I know that i am late to the party of reviewing AC: Origins. But better late then never right?
It's been a while since i've had so much fun with an Assassin's Creed
Ubisoft pushed out an AC game every year since 2010 and it's been quite tough. You knew all the mechanics before you even set a foot into the world, knew that you would have to climb towers and that there are a whackton of collectibles scattered around the world, as if some assassin before you droped everything and you had to collect it all over again.
It even got so bad that the map itself was rendered useless, because you couldn't see the streets anymore. Like in AC Unity:
But this time Ubisoft took a break for a year and let me tell you, it payed of beautifully! Origins feels fresh, alive and new in the series. But let me start from the beginning.
Story
You play as Bayek of Siwa, a medjay or a protector of the Egyptian people. Your son was murdered by a mysterious group that acts in the shadows and, with your wife aya, you swear revenge on those, who took the most precious thing from you. Leading to the establishment of the order of Assassins. And that sounds like a typical revenge story and unfortunately it is exactly that. Don't get me wrong, the story never bothered me or anything. It just is nothing to write home about or one that will stay in your head even after you finished the game. That said, it kept me motivated to play through it all.
But, like most of Ubisofts games, it lacks in the most vital points. Assassin's Creed: Origins has some heartbreaking, loving and just funny moments. But all of those, or at least most of those, will be interrupted by poor cinematography or even worse, loading screens between scene switches. And that kills the moment in an instant. Sad music is playing, you see people crying, losing everything they have build up there entire lifes and you are invested, just to be ripped our by a loading screen where the music stops completely and you sit there for a couple of seconds.
But overall, i'd have to say that it is an okay story that keeps you interested and hooked, but don't expect something spectacular.
Characters
One of the most important aspects of a game for me. And i am glad that they put real afford into this.
For me, Aya was one of the most interesting characters in this game. The chemistry between her and Bayek really let's you believe that they are married and care for each other. They reminded me of Jacob and Eve Fry from Syndicate, where the both of them formed also a great team.
But not only Aya and Bayek, but nearly every character is well written and gives you some context to quests they give you, or who they are and what they are doing here. It reminded me a little bit of "The Witcher 3" in that regard. But not on the same level as it. If i had a gripe to pick, it would be that some dialogues of some characters give to much background and takes a bit too long. But then again, i am an inpatient player and it might be just perfect for those, who want to know their characters as much as possible. Which leads us to:
Gameplay
This is where Origins departs greatly from former installments. Where the AC series was once about stealth and assassins, over the years stealth because more of an enforced option.
With tiny mini-achievements for each mission, they tried to get you to play it like a stealth game. Whether that fitted the mission or the overall game, or not. And they would punish you with an underdeveloped and weird combat system if you failed to be sneaky. And that i absolutely disliked about prior AC games. It felt restrictive and lead, for me at least, that i always felt like i was playing the game wrong, when i did not complete those achievements or got in an open fight.
In this it is the complete opposite. Stealth is an option, a very powerful one, but not an enforced one. While it helps to decimate the enemies before you rush into a camp, it certainly is not necessary if you are good at fighting.
Acknowledging that AC is no longer all about stealth was the best they could do. And due to that, it feels more like an Action-Adventure game, like for example, Horizon: Zero Dawn, than any prior Assassin's Creeds.
Loot & Skill system
I heard many people complaining that not every game has to have a loot or skill system. And i would agree. But the loot system here is okay or even good. You are not forced to use it but if you want to, you absolutely can. You can just have one weapon, sell every other and just upgrade your current one. Or you can use every new one you find. It is all up to you whether you want to use it or not.
The same can not be said about the Skilltree. That you are forced to use. And while it does not hurt the game, it does very little to enhance it. There are just too many skills that are objectively counterproductive. For example the smoke bomb. After you dodged you can press Triangle/Y to throw a smoke bomb to escape. Sound pretty neat right? But what isn't neat is, when you use dodge to quickly get to a guard, then press Triangle/Y to assassinate him, but instead of killing that guy, you throw a smoke bomb and every nearby guard knows you are there. There are a bunch of skills like that, that can or should be avoided.
Quests
Those are divided into main and side quests. Like you are used to from every other game. But while the main quests are more grand, have cutscenes and feature historical characters, the side quests often disappoint. And that is not because they are bad designed, but because you always feel that they are just there so you can level up.
While they certainly are no fetch quests without context, or "kill x amount of y", and they tell stories and sometimes great ones. Those side quests are far too few spread. Most of them are just there to give you some XP so that you can advance in the main quest. And that Bayek and the other person just stand there and look at each other like puppets, doesn't help.
The World
I will say that this is one of the most alive and breathing worlds i have ever seen in a game. It's like the world itself is a character, the desert, the swamps, the nile. Everything has something to explore, something unexpected, a reason to just stroll around and admire the beautiful environment. Animlas are where you would expect them, you get hallucinations when you are too long out in the dessert, there are hidden treasures all over the place.
And while Unity and Syndicate scared me off with it's littered map, Origins manages to keep it clean but also interesting. Like in "The Witcher 3" there are question marks all over the map, and instead of knowing exactly what you get from them, like you would see in previous AC games. Here they are a surprise. Maybe it is an outpost, maybe it is a special animal that you have to kill or a sunken treasure you have to lift. And in combination with the world, it creates a near perfect symbiosis that kept me searching for hours and hours.
Graphics
I'll just let a image speak for itself:
It is just absolutely gorgeous. This is one of the games that let's you know that we are near the end of this console cycle. Not because it has so much limitations, but because the developer manages to create something so unbelievably big and at the same time, so beautiful, on now 4 year old hardware.
While there are some muddy textures here and there, and from time to time you see some objects pop in. There are nothing really to complain about. The face animations or the lack thereof in side quests are unfortunate, but other than that, it is just an absolutely beautiful game all around.
Verdict
This is the Assassin's Creed i've been waiting for, for a long time. Fresh and alive, with new mechanics and a new combat system. While having one of the best worlds i've every been in. Sure it is not perfect, but what game is? The story is "present" and the quests can sometimes be a little bit boring. But that is overshadowed by the sheer amount of fun i had exploring, trying things out, fooling with people and animals and fighting. It feels less like an Assassin's Creed and that is a bloody good thing in my eyes. If you like action-adventures, a combat system that is refined and somewhat challenging and want to explore a living world, you should give Assassin's Creed: Origins definitely a try!
-Arvarad