PLATFORM: Xbox One, Xbox One X (played), PS4, PS4 Pro, PC, Switch (JP-cloud)
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
TYPE OF GAME: the type that would get you to visit Greece this summer
PLAYERS: single-player, open-world RPG
AVAILABLE: out now
Better than tzatziki
SWEET SWEET BAYEK
Last year, Ubisoft gave us one of the best games of the year with Assassin’s Creed Origins. The introduction of new mechanics, fresh ideas, a rich world and great writing showed us that the teams behind these games are doing next-level, dare I say next-gen kind of stuff. Attention to detail and tight controls brought the package together, offering an Assassin’s Creed experience unlike any other. Well, I’m pleased to say that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is basically the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ of the series – a follow-up that will leave your jaw on the floor and have you muttering ‘malaka’ every time you witness what the developers created for your gaming pleasure.
STARTING OFF WITH A BANG
Just like in Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey starts with an epic battle and it is there where this game’s important artifact is introduced. The Spear of Leonidas. This whole Spartan sequence acts as a quick dive into combat and serves as a reminder that Spartans were Greek badasses. Shortly after that you are hit with one of Odyssey’s biggest new introductions – the ability to choose a character. You can choose between Alexios or Kassandra. While I did briefly play as Alexios through a separate profile, Kassandra stole my heart.
FREEDOM
Odyssey takes a lesson from Breath of the Wild and now gives you the option of two gameplay modes. The guided mode offers you a more traditional experience, leaving markers on at all times and gives you quest objectives automatically. On the other hand, the exploration mode cuts out all the hand-holding and allows you to explore the world without markers or guides. What this means is that you have to follow signs, NPC directions and dialogue in order to find out about new quests or complete objectives. It is the way to play Odyssey. It immerses you in the world and makes the game more fun, enjoyable and mysterious.
KEPHALLONIA
The game starts off with a cutscene following your eagle, Ikaros, through the beautiful island of Kephallonia. Not long after that you gain control of your character and start off on your first quest. It’s evident right away that the developers took advantage of the Greek island setting and made the game more colourful. Don’t get me wrong, Origins had a fantastic colour palette, but Odyssey just takes it to the next level. This is something I’ll be saying a lot in this review but you shouldn’t think of Odyssey as Origins 2.0. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of the biggest video game productions I’ve seen in my life.
CRAFTING YOUR OWN PATH
Odyssey finally delivers on a feature that I’ve wanted to be in Assassin’s Creed games for many years. The game offers dialogue choices when speaking with key characters, making the experience feel more personal. You finally have more control over your character and the game feels so much better for it. From acts of kindness to being a total dick, you can choose how each encounter plays out. And the best thing? The game gives you these choices constantly and they impact the game’s story for better or worse, so be careful what you choose.
WOOHOO
As I’ve mentioned before, the new dialogue options are one of the best additions to the game. Your experience this time around feels more catered to your personal playstyle and helps you lose yourself in the character you want to be and who you want them to be with; at least for the night. Play your cards right and you will go from playing Odyssey to playing with Odessa in no time. Giggity.
SENU WHO?
This time around, your trusty golden eagle Ikaros can help you scout areas of interest, mark enemies and distract them while you move in to attack. If you’ve played Origins, Ikaros functions much like Senu. The only difference I noticed was that Ikaros levels up his abilities automatically the more synchronisation points you reach around the map. This is much better than the manual ability unlock/upgrades of Origins and gives you one less thing to worry about when trying to teach your bird to harass your enemies.
OPEN SEA WITH A PIMPED OUT SHIP
Ships and naval warfare are back in Odyssey and they are better than ever. Diving underwater also feels more fleshed out with more stuff to do and more variety in the underwater environment. You can travel freely in the Mediterranean, visit any Greek island you wish and take part in stunning naval battles. During those naval battles, you can choose up to 4 people to board the enemy ship with you in order to capture it and reap the benefits of victory. You can even recruit crewmen for your ship and pimp it out with a variety of cool sails, figureheads and cosmetic items. A lot of side quest lines involve the naval aspect of the game and it is easily one of my favourite parts of the game. Water rendering is also better than ever and greatly improved over Origins. But don’t let those beautiful 4K waters and realistic water caustics take your attention away from the sharks.
IMPROVING ON ORIGINS
While the game’s engine is very clearly based on that of Origins, with a lot of the same player animations and effects used, this is not Assassin’s Creed FIFA. The game actually has a lot more depth in terms of content. What this means is that Odyssey seems to have more varied quests and in higher number – and they matter. Many of the game’s side quests can affect other quests and alter how each of those small stories develop. These changes are evident in the animal companion systems as well, where tamed animals stay tamed and accompany you until they are (sadly) killed. There are an incredible number of smaller changes made to the game that make Origins feel archaic in comparison. Even when archers nock their arrows, the HUD let’s you know about the imminent ranged attack so you can dodge it like the ultimate badass.
CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY
There’s a lot of talk online about Alexios being a boring character by YouTubers or game journalists but I disagree with that opinion. The reason for a lot of people finding the male character in Odyssey less interesting is simply because Kassandra feels fresh in comparison. We’ve had so many games with male main characters in the series, it’s easy to see why the Wonder Woman-esque Kassandra seems like a choice more worth your time.
SOUNDS GREEK TO ME
The voice acting, and especially the Greek voice-acting, is nothing short of spectacular. For a Greek-speaker such as myself, it was a delight to hear Greek voice actors in the game. Even the English parts of the dialogue were recorded in such a way, so that it’s as if you are hearing a Greek person speaking English with an accent. It’s such a nice touch and a true testament to the attention to detail of the teams at Ubisoft. The developers care about small things such as these even though not everyone will understand and appreciate it.
NEARING THE END
I finished the game receiving the ‘good’ ending. It is one of 9. Let that sink in. That’s how layered and different each experience will be. And the side quests keep on coming in the form of DLC.
CONCLUSION
It’s a shame that this game is overshadowed by some bigger releases because it is truly worth your time and money. A lot of effort went to making this game the best Assassin’s Creed game to date and an unforgettable experience. Buy it malaka.
Review code provided by Ubisoft.
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