New Features in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Special Attacks
In Assassin’s Creed Origins, your adrenaline bar —the yellow bar at the bottom of the screen— would continue to build until it was full enough that you could press L1 and R1 together to unleash a devastating (and usually) final blow. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the use of this yellow bar is completely different.
Now, that bar is split into different segments. Each of these segments can be used to power a special attack or ability you have, such as the Spartan Kick. When you level up, you unlock ability points that can be used to unlock special attacks. After that, you assign one of these moves to a face button and next time you’re in battle, by pressing L1 and said face button, you’ll perform one of your many special attacks.
While Bayek’s adrenaline attack was cool, Kassandra and Alexios’ mercenary techniques really shine with the inclusion of moves like the Spartan Kick, the Bull Rush, and more.
New Features in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Naval Combat
Finally, the famed naval combat from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is back. Praise be to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Sure, the system is a tad different —instead of relying on ranged weapons like cannons, you must rely on close-quarter sea combat like firing arrows and spears, and ramming the enemy whenever possible— but at its core, these are Black Flag’s naval mechanics.
Unlike in Origins, where we only got a tease of seafaring adventure (and near the very end too), Odyssey has implemented naval combat into the gameplay as a core mechanic. You’re on an odyssey, so it’s only right that you’re traversing the high seas.
Not only is naval combat back in the franchise, Odyssey has added some new features to how it works. You can now recruit several lieutenants to join your crew, each with their own perks and stats, and each time you board a ship, you’ll be joined by these lieutenants.
Oh, and shanties are back!
New Features in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Romance Options
For the first time ever in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players are able to romance characters and on top of that, there are no binary restrictions in this system. If you want to romance a woman, you’re free to. If you want to romance a man after that, you’re also free to do that.
Romance in Odyssey, like in some of the industry’s best examples, such as Mass Effect, is completely fluid and has no reliance on what character you play. Sometimes, like most romantic options in video games, romantic advances in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey can be a tad cheesy, but it’s still a neat addition.
On top of its inclusion, it actually serves a purpose besides adding a level of humanity to our mercenary warriors. After you romance a character, you’ll have the option to recruit them as a lieutenant on your naval crew. It’s important to note that not all of your lieutenants will be characters you romanced. There are some lieutenants to acquire that you will not be able to romance.
New Features in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Branching Dialogue Choices
Like romance, dialogue choices are making their first ever appearance in the Assassin’s Creed franchise with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and for a first, this system surprisingly skews on the more expansive side.
Where some games include dialogue choices only to have it as a listed feature on the back of the box, per se, Odyssey fleshed this system out to not only allow the player to have the utmost agency with Kassandra or Alexios, but to dramatically affect the game as well.
In one instance, players can choose to save a few citizens with a fatal plague or allow a guard to dispose of them to prevent the plague from spreading. Naturally, like the hero Kassandra is, we chose to save the citizens. Hours later, we returned to this town only to find nothing more than doom and gloom.
Every single person in the town was dead from the plague the citizens we saved were inflicted with. This is just one of many instances where your choices in the game really matter. Some choices matter little, some matter a lot, but it’s safe to say that every choice, in some capacity, matters.
New Features in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Bounties
Assassin’s Creed Origins had Phylakes that were constantly on the lookout for you. Odyssey has taken that feature a step further and created a Shadow of Mordor-like mercenary system fueled by a Grand Theft Auto-like bounty system.
In Grand Theft Auto, the more criminal actives you perform, the higher your bounty rises. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the bounty system works the same way. As your bounty rises, so too does your chance of surviving in Ancient Greece. The higher your bounty, the more mercenaries you’ll have after your head.
Like in Shadow of Mordor, each of these mercenaries has strengths and weaknesses. Unlike in GTA V, you can pay off your bounty, but that’s no fun. Every mercenary you kill will drop an extra strong piece of equipment you’re going to want on your odyssey. Good luck!
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