player as limited to being able to play through the game and advance to more areas early. Untiy and Syndicate didn't limit me from usually killing targets with REAL deadly assassination attempts that are guarding collectibles from me. In AC Origins, there is a leveling barrier for exploring areas when you'll see it tagged to enemies encountered.
I think Unity and Syndicate have more player freedom. They are more about needed skills and gear. They are simple action titles and I enjoy them for that, and especially for being AC games. Unity and Syndicate are more about playing through the story and upgrading skills to give the character gameplay advantages. Origins is more for the player that wants a long-lasting RPG experience, in addition to the story.
It doesn't mean anyone has to choose ONE over the other. Some of my thoughts are here and not just what can be found in the game. If anyone is interested in either Syndicate or Origins, they might as well just give them a shot and see if they have plenty of fun and enjoy the games!
But Syndicate was just a side project that Ubisoft passed over to one of its smaller studios whilst it worked on Origins. Origins was in development since they released Black Flag. Unity was a way to test the new console generation which is one of the many reasons why it flopped, it was too ambitious and the Anvil Engine demanded too much power that the consoles just didnt have, even PC's of that era had a hard time maintaining it. So because the engine and code was ready, Syndicate could be worked on faster for the sake of just getting another AC title out. Origins was obviously going to become bigger because it had RPG elements to it.
But yeh, just get it cheap if you can, then if you dont like it (which I didnt) then you havent spent big money on it
Asking someone their opinion on the AC Origins forum (when some only played Origins or later AC titles) is more likely to be one-sided.
As others have pointed out, Syndicate was the last of the "traditional" style AC, while Origins was a spectacular change and a great "upgrade" to the franchise. Plus, I just liked the setting and story and characters of Origins.
Get both on sale, and you won't regret it, no matter how you like the games. There's fun to be had in both.