While franchise leads may all be walking in the shadow of Ezio Auditore to some extent, Unity’s creative director Alex Amancio explained to us that Arno Dorian will be a very different hero than most players are used to. Where Ezio adopted the garb and role of an Assassin, Connor simply sought training, and Edward Kenway never officially joined the Brotherhood, Arno’s choices and motivations will form the true heart of Unity’s story.

We got a chance to see and play the game at a recent Ubisoft preview, where the developers continued to emphasize that Arno’s mechanical and narrative progression would be linked from beginning to end. And when it comes to the mystery at the game’s center, the player’s own progression is drawn into the mix as well:

Thanks to new details, fans know just how different Arno’s motivations really are from the heroes that have come before. He’s not after a place in the world, a great cause to support or oppose, or even a direct enemy he seeks to kill. More than anything, Arno is simply after answers, no matter how he can get them. Or, as Amancio puts its, “he’s on a redemption quest.”

Like almost all heroes in the Assassin’s Creed series, Arno Dorian is forced to endure a significant loss: that of his father, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood. He is soon taken in by a close friend of his father - the father of Arno’s childhood friend and future love, Elise - and raised as a member of the de la Serre family.

Out of respect, neither family’s respective order (or the implied rivalry) is mentioned to Arno, meaning he never knew that his adopted father was actually a high-ranking member of the Templar Order. But when he, too, is killed, Arno and his full-grown childhood love Elise set out for answers about the two murders that have intertwined their lives.

For Arno, that means joining the Assassin Brotherhood in his father’s footsteps; for Elise, it means pursuing those responsible from within the Templar Order. Amancio isn’t going into extensive details about just how committed each character is to their respective orders - whether they adopt their goals and beliefs, or are simply both using them to find their fathers’ killer(s) - but he did explain to us that Arno’s struggle soon becomes about more than answers:

Just as Amancio cited the fusion of gameplay progression and narrative momentum as one of the top priorities for Unity’s development team, he went on to explain that even the story’s romance was only agreed upon when it was determined to influence both sides of game design equally:

While details were scarce, Amancio did hint that the lack of any ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ path to answers could mean changes to traditional game design in terms of narrative as well as mission design. In the past, the Templars have been depicted as more tolerant of civilian casualties, or collateral damage, while Assassin’s more heavily restrict themselves.

Just as Assassin’s Creed: Rogue will be taking the notion of a good or bad side of the centuries-old conflict and casting it to the wind, Unity is less interested in the forces driving the French Revolution, and more in the men and women who will be enforcing the orders’ will on street level:

Eager fans will notice the absence of France’s political scene in those story summaries, and it’s no mistake. Amancio was eager to emphasize that the French Revolution would be acting as backdrop to the game’s events, offering metaphors relevant to the relationship between Arno and Elise, and their respective orders. And from his comments and the new plot details, it seems the war on the streets won’t overshadow the story of love, family, and betrayal.

“It means that you follow a doctrine - but it’s your interpretation of that doctrine that really defines what those societies are for you.”

How do you fans of the series or this particular premise react? Does the decision to set a strong story within the French Revolution seem a wise one, or were you hoping for a more historically-informed adventure? Sound off in the comments.

Assassin’s Creed Unity releases October 28, 2014 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Game Informer