There are always games in franchises that are considered to be low points, with the Assassin’s Creed series also featuring one in Unity. The title isn’t fondly ed and its bad reception led to an overhaul in storytelling and gameplay aspects for future entries.
Still, the game does have its fans and there are certain characters who had positive things going for them. There are few heroes or villains that were featured prominently in the story, leaving a select number whose characterizations were explored enough for them to be analyzed. It’s worth looking a bit deeper into them to uncover interesting details about their personalities and the potential they had.
Mirabeau
The game had the potential to be among games and could have done so had it dived into the chance of a peace deal between the Assassins and the Templars. Mirabeau was the leader of the brotherhood and was spearheading a parley with the Templars.
He was killed off relatively quickly, but he represented a change in the mentality for the Assassins that hadn’t been seen before. Mirabeau will mainly go down into “What If?” scenarios for fans, although it enables him to be memorable enough since he chose to break away from the traditional rivalry.
Bishop
The Helix Player Saga is has had many fans at its expense because of the terrible first-person camera gameplay in the modern-day sequences. While pretty much all characters fell flat here, Bishop was at least someone who offered a little intrigue for her mysteriousness.
She was an Assassin who wanted the Helix player to learn where Germain’s body was so that Abstergo couldn’t get their hands on it. That resolution came about near the end, before which players are inclined to make assumptions about her that keep Bishop interesting. Of course, there’s also the fact that nothing else was shown and she could be interchangeable with anyone else.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon was shown in a sympathetic light during the game, where he became an ally of Arno. He didn’t feature as much, only popping up when Arno needed the aid of someone with influence. While their relationship relied on quid pro quo, Napoleon was instrumental in enabling Arno to infiltrate locations for his targets.
Unlike legendary figures like Leonardo da Vinci or Socrates, however, Napoleon didn’t have much of a personal connection with the protagonist, and players won’t feel attached to him. He was a valuable ally, but that’s pretty much where his character’s level of intrigue ends.
François De La Serre
It would have been impossible for fans to imagine a likable Templar before this game, yet the series managed to present just that. François unofficially adopted Arno after he was orphaned to become a father figure and something of a mentor to him.
He was also responsive to the truce between the Assassins and the Templars and was the first Grandmaster for the latter who appeared to actually think of the cause he was behind. Unfortunately, he was killed off near the beginning of the plot, so his main role was to die in order for the real story to begin.
Pierre Bellec
There’s always a cliche in open world games where players have to expect a betrayal to cause a shift in the sprawling storyline. Pierre filled in this role for Unity, having initially been the friend and pseudo mentor for Arno for the Assassins with whom Arno escaped captivity.
His tendency to mess with Arno in an older brother manner was endearing for the most part, but the game chose to then turn him into a villain which didn’t feel very justified. It brought a bit of unpredictability to the story, with the big side effect of undermining Pierre’s connection with Arno.
François-Thomas Germain
Germain was a bit of a change from the usual villains, in that he was an antagonist for both the Assassins and the Templars. Germain successfully manipulated Arno to aid him at one point and caused the deaths of both masters and ultimately Arno’s lover.
While he has some great feats under his belt, his overall personality wasn’t memorable. Germain’s endgame only came to light around the time he died and his role as a Sage didn’t have much bearing on the primary story’s conflict. Had the game chosen to focus upon the Sage aspect more, Germain could have been among the best series villains.
Arno Dorian
Not having a solid protagonist is among the reasons why Unity generally isn’t included in games overall. However, there were positive aspects to Arno, such as being the first main character whose campaign was primarily a love story than an elaborate conflict over war.
In addition, Arno had a sensitivity to him that hasn’t been seen before or since in protagonists, having more sympathy for people and seeing the best in others. Still, he didn’t come across as much of a fighter or person who was sure of himself, which is a key ingredient for a memorable hero. Arno would have been better had he had more to do than just being thrown around from one plot into another.
Elise De La Serre
It was probably a mistake on the part of Ubisoft that they didn’t make Élise the hero over Arno, as she was the better character. Élise did a good job in conveying her spunky side in the game’s beginning and then the transition into becoming a person hardened by tragedies after the death of her father and estrangement with Arno.
Mainly, the chance to play as a genuinely good Templar would have done the game well, as Élise didn’t have grand plans of dominance and represented the chance for Templars to change their ways. She was a good ing character as well, being the one person who made Arno feel there was hope in the world.