It’s ridiculous how far behind I am in my reviewing of strategy guides, but what better way to start getting caught up than with a review of the Assassin’s Creed Unity strategy guide from Prima Games? I am still using this strategy guide, because my overall conquest of Revolutionary Paris is far from complete. It’s not the strategy guide’s fault by any stretch of the means; it’s strictly my own because I want every single little thing out of this game. And I mean everything. Those looking to get that 100% completion in the game, with the main campaign, co-op missions, and all those darn collectibles, the Assassin’s Creed Unity strategy guide will save you countless hours and desynchronizations.
The main campaign is fairly straight forward, and it is incredibly lenient on the never-getting-spotted stipulation that previous AC games were notorious for. Occasionally, remaining in the shadows is a requirement to avoid desynchronization, but it’s often a bonus objective to achieve 100% synchronization. Each mission has at least one bonus objective for 100% synch, and the strategy guide will walk you through the most efficient way to accomplish these goals.
The strategy guide was especially helpful for the final fight, as that was one boss fight that was hardly intuitive. I have no idea how many times I would have died trying to take care of the head Templar in the battle leading up to the final fight as well as the final fight. Thanks to the guide’s heads up and tips, I was able to defeat the final Templar rather quickly (only died once during the final battle, which was mostly my fault and Arno’s fault for running up a wall instead of hiding).
See? No one has time for this.
But the real reason to pick up the strategy guide is for all of the side questing, especially the Nostradamus Enigmas. I was patient with the first couple I came across, and after that, the guide has stayed open in my lap as I “cheat” my way through solving the rest. I have zero patience for such riddles. I applaud them for being so clever, but ugh, I don’t have time for that. I didn’t use the guide for the murder mysteries as much, as I do love those and I have patience for those. For the occasional moment when I really was stuck, the guide was a life saver. Same goes for the Paris Stories, that I had a lot of difficulty with. The strategy guide pointed out all of the abilities I should have unlocked before attempting each of these side quests, which alleviated most of my frustration instantly.
For me, the best reason for the strategy guide, other than looking up the answers to the Nostradamus riddles, was getting help with the Heist missions. These co-op missions are 100% stealth only, and I’m not stealthy and my co-op partners are less stealthy than I am. I’ll try to pan out a strategy for breaking into a building, and my partners have already dropped down into the courtyard trying to stab everyone at once. Heist missions fully embrace and enforce the “not-getting-seen” requirement, so having a plan from the get-go is vital unless you enjoy desynchronizing over and over through trial and error.
The back sections of the strategy guide serve as additional tips and story analysis. The “Optimal Progression” page provides invaluable advice on making money fast, when to attempt side quests, and when it’s best to go collectible hunting. The pages explaining what the little Companion App is for also relieved quite a headache.
The last section is for diehard Assassin’s Creed fans only, and should only be looked at after completing the game. This section analyzes the entire story of ACU, including why certain Templars were killed, what other side characters were up to, info on the sages, and the present day characters as well as the First Civilization. This section is perfect for hardcore fans looking for deeper analysis or brand new fans who are wondering what in the world is going on.
If I have one complaint about the strategy guide, it’s that not all of the Achievements/Trophies have tips on how to complete them. Many of them do, such as referencing where to look for more information or straight out saying exactly how to accomplish it. And then a few others say nothing, such as the “Guillotined” Achievement/Trophy. I honestly have no idea how to kill an enemy with a counterweight. How is this possible and where is the easiest spot to nab this virtual reward?
Considering how much I loathed the Assassin’s Creed II strategy guide, I’m so pleased to see Prima Games and Piggyback greatly improving their AC products. I’m extremely happy with the Assassin’s Creed Unity strategy guide, and I can definitively say it’s the perfect companion for that 100% synchronization in Assassin’s Creed Unity. Don’t go stabbing things in Paris without it.
SGR Rating: 4.5/5
Author: James Price
Publisher: Piggyback
Distributor: Prima Games
Editions Available: Paperback, Collector’s Edition, and Initiate’s Edition
Acquired via Distributor
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