The peasant boy a few feet away from me cowers in fear, his eyes teary with the thought of his stolen ox cart. I get into position aiming my bow at the nearest bandit, and fire. Actually no, I first fire and then continue to aim while making use of my skill to control arrows in midair. It hits the target, the bandit howls in pain and the peasant boy whoops in joy for his retrieved goods.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins – Game Review
That is just a tiny peek at what Assassin’s Creed: Origins has to offer, it truly embodies the true essence of the original Assassins Creed’s legacy.
Have you ever felt that Assassin’s Creed lost its way in recent years? Ever wondered why they couldn’t keep up with their phenomenal prequels?
Well, fret no more, because the most recent addition to the Assassin’s Creed series makes up for everything the games ever did wrong while also giving us so much more. Here’s a first eyed glance at what we at The Techseer think of the game.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins developed and published by Ubisoft is an action-adventure game and the tenth major installment to Ubisoft’s wildly successful Assassin’s Creed series. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation4 and Xbox One on the 27th of October 2017 as a successor to its predecessor Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate released in 2015.
Blurring the lines between prequel and sequel, Assassin’s Creed: Origins yanks us into the time of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt as Bayek, our new resident assassin pledged to protect the ruler of Egypt. We’ve got to say, Bayek is our favorite hero as of yet, he beats the likes of other heroes like Ezio Auditore with his compassionate nature and unparalleled humor. The words compassionate and assassin don’t really seem to go together, dothey? Nah this hero delivers punishment to only those who deserve it.
He comes with the typical tragic backstory but that doesn’t mean he’s the brooding bitter lead, no, this character manages to shield his story from others with a few cracked jokes here and there and his genuine care for others. His little smiles have managed to capture the hearts of millions all over the world and quite frankly our own. He also quite unsurprisingly manages to earn his title of the ‘Smiling Assassin’.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins provides an intense journey through the series most alluring setting yet, the deserts of Egypt, where we battle our concepts of right and wrong in a twisted expedition through corrupt pharaohs and leaders and to love gained and lost. The hierarchy has never been more cruel, working the lower class to death with no one even as much as batting an eye. But I guess we’re here to change that and finally put an end to all that is wrong with our new playground presented to us in the form of Ancient Egypt.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins: Pros
- The best setting accompanied by the biggest and most connected map
- Bayek is a fun new lead
- Devastatingly beautiful new visuals
- Impressive skill graph
- Eagle scouting
Assassin’s Creed: Origins: Cons
- Lacks original ideas
- Archaic weapons and technology
- Players may be annoyed by the high pricing of better weapons and armor
The Flow
With an extra year of development under its belt, Ubisoft has successfully crafted a sequel-worthy of the series’ and its previously acquired fame all the while not failing to address many of the fans’ complaints about the series. So after a few stumbles and staggers, the Assassin’s Creed Origins finally managed to put the franchise back on track putting it right back on the road to triumph.
The extravagant execution of Ancient Egypt welcomes us into the Assassin’s Creed: Origins game with open arms beckoning us on our path to battle the corrupt inner circle of Egypt’s monarchy. We’re set on our way as the leading protagonist, Bayek accompanied by his loving wife, Aya. But don’t judge a book by its cover just yet, this wife of Bayek’sisn’t just a picture painted to adore, she’s quite a capable warrior in her own right.
As you roam around the gorgeous historic open world of Egypt, you cross paths with numerous NPCs ( Cleopatra and Julius Ceaser to name a few ) as a nostalgic hike down history. It’s the series’ first attempt at an action RPG and quite frankly it shows. It’s a little rough around the edges as the Assassin’s Creed: Origins attempted to merge the established stealth-action elements with the mechanics of an action RPG which quite often doesn’t see eye to eye and in this case, fails to do so as well. Yes, we’re talking about those loot boxes, Ubisoft.
The Plot
True to its title, this game acts as a prequel pulling at the very roots of the series and displaying the very origins of the struggle between the Assassins, ones who fight for peace with liberty in contradiction to those who desire peace through laying down the order. Set in the medieval Ptolemaic Egypt, the story follows Bayek, who works to protect his people from threats that come their way.
The open world allows players to freely roam the open world of Egypt through a third-person perspective at the game’s first attempt at an RPG. You can travel on foot, horseback, camel-back or boat but like its predecessor Assassin’s Creed: Origins, unfortunately, does not support multiplayer gameplay but with the series’ new attempts to step into uncharted territories, we’re sure we’ll see it soon enough.
The majority of the side quests have been crafted with care and true to its legacy it maintains the mixture of stealth, assassination, and parkour platforming for which the series is already widely renowned for but with a bit of a twist updating in a way that’s quite refreshing as well as it is exciting.
While Ubisoft tried to win a race against its other open-world companions in the run, it ended up taking quite a few obvious pointers from them and well, we’re disappointed to say, it kind of shows. The ‘inspiration’ it takes from other games like The Witcher 3, Destiny, and Far Cry, robs our adventure of any real sense of originality but at the same time, it did result in a 35+ hour journey that we thoroughly enjoyed on our end so all’s well that ends well.
Gameplay
Assassin Creed Origin comes with improved combat, but still lacks some necessary elements, one being the fact that it needs a dedicated, and a consistent button for assassination. Though at the same time the combat is quite stimulating as it is thoughtful, and while its loot system doesn’t match up to that of Destiny 2, when presented a situation, the enemy varieties and the various different kinds of weapons kept us on our toes as we swiftly swapped between weapons deciding on whatever weapon catered to our needs at the time.
The combat has an entirely new feel to it, now more of reminiscent of Dark Souls and nothing like what the series has ever seen before. Press the RB/R1 and perform an attack that leaves you buzzing with adrenaline, the RT/R2 has you breaking an enemy’s guard with just a quick tap, and pressing the two together in Assassin’s Creed: Origins unleashes a special weapon that consistently changes depending on your loadout but always ends with a flashy and admittedly quite satisfying finisher.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins had us approaching combat in a multitude of different ways, every weapon and every new technique feeling like stepping into a whole new era of gaming. Its combat also has its own take on reality, the mace swung with a real sense of weight, while the dual wielding swords had us darting around like a maniac doctor wielding a scalpel all in all a great experience we doubt we or for that matter, you will ever forget.
Battles seem to be the core part of Assassin’s Creed: Origins and the game doesn’t hesitate in showing that off, See that gang of guards scurrying to make you meet your demise?, you can end them with an endless flurry of slashes or you could wait for the perfect moment and kill them all in one strike, all up to you and whatever course of action you decide to take.
What has us completely hooked was Bayek’s impressive arsenal on Assassin’s Creed: Origins, which proves to be incredibly malleable throughout the game. From sleep darts to predatory bows, what Bayek had up his sleeve made conquering the Roman Citadel way more fun than we expected. Though the sneaking mechanics may not have seen that much of an update, it was still amusing creeping up on night posts as nothing but a lingering shadow.
Mounts can be purchased in the form of camels and horses in Assassin’s Creed: Origins, but it seems kind of pointless to spend 5,000 drachmae on something you can find pretty much scattered across the plain of Ancient Egypt. You can purchase additional weapons and costume packs with a currency gained from spending real life money, real life money that was well, out of our budgets, but if it isn’t in yours either, Assassin Creed Origin is generous enough with loot so I was never really tempted by the extra goodies.
Verdict: Assassin Creed Origin
With over 35+ spent on this game, Assassin Creed Origin is a game that yanked us in and only threw us out when we smashed down the end button, sleepless and starved, eyes bloodshot but completely satisfied by Ubisoft’s latest addition to the Assassin’s Creed series. It has a few setbacks, what game doesn’t but the series is back on track and better than ever. If you’re a fan of the style of RPG other games like The Witcher 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn follows, the series’ first attempt at an RPG is definitely the game for you and it might just surprise you. The TechSeer will give it an 8.7 out of a solid 10.
