What was intriguing about the latest Assassins Creed Origins in all it's teasers and gameplay reveals until now. Was the excitement that finally we will get to know how the Brotherhood of Assassins. We've seen their unending battle against the templars for so long. Especially since the last few games in the franchise gave us very small incremental story updates. Now this game will finally put a beginning to the series. Plus, Ancient Egypt is always a fascinating time and place to visit.
Story and Setting
This origin story begins in Ancient Egypt. During the age of Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII. Where you play as Bayek, who is an Egyptian version of the Special Forces, a soldier known as a Medjay. Who sets out on a path of murder as he hunts down those in places of power manipulating the strings from behind the curtains. The Ptolemiac rule is not easy on the country and with the Roman Empire knocking at the doors, there is unrest. Bayek's journey will take him right from the lowest strata of Egyptian society to the highest. Into the courts where you will hobknob with the likes of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Eventually becoming the first assassin in the brotherhood as we know it.
As a story the narrative can get a bit confusing at first which becomes clear as the pieces fall into place. What's more is that it's a great history and culture lesson as you bear witness to several historical events from Bayek's perspective.
To say Ancient Egypt of Assassins Creed Origins is beautiful is an understatement. The franchise has been known for it's almost faithful recreations of historical eras, with their combination of research and their graphical prowess. The world of Origins feels authentic and one of the most ambitious projects attempted in a game thus far. From dishevelled villages to beautiful cities filled with wonders and teeming with life, it feels as though you're transported there. Beneath the veil of beauty is a layer of grit, the same way the gold of Egypt is covered by a layer of sand. Ubisoft has outdone itself by crafting a world thats beautiful as it is dangerous.
Gameplay
The combat system gets the biggest overhaul. Earlier in past games, the fighting system was sort of rhythm based. Where you time your hits and your Assassin swoops from enemy to enemy slashing and executing. All you had to do was hit buttons in between animations. Origins moves to a hit box based system which is reminiscent of games like Witcher 3 and the Dark Souls series. Where when you tap the attack button your character will hit whatever is in the path of the weapon. If it's an enemy you will hit that particular part. You can attack and evade free or you can lock on and focus on an enemy, evading his attacks and flanking him.
The move to this system is the best thing that has happened to the series in a long time. Allowing you to feel like a whirling dervish of steel and vengeance as you dispatch enemies with the heavy and light attacks. It feels so organic as you deftly avoid multiple strikes by tapping the evade. Where Dark Souls had that invincible roll, Bayek steps back and rolls naturally away. There is still a chance you can get hit, but for the most part it feels real.
Ancient Egypt, was a place full of architectural marvels, and while you do get to parkour across those, most of the time the place is filled with shanties and small huts. Where Assassins Creed Syndicate, the last game, felt vertical, with the buildings of London giving you ample opportunities to Parkour, Origins feels almost horizontal. Which is where the sprawling open world comes into play. There is so much to do, from taking part in quests, to going out to hunt and gather upgrade materials to doing a spot of tomb raiding to find choice pieces of equipment. Exploration is the best part of the game.
The inclusion of your trusty falcon Senu opens up new gameplay elements. Acting very much like a drone, you can see through Senu's eyes at any time to mark your targets and to scout ahead for enemies. Switch back at anytime to Bayek, where you can slowly and methodically take out everyone from stealth. This seamless partnership will become your dominating way to play missions. Even though you can go in swords blazing.
What you will be doing most in Origin's Ancient Egypt is taking in the sights, and the game provides you ample opportunities to do so. From the auto riding mode on your horse or camel so you can look around, to sitting on a boat in the middle of the various lakes to take that break. As you experience a slice of life in those times gone by.
Graphics wise, the game looks brilliant, with so much detail packed into every square foot. Little things like the lake water lapping on the coastline is muddy and dirty. Houses have little gardens for growing their food and a proper water system. You see the havoc and destruction the Pharaoh's soldiers have caused all around you. As expected with any open world game, there are a lot of glitches and Assassins Creed has it's fair share of graphical ones. The only annoying gameplay glitch encountered is in the lock on system, where it wont target the guy attacking Bayek, and instead it will target one standing far away, essentially tugging the camera away from the action. Hopefully these should get patched quickly. Also the inclusion of 4K and HDR support would be much appreciated.
Conclusion
The latest Assassins Creed game borrows a lot of elements that made some of the best games of the year what they are. Coming up with the strongest Assassins Creed so far. Sure the story can get a bit confusing at times, but it does shed some light on the origins the Assassins. Not to mention the game gives us a detailed look at the fascinating world of Ancient Egypt. With a massive open world with lots to do and an addictive fighting system, Assassins Creed Origins is a must on your holiday shopping list.
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