Show me the drachma!
When Ubisoft took a year off from the Assassin’s Creed franchise only to deliver Origins afterwards, it seemed like the perfect formula. Origins was a huge step forward, introducing RPG mechanics, a refined combat system, and a great narrative with interesting side quests. When Ubisoft announced they were not taking a year off in 2018 and that Odyssey was indeed making its way into gamers’ hands, many were skeptical. Yet, here we are, another year, another Assassin’s Creed game. Odyssey borrows heavily from Origins, but also brings some new refinements plus one of the most interesting eras for the series, but there is simply just too much of it.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offers players the chance to pick from two different characters. Alexios and Kassandra. After digging through the opening moments with each one, I recommend sticking with Kassandra. She is better-acted, more interesting, and let’s face it, Alexios is just plain awful. The entire time playing as him, I despised his character. His lines are infuriating, and his voice acting is awful most of the time. I simply felt like for as long as this game lasts, there is no way I could finish it as Alexios.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
The world of Greece is by far the most stunning the series has ever seen, combined with the power of these new consoles and everything just looks outstanding. The draw distance is ridiculous and the world is so detailed that exploring it is just a delight. This is the kind of game that begs for screenshots. Everything looks amazing. Coupled with 4K support and HDR this game simply pops. Each area feels unique and the architecture is jaw-dropping.
Big is the theme of Odyssey. There is a lot to unpack here so let’s just get right into it. The core game follows the story of Kassandra/Alexios. There are lots of interesting pieces that fall into place. The side quests are not as in-depth or interesting as those found in Origins. This mostly feels like a quantity of quality issue. There is simply so much here it feels forced at times. The new dialogue options are cool. I liked being able to handle different situations in different ways. A lot of it isn’t game-changing, but some of it triggers events. Some of this overlaps and becomes an issue, more on that later though.
There is also a naval system that feels as complex as much if not more so than Black Flag. There are soldiers, staff, upgrades, ship combat, and more. There is a lot involved here. The sea shanties return and are just as good as ever. I felt like a lot of this was forced though. Just using the ship to travel would have likely sufficed, but Ubisoft forces an entire system and mechanics around this that feel unnecessary at times.
The bounty hunter system unlocks early on and feels like a budget Nemesis system from the Shadow of Mordor series. Named enemies will hunt the player down after being triggered or hired by other characters. The only way to eliminate them is to pay the bounty, or kill them. There is also a GTA-themed wanted system that dictates how many are hunting the player at any given time. They appear out of nowhere at times and sometimes more than one. I died many times before learning how to deal with them. Sadly they don’t come back for revenge or have witty dialogue. Instead they just feel like hurdles that can wreck even the most mundane of missions, and like a lot of other things in the game, feel unnecessary.
About ten hours into the game a whole new menu opens up. This introduces the Cultist system, which feels like it replaces the assassination targets in previous games. The catch here is that each one has to be investigated, found, and removed before opening up the final one. There are over 40 to kill and some are tied to levels or story missions that I may or may not have done. It is a system that trips over itself at times due to other pieces in the world that might not have been uncovered yet. This ties into Odyssey’s biggest problem. There are so many systems, quests, and things to do, that some of them are tied behind other things the game needs to trigger.
Examples of this are everywhere. I found Cultists by accident, killing them in a normal skirmish, while other times I hit a roadblock because I had not completed a specific narrative mission. The game has no idea why I cannot proceed, and I certainly have no idea. I had to Google it. This is a common occurrence and really slows down the progression. There are three credits to roll, and to get them all it would take a ridiculous amount of time. Odyssey is the perfect game to purchase if it is all you plan to play this year. There is simply that much content. Combine that with the planned DLC and the HD version of Assassin’s Creed III coming over the next six months, and there is certainly enough bang for your buck.
What has carried over from Origins mostly though is the combat and RPG mechanics. Tweaks are welcome here as Ubisoft has definitely streamlined a lot of this. Combat feels a lot different this time around as it focuses more on abilities and attacking. The parry is a large part of combat, so master it early. The three skill trees focus on hunter abilities (your bow), attacks, and stealth. I love some of the improvements such as the ability to nullify fall damage (finally!) The loot system also returns with plenty of armor of the normal colors and effects. Love it or hate it, the system works and getting new gear is always good.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a game that is worth its price tag and so much more. It will take gamers months to finish all it has to offer. Pick up the season pass and likely have dozens of more hours to play. It is a massive game and something that feels like a swan song before another two-year hiatus for the series. I feel like they threw too much into the mix this time though. I could literally wonder around for 1-2 hours and do absolutely nothing, while I could also spend two hours just navigating through menus to upgrade and plan. There is a lot here, so for those that love the new direction of Assassin’s Creed, this is the game you need to buy this holiday season.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.