In the wake of E3 2014, one of the more controversial stories to come out of the convention was the news that Assassin’s Creed Unity would not feature playable female characters. Although this will not be remedied, despite the outcry from the public and press, Ubisoft did release a new trailer for the title today that introduces an important new female character.
In the trailer, protagonist Arno races through the streets and across the rooftops of Paris in order to save Elise before she is beheaded. It is only when Arno storms the tower where she is being held does he notice the distinct symbol of the Templars in the necklace she is wearing. The two will have to work together, though, in order to escape the mob of soldiers that have quickly converged on their location.
A key, albeit non-playable, character, Elise is a young noblewoman looking to secure a place in the Templar dynasty. Despite being members of battling organizations, Elise and Arno form an unlikely bond in the wake of his daring rescue of her.
Additionally, Ubisoft announced today that author Oliver Bowden will release another book set in the Assassin’s Creed universe. Also entitled Assassin’s Creed Unity, the book will feature events from the game told from the perspective of Elise and will explore the battle between the Assassins and the Templars, and how she and Arno tie into this conflict.
Ubisoft is also planning on releasing a high-quality statue of Elise alongside the game and book. Designed by Ubicollectibles, the statue of Elise will form a diorama with the previously announced statue of Arno. Both statues will come with DLC for Assassin’s Creed Unity and will be available starting October 14.
While the idea that Ubisoft can’t implement playable female characters into Assassin’s Creed Unity still seems like BS to me, at least there are some females in the game that aren’t just meant for beheadings. Although Elise seems like an integral part of the title, at least going off the fact that she is having a book written about her, hopefully she will be more than just a prop for Arno to save.
Assassin’s Creed Unity is set for release on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC on October 28. We will continue to have coverage of the highly-anticipated title in the lead-up to its release.
