Review
Played on: Xbox One X
Released: 2018
Released: 2018
Last years Assassin's Creed origins, review here, marked a soft reboot for the franchise. Brand new engine, gameplay and a distinctly different approach to the AC formula. While at the same time retaining the much loved style of the series. Although the story of Origins was a let down for me, I really appreciated the beautiful and huge open world and fantastic gameplay overhaul.
Odyssey builds upon Origins fantastic fundamentals but offers a far stronger story and narrative. In fact, it wanders off so far into RPG territory, I'd wager to say it's a full fledged action RPG game!
So, we move from Origins' ancient Egypt, to Odysseys ancient Greece. From pharaohs, Cleopatra and deserts, to Spartans, philosophers and lushly vegetated islands. Odyssey is a sequel that knows what needs to kept and what needs to be fixed for further enhancing a great series to an even greater form.
So, we move from Origins' ancient Egypt, to Odysseys ancient Greece. From pharaohs, Cleopatra and deserts, to Spartans, philosophers and lushly vegetated islands. Odyssey is a sequel that knows what needs to kept and what needs to be fixed for further enhancing a great series to an even greater form.
Let's take a a closer look at what this Odyssey has to offer, other than amazing Spartan kicks!
The story is about a pair of Spartan siblings, Alexios and Kassandra, growing up in Sparta. Their terrible fate is sealed when one of them is forced to be sacrificed at a worshipping ritual. Intervening the certain death of the other sibling, both are thrown off a cliff to their seemingly deaths. The player chooses which one of the siblings you wish to play. It's a great way to let you finally play a AC experience as either a man or a woman. It also opens up for a different approach if you choose to replay the game.
This time around the story is much stronger focused on the main character and doesn't wander off into a huge mainline plot that puts him or her on the sideline. It's all about either Alexios and Kassandra and there are consequences and various ways key scenes in the plot can be changed depending on your dialogue choices. Granted, they aren't always that groundbreaking choices, or mood changing, but it further grounds the impression that the AC franchise is becoming, and in much respect, has become a RPG game.
Although the story begins fairly locally, on a small but manageable sized island, discovering that your sibling of choice survived the fall, and what you think is the main quest, really changes up and expands into something massive around 10-12 hours in. Your family's story is one thing but there are separate mercenary, cultist and artefact stories to take follow too! We're talking a game that easily can reach 100 hours of gameplay time and double that if you wish to complete absolutely everything.
Origins introduced character leveling and enemies that are at numbered levels and not easily be defeated unless you were at a fairly equal level and matching weapon levels. Odyssey, retains all this, adding more with weapon enhancements and an expanded ability tree for your characters skills. This way you can tailor your character towards the playstyle you prefer.
This time around the story is much stronger focused on the main character and doesn't wander off into a huge mainline plot that puts him or her on the sideline. It's all about either Alexios and Kassandra and there are consequences and various ways key scenes in the plot can be changed depending on your dialogue choices. Granted, they aren't always that groundbreaking choices, or mood changing, but it further grounds the impression that the AC franchise is becoming, and in much respect, has become a RPG game.
Although the story begins fairly locally, on a small but manageable sized island, discovering that your sibling of choice survived the fall, and what you think is the main quest, really changes up and expands into something massive around 10-12 hours in. Your family's story is one thing but there are separate mercenary, cultist and artefact stories to take follow too! We're talking a game that easily can reach 100 hours of gameplay time and double that if you wish to complete absolutely everything.
Origins introduced character leveling and enemies that are at numbered levels and not easily be defeated unless you were at a fairly equal level and matching weapon levels. Odyssey, retains all this, adding more with weapon enhancements and an expanded ability tree for your characters skills. This way you can tailor your character towards the playstyle you prefer.
There are now three main branches to level into. Hunter, aims towards using your bow, Assassin is for stealthy upgrades and the Warrior segment is for the hands-on sword and axe fighting. There's a bunch of more specific action moves to use for each ability class too, which again you must choose to map to your action buttons. My favourite being a good old Spartan kick! In a recent patch, the game even lets you transmog your outfit, making it possible to take the stats from one type of armour but retaining the visual look of another.
In addition, Odyssey takes a new approach to it's map. Right at the beginning of the game you are offered to play the game in two ways, either the classic AC map where synchronise points will litter you map with anything nearby. Or, with the new and recommended way, makes you discover everything yourself by walking there. The latter helps keep the map at bay without overwhelming the player.
In addition, Odyssey takes a new approach to it's map. Right at the beginning of the game you are offered to play the game in two ways, either the classic AC map where synchronise points will litter you map with anything nearby. Or, with the new and recommended way, makes you discover everything yourself by walking there. The latter helps keep the map at bay without overwhelming the player.
Exploring is highly rewarding too, with secret caves, tombs and enemy camps to discover. Exploring places, and completing them, will in turn reward you with XP towards leveling. At times, I felt like I was playing a free roaming Tomb Raider game with Kassandra taking the role of Lara, hair braided and all. I was exploring the incredibly detailed scenery, constantly looking for new places to discover, a fantastic feeling. Even coming across ancient tombs!
Visually, the game is just stunning, much like how beautiful Origins looked, Odyssey takes it a step further in variation. The lush and vegetated islands of Greece are painstakingly filled with detail. Daytime, wonderfully, shines rays of sun down on coastal villages, dense forests, huge mountains and flower covered fields in stunning 4K detail on the Xbox One X.
Visually, the game is just stunning, much like how beautiful Origins looked, Odyssey takes it a step further in variation. The lush and vegetated islands of Greece are painstakingly filled with detail. Daytime, wonderfully, shines rays of sun down on coastal villages, dense forests, huge mountains and flower covered fields in stunning 4K detail on the Xbox One X.
Update: Odyssey now runs 60fps with the latest Xbox Series X/S patch, retaining it's original resolution!
HDR lights up everything in great contrast, with the sun almost blinding you as you rotate your camera. Day and night cycle brings life to the world, as well as tactics for being hidden in the dark. The draw distance is just draw dropping too. It all runs smoothly thanks to the dynamic resolution that adapts to the amount of stuff going on, understandably locked at 30fps on consoles.
The fact that the game takes place on islands, further makes the naval battles and traversing by boat, seem naturally integrated. Bringing back memories of why it worked so well in Black Flag and not the abrupt way it was moved off the main map in Origins. Absolutely massive and stunning open world which is right up there with the very best of the genre.
The fact that the game takes place on islands, further makes the naval battles and traversing by boat, seem naturally integrated. Bringing back memories of why it worked so well in Black Flag and not the abrupt way it was moved off the main map in Origins. Absolutely massive and stunning open world which is right up there with the very best of the genre.
In such a vast and packed world like Odyssey, it's difficult to complain about too much content in a way that seems fair, but it's one of those games that perhaps throws an overwhelming amount of things at the player to complete. The main story, the mercenaries hunt and the assassination list of cultists, that all need taken care of, are interlinked but coupled together with modern day flashbacks and a the mythology of ancient artefact locations.
Confused, well, it just becomes way too many paths of stories to get around to completing or caring about. Luckily, each of these main story arcs can be completed separately and the one about the life of your character, is really well executed. It will be the part you'll probably care the most about, Origins lacked this character development, which is a key improvement and something I appreciated a lot with Odyssey.
While any AC game boils down to simply killing people, obviously as you're making your character a famous hired mercenary, but being RPG inspired, the underlying details like resources being dumbed down and no personal black smith options other than engraving seems a bit primitive.
While any AC game boils down to simply killing people, obviously as you're making your character a famous hired mercenary, but being RPG inspired, the underlying details like resources being dumbed down and no personal black smith options other than engraving seems a bit primitive.
Such an epic undertaking of a game could need some more detail in some elements. Maybe a meter showing your loyalty between the Spartans and Athenians, making it easier or harder to enter your rivals camps? Doing missions for both of them, with no consequences, feels a little shallow and lacks purpose. These are not complaints that are major in any way, just elements I would have liked done differently.
Summarising, we're looking at an absolutely brilliant continuation of the gameplay elements Origins, while becoming a better and focused life story of your character. You learn to care and makes choices for either Alexios or Kassandra, that affect them directly, you're not some sideline plot. Combined with established new combat system from the last game, Odyssey is a joy to play that never really tired me after tens and tens of hours of gameplay.
Summarising, we're looking at an absolutely brilliant continuation of the gameplay elements Origins, while becoming a better and focused life story of your character. You learn to care and makes choices for either Alexios or Kassandra, that affect them directly, you're not some sideline plot. Combined with established new combat system from the last game, Odyssey is a joy to play that never really tired me after tens and tens of hours of gameplay.
The more I unlocked of abilities and new moves, the more fun it became to engage battles. A great focus made in varying locations and the island layout of land and sea travel helps keep things more diverse. Each island helps keep the overwhelming game size manageable, in small segments.
Odyssey, is without doubt, the best Assassin's Creed game I have ever played. It's an immensely strong return entry the series and even further more, it's the best game I've played this year. That's quite an achievement for such a long run of a franchise, with frequent releases.
Odyssey, is without doubt, the best Assassin's Creed game I have ever played. It's an immensely strong return entry the series and even further more, it's the best game I've played this year. That's quite an achievement for such a long run of a franchise, with frequent releases.
Be in no doubt, the amount of value in play hours, the fantastic story and hugely entertaining gameplay is top class in Odyssey. Oh, and the visuals, man what a beautiful country Greece is!
