Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It is the eleventh major installment, and 21st overall, in the Assassin's Creed series and the successor to 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins. Set in the years 431–422 BCE, the plot tells a mythological history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Players control a male or female mercenary who fights for both sides as they attempt to unite their family.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on October 5, 2018, with a Stadia version launching alongside the service in 2019, and received generally favorable reviews. The game is to be followed by Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which takes place in medieval Britain and Norway during the Viking expansion across Europe and is set to be released in November 2020.
Gameplay
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 between siblings Alexios and Kassandra as to whom they use as the main character. The game features a notoriety system in which mercenaries chase after the player if they commit crimes like killing or stealing in the presence of others.The player character is a Greek 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 focuses on ranged attacks through the use of a bow & arrow, "warrior", which focuses on weapons-based combat, and "assassin", which focuses on stealth and silent take-downs. This replaces the system used in Origins, which granted the player a series of passive abilities.
The hitbox combat system introduced in Origins returns and is expanded upon to grant the player access to different special skills when the ability bar fills up. These skills include calling a rain of arrows and a powerful kick to knock opponents off-balance, and are similar to the "Overpower" mechanic introduced in Origins that let the player use a powerful finishing move in combat. The game features a gear system in which each piece of armor the player wears has different statistics and provides a range of advantages. These can be equipped and upgraded individually. The "eagle vision" mode, which was used by the franchise to give the player the ability to scout an area by highlighting enemies and objects, has been replaced by a golden eagle named Ikaros as a companion, similar to Senu in Origins.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey features naval combat again, with the player having access to Hellenistic-era warships to explore the Aegean Sea. The conflict between Athens and Sparta is represented through a "War System" which enables players to take contracts from mercenaries and participate in different large-scale battles against hostile factions. The war system can change a faction's influence over a region.
The player can develop romantic relationships with non-playable characters of both genders, regardless of their own character's gender. Creative director Jonathan Dumont commented that "since the story is choice-driven, we never force players in romantic situations they might not be comfortable with I think this allows everybody to build the relationships they want, which I feel respects everybody’s roleplay style and desires." Players and critics appreciated this inclusion of queer romance options. However, many reacted negatively to a plot development in the Legacy of the First Blade downloadable content in which the player character has no choice but to enter into a relationship and have a child with a person of the opposite gender, considering that this invalidated their character's identity and the role-playing aspects previously emphasized by Ubisoft. Ubisoft responded that "we strive to give players choice whenever possible in Odyssey and apologize to those surprised by the events in this episode". Ubisoft later stated that the forced romance would be removed with a future patch along with a modified cutscene. However, this consisted of editing the cutscene slightly so that the player could tell their partner they were only doing it for the blood-line - the child is still compulsory.
Plot
Setting
The game's historical story is set in 431–422 BC, four hundred years before the events of Assassin's Creed Origins. It recounts a secret mythological history set during the Peloponnesian War, which was fought between the city-states of Greece. The player takes on the role of a mercenary and is able to fight for the Delian League, led by Athens, or the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta. The game's main storyline has the player character attempting to restore their fractured family after they and their siblings were thrown off a cliff in their youth and left for dead by their father by the command of the Spartan oracle. Parallel quest lines deal with the extirpation of a malign cult spanning the Greek world, and the discovery of artifacts and monsters from Atlantean times.As with previous games in the series, Odyssey features a narrative set in the modern-day and follows Layla Hassan, who was introduced in Assassin's Creed Origins.
The game features a number of historical personages players can encounter and talk to, including Alkibiades, Archidamus II, Aristophanes, Aspasia, Brasidas, Euripides, Kleon, Democritus, Herodotos, Hippokrates, Pausanias, Perikles, Phidias, Plato, Polykleitos, Praxilla, Pythagoras, Sokrates, Sophokles, Thespis and Xanthippe. It includes historical and mythical Greek locations such as the Agora of Athens, Kephallonia, Ithaca, the Odeon of Athens, the Foloi oak forest, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, Naxos, Lesbos, ancient Athens, ancient Argolis, Pnyx, Phokis, Macedonia and Mesara, as well as takes on famous creatures from the Greek myths such as Medusa, the Cyclops and the Minotaur.
Plot
During the Battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas leads the Spartan army against a Persian charge. The encounter is won, but Leonidas is informed by a captured enemy soldier that the existence of the mountain path has been revealed to the Persian army, which is moving to surround the Spartans by morning. Nevertheless, Leonidas resolves to hold off the Persian advance.In the present, Layla Hassan recovers the Spear of Leonidas and together with Victoria Bibeau, extracts the DNA of two individuals from it, the siblings Kassandra and Alexios. With help from the Assassins, Layla picks one of the siblings and activates the Animus to find the location of the Staff of Hermes.
The Misthios started as a young Spartan child, raised by their parents Nikolaos and Myrrine, and inherited the Spear of Leonidas from Myrrine as one of Leonidas' descendants. However, one day, both the Misthios and their siblings are thrown off a mountain due to an oracle's prophecy, with the Misthios being dropped by Nikolaos himself. The Misthios survived the fall and fled to the island of Kefalonia, where they grew up performing odd jobs until the Peloponnesian War begins.
The Misthios is approached by a wealthy man named Elpenor, who hires them to assassinate "The Wolf of Sparta". The Misthios later discovers that the Wolf is Nikolaos himself and confronts him. Nikolaos admits that he regrets what he had done, but did so for the good of Sparta. The Misthios has the choice of executing or sparing Nikolaos and finds out that Nikolaos is actually their stepfather and that Myrrine is in danger. The Misthios then returns to Elpenor and confronts him over the revelation. Elpenor reveals he knew Nikolaos was their stepfather, and wanted him dead in order to drag out the war. He offers another job to assassinate Myrrine, but the Misthios refuses and Elpenor flees. The Misthios then travels to Delphi to ask the Pythia the whereabouts of Myrrine, where they encounter Herodotos, who recognizes the Spear of Leonidas the Misthios carries. Upon meeting the Pythia, the Misthios is warned about the Cult of Kosmos, who seek to kill them and their families. The Misthios further investigates the Cult by assassinating Elpenor and using his disguise to infiltrate a Cult meeting. They find that the Cult plans to take advantage of the war to seize control of all of Greece and that their enforcer Deimos is, in fact, the Misthios' sibling, now brainwashed to follow the Cult's orders.
The Misthios continues on their journey all over Greece, clearing out Cult corruption from both Sparta and Athens and befriending powerful Greek figures such as Perikles and Aspasia. They are unable to stop Perikles' assassination at the hands of Deimos but are able to reunite with Myrrine and find their true father, Pythagoras. Myrrine and Pythagoras explain that they conceived Alexios and Kassandra to preserve Leonidas' bloodline, as he and his descendants have a special connection to Precursor artifacts, such as the Spear of Leonidas. Pythagoras tasks the Misthios to recover several Precursor artifacts needed to permanently seal the hidden Precursor city of Atlantis so that its knowledge cannot be misused by enemies like the Cult. Afterward, the Misthios manages to avenge Perikles' death by assassinating his political rival, Kleon. Depending on the Misthios' actions, they can convince Deimos to abandon the Cult and rebuild their family with Nikolaos, Myrrine, their sibling, and their new stepbrother Stentor living happily together in their old family home.
With war averted and the Cult virtually eliminated, the Misthios heads for the Cult's secret meeting place under the Temple of Delphi to destroy the Precursor pyramid the Cult was using to influence Greek politics. Touching it, they receive visions of future conflicts to come before destroying the pyramid. Aspasia then arrives and reveals that she was the original leader of the Cult but disagreed with its actions as its members became more corrupt, and she thanks the Misthios for destroying the Cult. The Misthios has the option of killing or sparing Aspasia, but cuts ties with her regardless. Finally, the Misthios after defeating various Olympos Projects based on monsters from Greek legend and collects all of the artifacts needed to seal Atlantis from their bodies, and activates a recording from the Precursor Aletheia who pleads with the Misthios and Layla that Precursor knowledge and technology is not meant for humans and must be destroyed in order for humans to reach their true potential. Pythagoras reluctantly passes the Staff of Hermes on to the Misthios, dying in the process. The Misthios then continues their adventures.
In the present, Layla uses the data from the Animus to find Atlantis and activate it. As the Assassins analyze the data within, Layla is shocked to find the Misthios, kept alive until modern times by the Staff of Hermes. The Misthios warns Layla that the world needs a balance between order and chaos, the Templar Order and Assassins respectively, and either side prevailing over the other will result in the world's doom. The Misthios also explains that Layla is the prophesied one who will bring balance to order and chaos and gives her the Staff of Hermes, sacrificing their life in the process. Layla, however, states that there is so much of the Misthios' life they have not seen, and re-enters the Animus.
Downloadable content
Two chapters of three episodes each were released to continue the narrative of the main story: Legacy of the First Blade and The Fate of Atlantis.''Legacy of the First Blade''
This story arc is focused on how Odyssey is connected to other installments in the Assassin's Creed series. There are three episodes for the DLC: Hunted, Shadow Heritage and Bloodline.In "Hunted", the Misthios heads to Macedonia and comes across the Assassin Darius, born Artabanus, and his child. Macedonia has been overrun by the Order of the Ancients in their quest to kill Darius, his child and the Misthios whom they call the 'Tainted Ones' because they are considered people with the power to destroy the world. The Misthios works with Darius and his child to find and defeat the Huntsman, who is committing atrocities to draw out the Tainted Ones. Darius admits that he worked with the Order in Persia to assassinate Xerxes I of Persia. When Darius attempted to assassinate Artaxerxes I of Persia, he was stopped by his brother-in-arms Amorges, who believed it was unnecessary to assassinate the new king. Darius' actions saw him branded a traitor and he fled with his only child. With the Huntsman dead, Darius and his child leave Macedonia after saying farewell to the Misthios.
In "Shadow Heritage", the Misthios heads to Achaea and encounters Darius once again. The Order, led by the Tempest, has set up a naval blockade around the region and is brutalising Macedonian refugees in a bid to prevent Darius and his child from escaping the Greek world. The Misthios is able to weaken the Order's power in Achaea by sabotaging the development of a ship-mounted flamethrower and sinking the Tempest's fleet. Kleia, the Tempest's mother and an ally of the Misthios, reveals that the Order consider the Tempest a Tainted One and that they have been using her. The Tempest dies and the Misthios secures safe passage for the refugees. In the aftermath, Darius and his child decide to settle down with the Misthios in Achaea. Some time later, the Misthios has a son, Elpidios, with Darius' child.
In "Bloodline", the Misthios retires from life as a mercenary to spend time with Darius, Elpidios and his child in Achaea. Amorges and the Order attack their village, killing Darius' child and abducting Elpidios. The Misthios and Darius make their way to Messenia, the Order's stronghold in Greece. They lure Amorges out of hiding, but he refuses to return Elpidios as he believes the Misthios' violent life will ultimately harm him. Amorges claims that the Order is an idea and not a group of people, meaning that the Misthios and Elpidios will always be targeted. However, Darius states that knowledge can fight this and reconciles with Amorges who reveals Elpidios' location and dies. Knowing their son will never be safe, the Misthios entrusts Darius to look after Elpidios. Darius takes Elpidios to Egypt, when the both of them would become ancestors to Aya, wife to Bayek and founder of the Assassin Brotherhood.
''The Fate of Atlantis''
This story arc focuses on Greek mythology, and follows the Misthios' quest to learn and unlock the full power of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus and unlock their hidden sixth sense. There are three episodes: "Fields of Elysium", "Torment of Hades" and "Judgement of Atlantis."In "Fields of Elysium", the Misthios explores the Greek afterlife in the paradise of Elysium. There the Misthios meets Persephone, Adonis, Hermes, and Hecate, members of the Isu race known to humans as gods. Hermes helps the Misthios acquire more knowledge about the Staff as a rebellion against Persephone's authoritarian rule begins to take shape under the leadership of Adonis. Meanwhile, Hecate plots an uprising of her own, intending to usurp Persephone and take power for herself. After learning the true nature of this Greek paradise, the Misthios and Hermes confront Hecate and Persephone. After a brief argument, Persephone leaves to deal with Adonis's rebellion, which has become an all-out revolt just outside her palace. The Misthios joins the battle, and once it is over accompanies Hermes to confront Persephone and request that she open the gateway between Elysium and Hades, where the Misthios is to continue learning about the Staff. Persephone throws Hermes off a cliff for his disobedience in helping the Misthios, and it is revealed that the key to Hades, itself an Atlantis artifact, has been concealed in the collar of Persephone's dog, Ros. Persephone opens the gateway to the Underworld and tosses the Misthios, Ros, and the Apple of Eden inside. When combined with the Apple of Eden, Ros is actually Cerberus, guardian of the Underworld.
In "Torment of Hades", the Misthios must first battle Cerberus. Once the beast is defeated, the Misthios is approached by Hades, who expresses his displeasure at the death of his guardian. Following the death of Cerberus, rifts between Tartaros and the Underworld begin opening, releasing souls normally confined to Tartaros back into the Underworld. The Misthios is then tasked with finding a new guardian for each of the four gateways to the Underworld. As the Misthios learns more about the Staff, they reunited with several people from the main story arc. After recruiting Perseus, Achilles, Agamemnon and Heracles as guardians for Hades and helping Charon mitigate the chaos caused by the Tartaros rifts, the Misthios confronts Hades and requests that in exchange for their help, Hades helps them learn more about the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus. Hades reveals that he had no intention of helping the Misthios in any way, and had actually intended them to be the guardian of a fifth gate to the Underworld, which he had hidden from them. The Misthios must then fight Hades, but before he can be fully defeated, Poseidon appears through a portal and escorts the Misthios to Atlantis.
In “The Judgement of Atlantis”, the Misthios enters Atlantis with Poseidon, who is far more forthcoming about his willingness to help the Misthios unlock the full potential of the Staff. Poseidon explains that he is worried about the tense relationship between the Isu and the humans in Atlantis, and appoints the Misthios "Dikastes", his second-in-command, in the hopes that appointing a human-Isu hybrid to this position will help quell these tensions. As Dikastes of Atlantis, the Misthios is responsible for enforcing Poseidon's laws and keeping order in the city, while also passing judgement on Atlantis as a whole. Poseidon also encourages the Misthios to uncover more knowledge about the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus along the way. As the Misthios explores Atlantis, it gradually becomes clear that the Isu regularly disobey Poseidon's laws and commit terrible crimes against humanity, the most egregious of which being "Project Olympos"—a genetic engineering program led by the Isu Juno and her husband Aita—which has been experimenting on abducted human subjects, combining them with Isu artifacts to create terrifying hybrid beasts including the Cyclopes, the Minotaur, the Sphinx, Medusa, and most recently, the Hekatonchires. After discovering the Project Olympos headquarters, the Misthios returns to Poseidon to pass judgement on Atlantis, but their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of Juno and Aita, who reveal that their final creation, the Hekatonchires, is complete. The Misthios goes to confront the beast, and once it is defeated returns to Poseidon's palace and declares Atlantis beyond saving. Using the Atlantis artifacts the Misthios recovered from Ros and the Hekatonchires, along with the fully activated Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, Poseidon and the Misthios destroy Atlantis. The Misthios then wakes up back in the real world and is told by Aletheia that the memories experienced were simulations but no less real, as they were Aletheia's memories during her time as Dikastes, and of how miserably the Isu had failed to alter their fate.
In the modern day, Layla experiences all these trials as the Misthios by order of the Isu Aletheia, so she could become the Staff's Keeper. After the rebellion in Elysium, she was pulled out forcefully by her physician Victoria, who fears what this is doing to her. As the two argue, an Abstergo strike team arrives, and Layla kills all but one, telling him to tell their boss Otso Berg that he lost. After helping Hades, Layla is once again forced out by Victoria, who is taking the staff away to keep Layla from killing herself. Layla takes the staff back and accidentally kills Victoria, angering Aletheia, who fears she chose poorly. Layla is able to convince her to give her another chance. After Atlantis' destruction, Layla is warned of an approaching Interloper, who is Otso Berg himself. He wants the staff for the Templar Order to ensure they survive the coming End, but Layla refuses to give it up. They fight and she wins, crippling Otso Berg after telling him the Templars have lost the fight. Eventually, Layla restores communication with the Altair II and informs Alannah about the recent events.
Release
Prior to the game's appearance at E3 2018, Assassin's Creed Odyssey was leaked in May 2018 after the French site Jeuxvideo received a keychain containing the name Assassin's Creed Odyssey on it. Ubisoft announced Assassin's Creed Odyssey and its appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 shortly thereafter. A day before the Ubisoft E3 press conference, screenshots of the game were leaked by the gaming website Gematsu. The game was released on October 5, 2018 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version was announced during the Japanese September 2018 Nintendo Direct. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a cloud-based title on the Nintendo Switch, which launched on the same day as the other platforms, but in Japan only.The game's season pass includes two DLC stories spread across six episodes as well as remastered editions of Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed Liberation. A story creator mode which allows players to create and share custom-made quests was released in June 2019. Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece, an educational mode that lets the player choose between free roaming the world of Ancient Greece to learn more about its history and daily life or embarking on guided tours curated by historians, was released in late 2019.
Several special editions were released.
Reception
Assassin's Creed Odyssey received "generally favorable" from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic.EGMNow gave the game an 8.5/10, writing "Assassin's Creed Odyssey lives up to its namesake. By fully investing in becoming an action RPG, Odysseys characters, combat, story, and scope are beyond anything the series has accomplished so far. Its ambitions might get the better of it sometimes, like in how it divides its story moments or in how the leveling system can get out of hand, but the overall experience is, simply put, epic."
IGN praised the "world building, environment and engaging gameplay" and summed up its 9.2/10 review with "Assassin's Creed Odysseys open-world adventure through ancient Greece is a gorgeous thrill, and the best the series has ever been." GamesRadar+ gave it 5 out of 5 stars, praising the characters, open world setting and engrossing story, saying that it "perfects everything Origins did and enhances them in ways you never thought an Assassin's Creed game could. Odyssey has it all."