REVIEW

Assassin’s Creed Origins Review

by Luke Walsh, October 27th, 2017

Assassin’s Creed Origins is a game which is surprisingly hard to work out why Ubisoft or any other game company has not yet decided to do an open world game set in Ancient Egypt. Reviewing this title, it became apparent how much lore, history and story can be driven into a game and it works wonders to revitalise the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It has a darker story than the other titles as your main character Bayek of Siwa confronts a twisted Egypt that is full of dodgy leaders and a pretty nasty pharaoh. Vines of narrative intertwine with one another, giving you a breath of fresh air with love, loss and the struggles of someone from a time where mass slavery, extreme poverty in-balance and death is “just” a part of life.

Bayek is a great character designed to tell the story of Egypt through the eyes of a Medjay, who was a warrior set out to protect of the ruler and all of the citizens. The great thing about his character is being able to feel his compassion to the civilians as you walk around and his interactions with the characters you meet along the way. Whether it be part of a side quest where you help a wife find his missing husband, or help a merchant recover a cart stolen by bandits, Bayek really feels like a warrior of the people. He shows this care for animals as he befriends them but also his swift justice killing only those who deserve to die for the sake of Egypt. A lot of protagonists in the Assassin’s Creed franchise have failed to really connect with me as a player, but Bayek, I really liked exploring around the Great Pyramid, inside tombs and battling across the desert.

I spent over 25 hours on the campaign which did not even lead me to uncover the entire map that has recreated Ancient Egypt right down until the beautiful blades of grass. Really, the game is bloody beautiful and Ubisoft have even introduced a photo mode allowing you to capture it in its glory. Different environments litter the landscape from the harsh-hot desert to the mountains and hidden tombs which lay underground only accessible through small passageways. It’s the organic element which makes it so enjoyable, everything can be discovered by chance and secrets lie in wait for you to stumble upon them. If you ever watch the History channel and had a sense of wonder of what the Ancient Egyptians were able to achieve, Ubisoft has done a fantastic job recreating the awe-inspiring history.

What’s more, there are no loading screens unless you fast travel or from a couple of in-game cutscenes. Most of your travel can be done through the mount system which can be called at a press of a button which you can set on auto mode and just take in the scenery around you. This allows you to see different cultures in different cities around the map and everyone feels different with unique political viewpoints and slightly different architecture.

This leads well into how Assassin’s Creed Origins is probably one of the best story-driven, mission-based games in the entire franchise. It’s all well laid out from following the story of Bayek and his troubles to uncover the mysteries and deception within Egypt and how it connects to his personal story. While also being able to go off the beaten path and solve puzzles, racing chariots or plane just killing high-level enemies in hidden fortresses around the world. There’s much less rinse repeat mission scripting in Origins, something the previous few games have had a problem they’ve failed to overcome. Things even tie into the overarching storyline of the franchise in a way which pushing the more sci-fi elements connecting them together. Questing has become a much more memorable experience from the main story to the side missions, something which reminds me of The Witcher 3 which really nail narrative driven questing.

More refined is a word that pops into my head more with Origins, everything has been improved rather than reinventing the wheel. The Parkour part of Assassin’s Creed which made it what it is today it the best iteration in the series yet. Everything flows seamlessly together being able to climb almost anything more naturally from building to mountains and everyday objects. This makes climbing much more enjoyable as something you believe you can climb Bayek does, rather than working out the best route up a building because only the extremely obvious misplaced bulging bricks are your unnatural stepping stones.

RPG elements of Origins have also had a giant overhaul which creates a much more obsessive need to max out everything possible while also tailoring your playstyle. There are three different skill trees which you can sink your ability points into, each changing how you can further expand how you play. Different skills allow you to become a better hunter, acting in the shadows by stalking your prey and knowing where they’ll be. Bayek can even be the master at traps, controlling animals to help his quest or if being sneaky and technical is not your thing, a skill tree dedicated to being a bad monster in melee combat also exists creating devastating combos and charging heavy attacks. Some skills are a must have based on how the skills open out in each tree but there’s a lot on offer which will give people many ways to mould Bayek to their liking.

RPG elements of Origins have had a giant overhaul.

On top of this freedom to create your ideal character comes more freedom in the world, nothing is really mentioned to you in terms of how to play the game. You are provided tools, provided mechanics and skills but how you use them is up to you. Multiple routes and strategies can get you to your end goal and it is up to you on how to find it. Ubisoft has gone for a more open approach to the missions, something which can evolve as you progress through the game. Think Hitman/Dues Ex that can befriend animals while also making previously assassinated corpses into poison bombs.

Stronger on the RPG elements of the game also came more grinding than in previous titles in the series which made it feel like a semi-Korean MMORPG. A lot of missions I played were above my level and although some could be achieved through patience and a lot of stealth, others really needed me to bulk up a little beforehand before I could tackle the commander of a stronghold or assassinate one of the top brass around Egypt. This presented much more of a challenge than other Assassin’s Creed games and made it really damn fun. Rather than a hard and fast level system where you have to be that level, it is more of a guideline, possible but harder the further you are away from it.

Combat is something in the game which has drastically improved, more through refined hitboxes that mean attacks which are separated into light and heavy can connect to more than one enemy or you can miss your step and fail at a crucial moment. This is combined with the block and dodge mechanics which mean depending on where your or an enemies weapon actually touches will depend on the damage taken if any. Rather than just one on one fights, you could be up against a group damaging various together using a spear or trying to divide and conquer using your sword and shield. Origins also really hurts; the game feels much harder in terms of the number of hits you can take before things get dicey. Fights are tenser, with the feeling of more to lose (even though reloading it possible in a Matrix-style world…)

Enemies also throw more into the mixture with various different types, from your normal infantry-men to heavy guards and commanders who deal more damage which higher quality gear. At a later stage in the game you also come up against Phylakes, Egyptian bounty hunters, one wrong move with these guys and you can meet a swift end. It is possible to take on these foes, for example, one on one and the lock on system helps with this but I really used it as it felt more restrictive than I would have liked in the heat of battle. With the AI also being smarter changing weapons based on your range and what you about to do to them there really was not much time to be swapping between locked on targets. Luckily, the combat system is easy enough to use going “freehand”.

Combat improvements had to mean weapons one and there are many. In origins, there is wide selection of different types of swords, sickles, spears and more. Every one of them has a level, quality and rarity and some with additional effects. Some give you bleeding damage while others can have poison attributed to them or just have a longer reach. These further ties into different playstyles gamers will be able to make use of, mix and matching various weapon sets and this helps with the game likes to keep new items constantly flowing. If you like a particular weapon there’s also the ability to keep it powered up for a price at your local Blacksmith.

There’s also your ranged weaponry which has been divided into different bows that excel at different things much like Horizon: Zero Dawn. The predator bow is your sniper rifle, the hunter bow is your shotgun and then you have your general all round bow. Continuing from that are additional tools that can be unlocked from sleep darts, fire-bombs, smoke bombs are others that allow an extensive range of strategy combinations. Inside fortresses, bow stands are littered throughout meaning you can restock your quiver and tools without having to be too conservative.

Rarity makes finding the special treasures fun, from looting it off a dead commander or finding it through a puzzle or tomb. You will come across them so they are not as elusive and those found in MMORPGs but each come with their own “buffs”. Everything is quite well balanced so you won’t really find many weapons barring a few which have the best buffs but you feel like you’ve outgrown it. Later items in the game can also be “cursed” similar to Dishonoured Bone Charms that have a strong positive effect but also a negative effect if you choose to equip it.

Most of the ones I found where not really worth using long term for their negative effects but some did have some interesting characterises. The one thing I would say though is although better than before, the loot system is a bit repetitive after you’ve collected and tried all the weapon types. I also found myself only really using a spear or sickle/sword, staying away from the heavier weapons completely. Also, where the hell are the dual hidden blades come on…after searching the skill tree one by one it does not exist in this version. Shame really.

Microtransactions inside single player games feel a little slimy, memories of Dead Space 3 come to mind. You do get 200 Helix when you first log in as a “freebie” but the store allows you to buy your usual cosmetic items which you can’t find in-game as well as “Time Savers” which are stuff like crafting supplies, in-game cash that sort of thing. If it was not for the fact, anything you get in the time saver category can’t be easily farmed in the world for free I’d be more much damning. Apart from cosmetic items locked behind a paywall, the “pay to win” stuff is only optional if you really are disinterested in finding materials or looting everything you see. Ubisoft, you have passed this time.

It would not be an Assassin’s Creed game without some bugs, the usual texture glitching or my mount getting stuck in places I did not realise they could. Honestly, the bugs where very minimal and nothing really meant I had to be that involved in trying to unstick myself or game breaking. Learning from past mistakes, any patches have come through quickly which have caught issues before I really noticed playing on the retail version of the game.

Assassin’s Creed Origins is the best version of an Assassin’s Creed game yet, one which really should have happened three or so games ago. It is rich with a story, history and world full of things to uncover and explore. Missions in the game are the best I’ve seen throughout the entire franchise and although the loot system could be more varied there are enough different weapons and items to get you through your playthrough combined with a decent skill tree and better AI than previous games. The RPG elements have gotten a lot better, while also simplifying things like armour to just be cosmetic rather than technical. Losing 30 hours into the game is worth the time and I think I will be going back for a little while longer after this review yet.