Game Review: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Xbox One X)

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the eleventh major installment in the Assassins Creed franchise and the successor to 2017’s Origins. It released in 2018 and was developed by Ubisoft Quebec & published by Ubisoft. Set in the year 431 BCE, the plot tells a fictional history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Players control a male or female misthios (mercenary) who fights for both sides as they attempt to unite their family and stop a dangerous cult.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey places more emphasis on role-playing elements than previous games in the series. The game contains dialogue options, branching quests and multiple endings. The player is able to choose the gender of the main character, adopting the role of older brother Alexios or younger sister Kassandra. The game features a notoriety system in which mercenaries chase after the player if they commit crimes like killing or stealing.

Alexios or Kassandra, is a mercenary, and a descendant of the Spartan king Leonidas I. They inherit his broken spear, which is forged into a blade to become a weapon that grants the player special abilities in combat. The game uses a skill tree system that allows the player to unlock new abilities. The three skill trees are “hunter”, which improves player character’s archery, “warrior”, which puts emphasis on combat, and “assassin”, which focuses on stealth. This replaces the system used in Origins, which granted the player a series of passive abilities.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey also features naval combat again. The player can develop romantic relationships with non-playable characters of both genders, regardless of their own character’s gender.

As either Alexios or Kassandra you must attempt to repair your fractured family, stop the cult & uncover the mysteries of your destiny and the ones that came before.

Forget everything you think you know about Assassin’s Creed, this is the franchise like you have never seen it before. In short, it has gone full-blown RPG. As a massive fan of that genre, I couldn’t be happier. The game takes you on an epic tale in a huge, highly detailed, authentic feeling version of ancient Greece. In my opinion, Odyssey is what an Assassin’s Creed game was always meant to be. It’s just we finally have the technology & capabilities to make it a reality.

Did I mention that the world is big? In fact, the whole game is ginormous. There is so much to get to grips with that it can be very overwhelming at first. I’d even go as far to say that this game has too much content. Don’t get me wrong, its fantastic value for money but still. If you aimed to complete everything it has to offer, you’re looking at hundreds of hours of gameplay.

Well, if there is one world to spend that much time in it is this one. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of the best looking video games ever made, a feast for the eyes in stunning 4K. The world itself can be a little rough around the edges. However, the character models are high quality. Also, it has some of the best looking water effects I have ever seen in a game. Below the surface is an aquatic paradise that is as full of life as the one above it.

Whether you pick Alexios or Kassandra, you’ll find an interesting, likeable character with a compelling tale to sink your teeth into. It hits most of the notes that you would hope for considering the setting. There is a nice variety to missions and plenty of fun characters. Only a couple of quests are truly memorable though. The ones where your choices feel like they have the most impact are the best. Unfortunately, too many of the minor missions are essentially fetch quests. Also, there is one questline involving the Olympics that should have been epic but it falls painfully flat.

For the most part, I felt invested in the story. I cared about certain characters and always tried to make the best choices. There is a good variety to the dialogue, it is well written and delivered. I will say that there is one particular death that just doesn’t hit as hard as I’m sure the creators were hoping.

The combat is the best I have seen from any game in the series. It’s the right kind of challenging in that even the most basic enemy can give you a good battle. You’ll need to think strategically as getting into huge fights is a quick way to die. Along the way you’ll fight some mythical beasts, these fights are nothing short of epic. Don’t forget, this is an Assassin’s Creed game so expect the mythological. Thankfully, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are some “real world” sections but they aren’t so bad.

Another aspect that impressed me was the amount of differently designed armours & weapons. You can really make whoever you choose to play as your own. Want to look like some kind of Greek God? You can. The levelling system sees you progressing very quickly, you’ll always feel like you’re growing stronger.

Finally, the naval combat is a lot of fun as well. Impressively, I only experienced a small handful of technical bugs throughout my time with the game. Musically, Odyssey has its own wonderful version of the classic Assassin’s Creed theme.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It’s a must buy for RPG & Assassin’s Creed fans alike.