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Assassin’s Creed Origins Review

I just finished up most of my play-through of Assassin's Creed Origins, and I have A LOT to say about this newest installment to one of my favorite franchises.

Origins changes quite a few things that AC veterans may find uncomfortable -- I did -- and also introduces a few new mechanics that I think you'll really enjoy. My review is going to cover general topics, and I'll dig into the micro of each of my points within those categories.

Story

First we have the story, which I have always found in AC games to be compelling and overly complex. Origins takes place in Egypt during the Ptolemaic period (48 BC). This is the time when Cleopatra's brother Ptolemy was pharoah, but the country was heavily dominated by Roman incursions and influence under the rule of Caesar (the one who was stabbed by the Senate). 

The main story focuses around Bayak, a Medjay (like a peace keeper), and his wife Aya, as they work to try and protect the kingdom from all sorts of bad things. Their son, Khemu, was murdered by a group of masked men who we know all too well to be The Order of the Ancients -- forerunners to the Templar Order. This drive for vengeance consumes Bayak, while his wife Aya is consumed by the call of duty to Cleopatra, who she believes to be the true pharaoh.

On the real life side of this story is Layla, who is working for Abstergo as a researcher looking for a relic in Egypt. She stumbles onto a tomb containing Bayak and Aya, and relives their memories using her modified animus. That's essentially the only "real life" part of this story that we see. 

In general, a good story, though I wished for more. See my critiques in the expandable section below.

Spoilers & Story Critique

Combat, Gear, & Skills

Combat radically changes in Assassin's Creed Origins. There's no counter system at all, and combat feels a lot less fluid. Instead, it's based on a more real-time feel where the enemy is just going to outright keep attacking you, and you can do the same. There's the ability to block and parry somewhat, but mostly it's about finding opening to execute combos and attacks before the enemy can get in theirs. 

I did not like this combat system nearly as much as past games. It felt at times uncontrolled, chaotic, and really unrefined. I'm used to playing as a skilled Assassin, and not a sword-and-board gladiator feel.

Character progression is tried to skills you purchase with ability points which are earned every time you level up and from finding ancient tablets. I felt like by the time I finished playing the main story, I had all the abilities I wanted. There are three trees, one focusing on ranged, one melee, and one 'tools' or 'different' abilities. I liked all the skills well-enough, and the system was neither make it or break it for me.

Gear was cool because it was a big step up for the series. You could choose two bows, two melee weapons, a shield, a tool, a mount, and a cosmetic outfit. For stats outside of weapon damage, you upgraded your hidden blade, ranged damage, melee damage, armor value, and ammunition count. I like how this system provided a loot drop mechanic that meant something, while also incorporating a hunting system.

In order to upgrade your gear you had to spend a significant amount of time hunting wild animals. At first, I thought this was a little tedious. I quickly picked up on using Senu to spot game everywhere I went. You also need things like ore and wood, all of which comes dominantly from taking out caravans -- super easy, just come up behind them and stealth kill your way to victory.

Overall, combat was meh. Gear was great. Skills fine. Upgrading gear and character power was neat and new.

Senu - Origins' Version of Eagle Vision

Want to know how eagle vision was invented? Well, Bayak has a eagle named Senu who can fly high above and spot everything. Tada! That's how it got its name. 

Senu can spot enemies, harass them (when upgraded), find wild game, find obejctives etc. Senu is a 100% mandatory key/crucial component of the game. Senu's perception is upgraded as you find more eagle points.

While a really, really cool mechanic to take control of Senu and fly around freely, I desperately missed the ability to flip on eagle vision and see through walls. Senu was more of a drone that would tag enemies for you. Not quite the same.

World, Setting, Missions, Progression, etc

The world is bigger than any past Assassin's Creed game. I think it feels bigger than even Black Flag including the ocean. Sure, a lot of it is open desert that seems unused, but it's huge. 

From climbing the great pyramids, to sailing the Egyptian rivers, to exploring the streets of Memphis, it's all very cool.

There are times I felt a little bit of what i call open-world fatigue. It hits when you constantly have to run around and travel back and forth to places which happens a lot of AC Origins.

Side missions are all over the world. As you discover a new area, chances are you'll uncover quite a few side quests that just pop up for ou. 

Main story missions will send you around the world to some degree, but a lot of exploring really falls on you as the player. You'll want to be sure you go out of your way to reveal those areas that might have more quests. Numerous times I got bored of side quests and progressed my story to the point of needed 3-4 levels before I could progress further.

Overall, the world is gorgeous. It's more 'living' than any other AC game. It's huge. Missions take you around, but there's plenty to explore. I think the side missions get boring, but they yield good rewards, some nice lore, and do give you the progression element you need.

Missing the "Assassin" Feel

This is my biggest gripe with Assassin's Creed Origins, but it's a problem inherent to a game that tells the story of how the Brotherhood came to be: I often didn't feel like an assassin. I didn't feel that 'badass' feeling I crave.

Many times I missed my double assassinate. I missed peaking on corners. I missed sneaking around and having to complete missions without being detected at all. I missed blending in with crowds, throwing money on the streets, the clandestine meetings, assassination contracts, etc. I missed being feared and known.

My wife is getting my The Ezio Collection for PS4 for Xmas so she can play through AC2, Revelations, and Brotherhood with me. Those are such good games, and after that we're playing Black Flag. I need to feel like an assassin again.

The Verdict

Bottom line: Really good game. The story bothered me at times, but I get it. Combat was good in its own right, but I missed being that stealthy assassin. The world is absolutely gorgeous and huge. Progression is better than all the past games with how gear is handled, and hunting actually made sense to me for the first time. I'm obviously going to recommend the game to anyone who has played past AC games, but I think this stands alone more than any previous AC game for newcomers to the franchise.

thumbs-o-up

Time Played: 43 hours
I want to go back and complete a few more missions and max out my character's level so that I am ready for the DLC coming soon!

Pros

  • check
    Gorgeous world and setting of Egypt captivates.
  • check
    Main story has its ups and downs, but succeeds in telling the story of how things begin.
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    Character progression works really well for the style of gameplay, and creates a baseline model for the franchise.
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    Senu was a really neet way of exploring and seeing a true birds-eye view.

Cons

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    While fitting for the character and time period, I didn't like the combat nearly as much because it was too aggressive and lacked that counter-kill feel.​​​​​
  • minus-circle
    I wanted to feel more like an assassin.
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    Despite thinking Senu was neat, I missed Eagle Vision.
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    I wanted there to be more "real life" stuff to further the overarching story.
  • About the combat system. Is it harder? Without having played it I am happy they stepped away from it, as it had gotten incredibly easy and seemed to be lacking options for evolution. I can honestly say the ease and boredom of the combat system was a main reason for me to be bored with the last versions of AC.

    • In some ways it did get harder. You can block with a shield, shoot a bow, dodge roll, strafe, parry to some degree, combo, shield bash, etc. Lots of options. The enemy will just go right for you and not take turns. If you’re surrounding by 5 guys, 3 might back up and shoot arrows at you (some on fire), and 2 guys might swing 2h axes at you and break your block.

      It’s definitely more involved and because of that it’s more difficult. The downside is it loses the “I’m an awesome assassin” feel, but that’s entirely moot if you don’t enjoy that side of the old combat system.