Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Homer’s Odyssey is one of those bodies of work that has etched itself into countless forms of entertainment. While many of us may roll our eyes, recounting semesters or summers spent fumbling through its pages as required reading, the Odyssey is, simply, a classic. The grueling and treacherous steps Odysseus takes may seem hard to relate to in our electronic age but his tale is a very human one at its core. He may be a who man rubs elbows with gods and defies mythical creatures but like all of us, he just wants to be home.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is aptly named. The connection between the Greek setting and the Greek classic will only be lost on the few who have never crossed paths with a literature course or that one episode of The Simpsons. The titular odyssey also describes your main character’s quest as they seek out their home after years apart from it. For Alexios or Kassandra–whoever you decide to choose–home is more than a location, it is their place in a chaotic and dangerous world. There can be many interpretations of an odyssey but when I reflect on my time with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey I think of a different kind of journey. Eleven years ago Assassin’s Creed made its strange debut in gaming and has since rubbed elbows with greatness and defied impossible odds. And now, after all this time, the series has reached its pinnacle. We are home.

To dissect and analyze Odyssey feels like a Herculean task. This is a game that, after 50 hours, has much left to offer not only because of its massive size but its satisfying depth. The pillars of Assassin’s Creed have evolved in such a way that many players may think they don’t recognize the series. After nine mainline games that ultimately retained the same core, Origins was a required reboot that initially felt a bit startling coming off the heels of Syndicate. Odyssey continues to blaze the path forward while proving this formula is what the series deserves.

The Power of Choice

Assassin’s Creed has always been a game about playing a role. The role of a different assassin in a different point in history has allowed players to feel like an untouchable agent of death who paints centuries-old streets red with blood. Yet that role was always picked by the developers at Ubisoft and there were no alternate paths players could deviate from. Odyssey goes beyond what its precursors have done and gives players the ultimate gift of choice. The first choice is absolute: Do you wish to play as the male Alexios or the female Kassandra? It is a binary choice that many games have allowed players to do before but it is the beginning of the series finally yielding to its RPG nature.

Skeptics of Odyssey are likely going to feel that the game’s emphasis on choice is arbitrary, that players can be good or bad and certain actions will have consequences. Opportunities will arise for players to kill a person rather than letting them live. Maybe you felt the cult leader was too far gone to save, maybe you thought he still could do good and spared him. Players may have the chance withhold a crucial piece of information or be generous. Maybe you chose to tell the rebel leader that the oppressive tyrant she was trying to kill was her father. Maybe you decided to be greedy and keep the sword you found in a cave rather than give it back to the priestess who wanted it returned to the temple’s altar.

There are countless choices that players will make in Odyssey. Those fervent enough will make the case that countless choices are available in other games as well. It is a fair point, yes. But there is a significance in the way Odyssey handles this new mechanic. Ubisoft Quebec are allowing players to be the person they want to be. Alexios or Kassandra doesn’t have to be a hero or a villain, they can be a mercenary who requires payment in one instance and is less of a Scrooge the next. Players can use every opportunity available to claim they are sent by the gods or decide to only take one lover instead of ten.

Decisions made in Odyssey always feel earned. Not every single quest or every character has significance. As Kassandra, I felt more warmly receptive to people’s plights and would give them a break whenever I could. It’s quite shocking that several moments over the course of the main campaign are emotional. Characters are easier to bond with because players are working towards fostering these relationships and reacting in the manner they wish to. Critics of BioWare’s style of dialog and writing often bemoaned the fact that interactions in the world often boiled down to red and blue choices. Odyssey does not make things so glaringly obvious. Better yet, many of these conversation options and choices don’t feel unnatural because there are often several that can be used in a scenario. During key story moments, Kassandra would frequently be given up to three different ways to respond during multiple points.

Players who are intent upon embracing the full RPG nature of this game as Ubisoft did will not find themselves at a loss for ways to become the role they are trying to play. From the moment I started out on Kassandra’s home island of Kephallonia I felt a bond with father figure Markos and young friend Phoibe. I tried to do what was right by them and was crushed to know when an early “good” decision turned out to be bad. Many games exist that introduce these moral quandaries but Odyssey never feels like it is checking a box.

Because of the massive scope of the game and it’s world, Ubisoft have covered nearly the entire spectrum of emotions a player can feel. There are genuine gut-wrenching moments of loss and sadness. Characters will defy your blade and the ensuing rage to kill them is only made better by the satisfaction of ending their life. There are laugh out loud moments such as the “Olympian” Testikles, who will forever be etched into my memory. I was constantly left in awe at the accomplishments the writing team made and the lengths they went through to try everything and execute it well. Though, I must say, only a couple “romance” options feel like anything more than just silly distractions or a bit awkward. Even the character animations have gone the extra mile to convey more emotions than ever.

While I lament not being able to hear the hours of delivery done by Alexios’ voice actor Michael Antonakos, Melissanthi Mahut excels as Kassandra (added bonus, they are both Greek natives). Mahut delivers the humanity of Kassandra as she voyages across Greece. It is unfortunate that several moments of the game fall prey to bad lip syncing, which I’m not sure could be fixed in an update or not. It never took me out a scene as much as something like Life is Strange would but the fact that it is so pronounced at times can prove distracting.

In a way, it’s surprising that it took Ubisoft so long to give players the kind of narrative freedom that it has similarly offered for years with its open worlds. Perhaps it is because Assassin’s Creed has proven to be so flexible and the Animus conceit has allowed for some stretching of reality. When looking at Odyssey as a whole, the aspect of choice is likely the game’s ultimate triumph.

Think back to Edward Kenway from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Edward was such a breath of fresh air from his grandson Connor because he was a carefree pirate who players bonded with. It was only as the game went on that we began to peel back on his layers and see a real human there and not some virtual Jack Sparrow. Well, why did so many people seem to dislike Connor? Maybe because he played into his tragic scenario so deeply that most only saw a young assassin who always complained at things being awful. It’s impossible to argue that Ezio is one of the best Assassin’s Creed protagonists and one of the better ones in gaming. Much of that is due to the fact that he had three full games to flesh out his character arc. We learned to love Ezio because we were there with him throughout his life.

Now imagine all of that in one character. Alexios and Kassandra should not be seen purely as vessels for player expression. In fact, their nature of being mercenaries make them perfect for a flexible character arc that could change on a whim or hold true throughout the story. Unlike nameless or player-created characters, these two act as both an extension of the player and as their own individual. The lines may already be written but it is up to players to decide who this person will be. I am immensely pleased with Kassandra because in addition to all the ways I decided to craft her, she reacted to the world in her own way as well. Often I would be touring the world and hear Kassandra remark about something. These were initiated by the game and only served to round out her character even more. By hearing your character speak the words you choose, the narrative grows with you and because of you. It’s an incredible feeling to near the end of a quest line with Kassandra and see among the dialog options a choice you were already forming in your head. Once the final page has turned, it’s hard not to see my Kassandra standing in the same esteemed ranks as Commander Shepard and Geralt of Rivia.

Everything is Permitted

Ubisoft was smart when it overhauled the combat for Origins into something more active than reactive. By not having to reinvent entire systems, Odyssey is able to refine rather than define. One of the most significant changes I felt in combat was the lack of a shield. In most scenarios, Bayek could turtle up behind a shield and absorb blows until his target was open. There is less of a safety net in Odyssey and players are now required to pay more attention to enemy movements. Before striking, an enemy will either flash white or glow red. White means an attack that can be parried is incoming and by pressing L1 and R1, the enemy will be knocked back and open for a flurry of attacks. A red glow means the upcoming attack can’t be parried and the enemy can’t be staggered so dodging is required.

On easier difficulties, micro-managing several enemies is not horribly hard as health isn’t as precious a resource. Keeping that in mind, fights are still quite dangerous with multiple targets because paying attention to every tell isn’t easy. I played a good portion of Odyssey on the hardest Nightmare difficulty and then notched it down to Hard. Playing on these difficulties requires much more strategy and use of skills and item management.

Much like Origins, Odyssey uses a skill tree with unlockable nodes divided into three branches. These three branches focus on Hunter, Warrior, and Assassin combat skills. Investing in the Hunter skill tree allows players to do more damage with arrows and craft new arrow types. These skills are focused on precision shots and attacking from a distance. Because Odyssey removes the classes of bows found in Origins, many of those familiar arrow attacks are now assigned to a skill. The Warrior skill tree is for aggressive players who want to Spartan kick enemies off cliffs and deal heavy damage by setting their blades on fire and using overpower attacks. The Assassin skill tree includes my favorite thing to do in an Assassin’s Creed game to date: throwing the Spear of Leonidas from a distance into a target to do massive critical damage and then chaining successive hits.

Players can increase the potency of each skill by investing more ability points into it. Smartly, some skills are gated by level and by story progress so players are encouraged to try out other skills or damage types. Over the course of the story, the Spear of Leonidas can be upgraded to unlock new passive bonuses and higher tiers of skills. Once a skill is picked, players will assign it to a face button that can be pressed in conjunction with L1 or L2.

Once players begin to experiment and grow their repertoire of moves, the combat in Odyssey becomes and elegant dance of death. In some instances, things will be easier but in tougher bouts, players will be clawing for every hit to fill up their adrenaline bar to activate a life-saving heal or overpower attack. The biggest compliment I can give to Odyssey‘s fights is that they never felt stale. Sending Kassandra’s eagle Ikaros up into the air to spot out an entire fort’s worth of soldiers and collectibles and then coming up with a strategy to take them down one by one made an impact every time… and nearly every time I ended up sounding an alarm.

Conquest Battles are another interesting avenue to play around with new combat styles and weapons. Major zones in Greece are controlled by either Athenian or Spartan forces. Players can perform certain actions (destroying war supplies, killing soldiers, assassinating captains, etc.) to weaken one side enough to start a Conquest Battle. Once picking a side, players hop into a bloodbath where both sides are fighting and its up to you to kill enough soldiers and captains so your side wins. Conquest Battles are a little sloppy because enemy AI will often decide to engage you out of nowhere or run away as soon as you hit a soldier you weren’t locked onto. But the XP rewards are hard to resist, as is the opportunity to unleash hell upon grunts.

Another tweak introduced is equipment engraving (i.e. perks). Every weapon and every piece of armor now has an engraving that will grant specific bonuses. Nearly ever piece of gear will increase the base damage of the Hunter, Warrior, or Assassin tree. From there, engravings can grant boosts to charge time on a bow, the speed you move while crouched, or the damage dealt with a specific weapon type. Each engraving has multiple tiers, meaning the higher the tier, the better the bonus. If combat wasn’t already deep enough, there are objectives to unlocking better engravings. Quests and “treasure” hunts lead to new engravings but so does killing 25 animals or assassinating 100 people or getting 150 sword kills.

This is just another way that Ubisoft Quebec has given players the building blocks to construct their nebulous blueprint of success. Just like the narrative, combat is wide open to do what you want with it. Harder difficulties almost require players to specialize in a specific damage type and a small pool of engravings that will enhance certain skills. I complained that the loot drops in Origins were a bit much because, like in Destiny, most weapons eventually were fuel for dismantling or selling. Odyssey has only slightly improved that system. Engraving an item isn’t extremely costly but if you are hoping to get an old weapon up to your level, it will cost a ridiculous sum of both money and materials. Most players will often opt for whatever is new and slightly improves them. Eventually, though, this only serves to hurt your damage output of a specific type.

As Far as the Eye Can See

After some time away, Odyssey brings back naval combat as an entertaining distraction and method of transportation. The complexity of the 1700s ships is stripped down so players only have to worry about arrows, javelins, fire, and ramming. Few golden path quests ask the player to sail the open seas in search of a fight but it is required to navigate the open seas. The tranquility of the sea and hearing your crew sing shanties of your accomplishments is made even more thrilling when you’re escaping enemy territory only to be told by your crew mate Barnabas that you’re coming up to a volcano. Yes, there are volcanoes in Odyssey.

The sheer number of things to do in this game can feel both intimidating and thrilling. After the second chapter, players are introduced to the Cult of Cosmos, the masked force of evil tearing Greece apart at the seams. The Cult has multiple branches in its sick web and each has five cultists who are headed by a Sage. Players must seek out cultists by using hints and completing missions because only a few are ever explicitly revealed. It’s a tantalizing checklist that rewards juicy bits of lore and the best gear in the game, including gear sets that have a unique bonus when all five pieces are equipped.

Then there’s Mercenaries who become alerted when players start openly stealing and murdering in front of crowds. These persistent troublemakers will literally show up at anytime and join in Conquest Battles or a simple skirmish just to make your life difficult. Much like in Grand Theft Auto, the more red helmets you have, the more Mercenaries that will come for your blood. It is possible to have up to five Mercenaries (and any lions or bears they may use as pets) engaging with you at any time. A tab in the main screen shows a player’s ranking among the Mercenaries. Killing Mercenaries ranks you up but it is also wise to investigate each Mercenary as they have specific weaknesses and strengths you can take advantage of.

Oh, and on top of that there are legendary animals to tangle with as well. Oh, and players can go to most towns and seek out bounty boards that give bonus daily and weekly quests. Some reward premium currency that can be used to unlock cosmetic gear that can also be bought outright with, yes, microtransactions. Yet none of this is shoved in your face. But more than any entry before, a second playthrough is incentivized. Not only to experience the narrative in a different way but to play it differently too.

Odyssey is a massive game. It’s quite larger than Origins, which already felt daunting. But next to the incredible narrative, the one thing that left me speechless was the boundless beauty of the game’s depiction of Ancient Greece. On a PlayStation 4 Pro, Odyssey left me in absolute awe at its stunning lighting. There was never a moment when a sunrise or sunset glistened on the open water that I didn’t want to take a picture. In fact, I have never taken more screenshots of a game than I have with Odyssey.

The brilliant art direction deserves and unspeakable amount of acclaim for capturing a painterly eye in even the most banal settings. Dense forests, busy towns, and war-town coastlines all take on greater purpose when they are done in such exquisite detail. The first time you dive under the water and sea a sunken ruin where schools of fish play around its columns will take you by surprise. Wait for a whale or group of dolphins to jump out during a long voyage. Or just gaze at the miles of detail put into recreating one of the most opulent periods of human existence. This is a time when statues of gods seemed as tall as skyscrapers and there was not a point on the horizon where they could not be seen. Odyssey feels like a time capsule in how pristine it delivers Ancient Greece to players. It is like a painting come to life and one that is impossible to accurately describe.

That sentiment is one that rests with the entirety of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. In the easiest terms I could describe it as the best Assassin’s Creed game that has ever been made. That may be inflammatory for some who hold earlier entries in high regard or those who didn’t care for Origins‘ reboot. There are many catch-all terms I could use to snag your attention about Odyssey. Epic. Brilliant. A Triumph. You can’t miss this. They would feel cheap if it were not true. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has evolved the series for the better. This is the new high bar that every game will have to follow. Maybe this is why we won’t see a new Assassin’s Creed game in 2019. While Ubisoft has an impressive roadmap for the coming months, I can’t help but think that a choice-driven RPG is what’s best for this wild, ridiculous, fun series and that the next team is going to expand on that even more.

Time is the true measurement on what is deemed a classic. Movies, novels, symphonies, and epic poems may have struck a resonant chord with the masses at the time of their inception. But it wasn’t until they were unaffected by the coarse sands of time they were deemed a classic. For all its epic scope and boundless entertainment, time won’t be a problem for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.