Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Image Credit: Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is debatably not an Assassin's Creed game and that is one reason why I loved it. If you've skipped a couple entries of the Assassins Creed game, you’ve missed a lot. Assassins Creed Origins came out in 2017 and was a complete rework of established gameplay mechanics found in earlier entries. It leaned heavily towards an RPG game opposed to the traditional action/stealth game that previous Assassins Creed games were defined by. This drastic departure has resulted in many fans longing for the traditional gameplay, but with the release of Odyssey, Ubisoft doubled down on this style even more. If you were to show this game to someone who was stranded on a deserted island for the last four years, beyond the title screen, there is not much that would signal them that this was an Assassins Creed game. Also, there would be a lot more that you need to update this castaway on before showing them Assassins Creed Odyssey, but that is beside the point. Essentially, how you approach this game will heavily dictate how much you enjoy it. If you go into this game expecting your traditional Assassin's Creed experience, you may be disappointed. I recommend you approach this game with new eyes and an open mind to what the franchise might be evolving into.
The Assassin's Creed franchise is no stranger to taking historical events and subverting the details to fit their characters; modifying the event to fit the game’s narrative. Odyssey opens up with an epic battle where you are fighting as King Leonidas at the battle of Thermopylae. I would regret not mentioning that you can absolutely Spartan kick your way across this entire game, like Leonidas did in the film ‘300’ (click that link, that scene is so satisfying). Though you only play the introduction as Leonidas, you continue the entirety of the game as one of his heirs, Kassandra or Alexios. This is the first time players have had the option to play an Assassin's Creed entirely as a female lead, though this option had been rumored to be added in previous entries. Your choice of gender will not significantly change how the game plays or the outcome of the story, but many have reported a far more enjoyable experience playing as Kassandra due to a stellar performance by her voice actor, Melissanthi Mahut. Gender choice seems to be sticking around as Assassin's Creed Valhalla will also allow players to change the gender of Eivor, the game's protagonist, on the fly.
Image Credit: Ubisoft
Odyssey takes place in the historical setting of Greece during the Peloponnesian War. If you're not a history buff and don’t immediately know the context of this war, the quick summary is this: the Spartans were at war with the Athenians due to concerns regarding the growing power of the Athenian Empire. Throughout your journey you will encounter historical figures like Socrates, Hippokrates, Pythagoras and many more. These characters present you with quests or dialogue that directly connect to historical events and emphasize the complexities of the war. This history rich backdrop creates a perfect setting for Odyssey where players get to serve both sides and make choices that will impact the war. Odyssey introduces “Conquest Battles” where players can choose to partake in large scale battles fighting for either the Spartans or Athenians. I was not the biggest fan of this mechanic due to the pure chaos of these scenes, but it served the story well and drove home the impact of your choices.
Characters throughout the game will present you with difficult decisions to make that can result in catastrophic outcomes. Odyssey is the most developed that the Assassin's Creed franchise has ever been when it comes to your choices. One of the most inconspicuous choices takes place at the beginning of the game where your choice can result in the death of an entire island. This moral dilemma immediately sets the stakes very high for players, who may approach choices more cautiously for the rest of the game. On our ’Assassin's Creed Review‘ episode of the podcast, our hosts were very divided on the ethical predicaments presented throughout this game. The impact of choice is definitely a high point for the series and we hope to see this continue in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Player agency is not the only strong RPG element highlighted in Odyssey. An extensive skill tree and leveling system has also been developed in this entry. Though Origins introduced the skill tree to the Assassins Creed franchise, Odyssey certainly develops it further and improves upon the framework that was laid before it. Complimenting the skill tree is a diverse selection of armors and weapons. All of which can be upgraded over time to reflect the level of your character. Some of the more flamboyant armor sets can only be acquired through the Ubisoft store using Helix credits. Helix credits are purchased with real world money and can also be used to purchase the most controversial feature in the game, XP boosts.
Image Credit: IGN
In my opinion, the biggest issue with this game is that the experience grind is far too slow and that story missions are gated by your player level. There was a similar mechanic in Origins, but the impact is far more hostile in Odyssey. There were times when I wanted to dive deeper into the main story, but was stopped due to my level-forcing me to then complete side quests. Many of which were quite boring. Side quests like generic fetch quests or “kill this animal” quests, lack the depth to justifiably pull you out of a compelling and entertaining story. It feels like Ubisoft intentionally slowed the overall character progression to nudge you towards buying an XP boost. There has been plenty of backlash due to this practice and hopefully we see this removed in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Though the XP grind can be monotonous at times, it does result in a vast selection of things to do. Ubisoft games tend to be guilty of map marker overload, but Assassins Creed Odyssey takes this to another level. This map congestion sounds like a complaint, but for me, I loved the fact that I could start walking in any direction and come upon a quest to complete or a fort to conquer. When it comes to value, Assassins Creed Odyssey delivers in full. There are few games that I would gladly pay upwards of $60 for, but Ubisoft provides a wealth of content unmatched in other AAA games. Though some of the content can fall flat at times, the majority of it is engaging and will keep you on your toes on how to approach it.
All in all, this does not feel like an Assassins Creed game... and that is okay. The story contains very little reference to the Templars and Assassins Order, but both groups are represented by philosophical concepts of order and chaos. Assassinations are far less reliable in this entry; trading in your hidden blade for a broken spear and a more direct combat approach. The player menus are unrecognizable from classic versions of the game where skill trees and armor selection screens now reside. While not a traditional version of Assassins Creed, I hope that this is the new formula that Ubisoft iterates on. There are classic elements that I wish were more present (like a larger emphasis on stealth and parkour) but I can’t deny that this is the most fun I have ever had with an Assassins Creed game. From the vast array of things to do in Assassins Creed Odyssey to the deep RPG mechanics that enable enjoyable gameplay, this is debatably the best entry in the Assassins Creed franchise. Assassins Creed Odyssey is truly an impressive game and a 9 out of 10 on the Busch League Gaming scoring metric.
For our full discussion and review of Assassins Creed Odyssey, check out our podcast episode!
Buy this game if you enjoy:
Assassins Creed Origins
The Witcher 3
Greedfall
