Release Date: 27/10/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 63h 37m
Progress: Completed / 91% Overall
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
It's always interesting to see what happens when one of the biggest gaming franchises in history decides to change up their development process. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought Ubisoft's idea of taking a year off from releasing another Assassin's Creed game was a good idea. Especially after the negative sentiments stirred up by Unity. So how did an extra year of development time serve Assassin's Creed: Origins? It's kind of hard to say.
The easiest elephant to dismiss is that I didn't encounter many bugs during my time with Origins. Sure I picked it up a long time after release, but I was happy to find that everything ran relatively smoothly, and without any game-breakers along the way.
From what I've read, this seems to be the case for many players, even from day one. It seems that the extra year was a welcomed way for Ubisoft to do some much needed quality assurance and iron out the glaring creases. Having said that though, there are still some minor glitches, like characters walking on air and materialising through doorways instead of opening them. Thankfully these only amount to the regular open-world jank that we expect from games with such a huge scope.
Origin's scope is definitely much grander than previous games, if only from having a much larger map. Although, despite the landscape taking up more space, there's much less density than the cities of previous games.
Part of this might come from the setting itself, as ancient Egypt doesn't feature the densely populated streets of Jerusalem, or industrial London. Instead we're treated to a vast landscape of bushland and sand dunes. Towns are dotted between rocky outcrops, and the lush vegetation of the Nile.
While Origins feels a lot 'flatter' than its contemporaries, there are still plenty of activities to keep you busy. However, due to the landscape, the open-world experience feels a lot more like 2015's Mad Max, instead of the urban vibrancy we're used to. In fact, Origins feels like it has a lot more in common with the very first Assassin's Creed than any of its sequels.
A lot of it probably has to do with how much you need to rely on your mount in Origins. You're given the option of a horse or camel with which to travel between towns and settlements, much like the 'open' areas that linked the cities of the first game.
It changes the flow of the experience quite a bit, as you spend a lot of time riding from place to place, rather than sprinting across rooftops. Another element of the era is that even in the small cities, there are very few buildings that reach higher than a couple of stories tall. As a result the staple parkour mechanics of the previous game tend to take a back seat when it comes to getting around.
Thankfully though, the balance to this downgrade of the need for parkour systems, is that the mechanics have had a bit of an overhaul. Much like in Unity and Syndicate, you only have to indicate whether you want to move up or down, but now you can climb on just about any surface in the game. It might sound like they've dumbed down the system, but it's a welcomed change and I spent less time getting caught on geometry than I have previously.
Plus, being able to climb just about any surface means that you're now able to get over rocky walls and monumental structures easily. Rather than finding a long way around, or clumsily falling to your death, in Origins it's as simple as running forwards and holding the climb button.
In any other game, this simplified parkour would get tedious and annoyingly basic, but thanks to the minimal need for special climbing mechanics Origins manages to get away with it. Any climbing that needs to be done is usually in a small vertical location, rather than undulating over rooftops and tree lines.
One thing that hasn't changed is the amount of icons that will appear on your map after uncovering each region. There are still high points to synchronise, which reveals side quests and collectibles, as well as forts and other points of interest. None of this is anything new though, as we've seen these elements before. The nicest improvement is that most of the side quests actually have a bit of meat to them and usually involve multiple branches along the way.
Often I'd find myself talking to some random stranger, who then led me on a journey that spanned a number of regions and multiple stages. These little interludes and stand-alone stories might be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, as they not only provide a diversion from the main storyline, but help add some colour and depth to an otherwise flat and shallow world.
The main story is pretty much Assassin's Creed 101, even though it literally tells the origins of the Assassin's Creed brotherhood, which is actually a nice experience for a long-time fan of the series.
We play as Bayek, who is one of the last Medjay (protector of the people) in Egypt. The Greeks have entered the region and are wrestling for control, but tensions still exist between the races. I definitely enjoyed the setting more than if it had been a straight forward piece of Egyptian history, but that might just be thanks to having studied Classical History at uni. Then again, I've always enjoyed the gimmick of involving historical figures in Assassin Creed games.
Anyway, Bayek has been hard done by the Greeks and a mysterious order who are influencing the political and social landscape of Egypt. They're clearly the beginnings of the Templar order, but it's nice to have another origin story to play along with through the game.
The plot follows a basic structure of Bayek learning about targets that need to be killed, because they hurt his people and his family. Chasing each victim takes him across Egypt and into the halls of the Cleopatra's and Caesar's of the time. It's a fun romp through the era, and I enjoyed seeing how each character would reveal themselves over the course of the game. However, if you're looking for Shakespeare, the plot of Origins is not a good place to look. It serves well as a vehicle to move things forward, but amounts to little more.
The real joy of Origins comes from being drenched in the sheet of Egyptian history that's available to you. It's possible to sail along the Nile, or explore the great pyramids and plunder their tombs. Plus, the environment is full of wildlife to interact with, and later in the game you can even unlock a perk that lets you tame animals. There's nothing quite like rolling into an enemy camp next to an angry hippo.
Speaking of animals, one of the biggest changes in Assassin's Creed: Origins comes from Bayek's eagle companion Senu. From a gameplay perspective, Senu replaces most of the eagle-vision mechanics of previous games, by being an actual eagle instead.
Calling on Senu transfers you to their perspective, allowing you to survey the landscape and mark enemies and points of interest before entering a dangerous situation. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the change, as it seemed a little gimmicky at first, but by the end of the game I was sold on just how natural it feels to fly around as an eagle, instead of seeing through walls thanks to some unexplained power.
Senu quickly becomes another player-character in their own right, as they change your approach to the game completely. In some ways it makes life easier, as you're able to tag an entire camp of enemies instead of only those in front of you. Although, the combat isn't as forgiving as previous games, so it didn't feel as unbalanced as I had initially feared.
Traditionally, the Assassin's Creed series has not been known for engaging combat mechanics, but they've tried to improve this a little in Origins. You're able to carry two melee weapons and two bows, which are happily as essential as melee weapons. Stealth kills and hunting will rely heavily on bows and arrows, while battling up close and personal will have you leaning on sharp swords and blunt hammers.
There's still the usual counter-then-attack system in play, but I found myself getting into tough situations more often than previous games. Even though it wasn't too obvious, I often felt like more than one enemy would attack at a time, rather than wait in line as they have done in the past. What's more, depending on the enemy's level, getting hit has the potential to wipe out your entire health bar, which leaves you in a sticky situation.
Overall the combat didn't feel like a revolutionary change, but it did feel like they've spent some time refining the balance a little. Using a level system helps to gate progress and enemies as well, as it's possible to defeat higher level foes, but you'll have to really work for it.
The best thing I can say to sum up Origins, is that by the time I was finished with the game, I felt like I'd spent my time in a satisfying and entertaining way. I'm not sure that this is the best Assassin's Creed game, but it makes a few strong arguments in its own favour. The extra development time seems to have paid off, if only for testing purposes and squashing the usual glitches and bugs. However, there are many tiny improvements and balances that make this one of the most fulfilling Assassin's Creed experiences on offer.
Unfortunately, I'm now hesitant about starting Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, as it appears to be more of the same that we had in Origins. I just hope that Ubisoft aren't going to rest on their laurels and continue to churn out the same experience over and over again. After all, that's what got them into trouble before they managed to revitalise the series.
You can do a lot worse when it comes to big open world experiences, but you can also do a lot better. Origins may not be on the same level of quality as games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, but in the context of its own series, it's a solid improvement.