Assassin’s Creed Origins was officially unveiled this week at E3 2017. We finally got to see our assassin walk through the streets of Egypt in a way that wasn’t through some leaked, blurry image or video. Ubisoft proudly displayed the next iteration of the series, after it had taken a long overdue break away from the annual releases and constant, but valid, criticisms. And you know what? It looks like that time was exactly what the franchise needed in order to truly spread its wings.
After checking the game out it’s clear that the developers are serious about making Assassin’s Creed Origins their crown jewel and putting the series back on the top of gaming lists where it belongs. At first, you can’t really tell just how different things are this time around, especially if you only watch the announcement trailer which shows gameplay but keeps everything in the vein of what most players already know. But, after checking it out in more depth, it begins to show a core that is an evolution of everything that came before it, yet still, maintains its identity as the series millions of fans have fallen in love with over the past decade. It all starts with the story.
The Origins of the Brotherhood
We’ve been through a lot of periods of time throughout the Assassin’s Creed series but this next installment is doing things a bit differently by really taking things back. As the series has gone on, we’ve moved steadily closer to the modern world, the identity of the brotherhood and your purpose for being started to grow a bit muddied. Players began to just go through the motions as we were given new ancestors to embody on our quest to take out the Templar threat. But Assassin’s Creed Origins looks to give purpose back to the assassins, and to the fans, by taking us all the way back to the very beginning.
Assassin’s Creed Origins takes place in ancient Egypt, the birthplace of modern civilization, as well as the birthplace of the stealthy organization we’ve all grown to be so fond of. Watching it come to life from humble beginnings will help to shed light on why we bother with each and every release. Why we feel so driven to take out Templars, why we seek out truth and justice, why we adhere to such a strict code that binds men and women for life. It’s a deep dive into the start of something great, and that’s not something that should be quickly overlooked.
There’s more to it than just the origins though. While supernatural elements aren’t new to the series in any form or fashion, they seem to be playing an even larger part this time around. In the trailers, you get a glimpse of fantastical monsters unlike any of the decidedly human enemies we’ve faced in the past few iterations. Sure, DLC (such as that found in Assassin’s Creed III) allowed us to do extraordinary things, but they’re part and parcel with the core experience this time around. Hopefully, this will also explain in more detail the whole deal with Juno, the other Isu, and the Pieces of Eden.
RPG Time
The series has been flirting with RPG elements for a very long time now. Unlockable skills, upgradable and customizable gear, and even decisions (in the sense that you can decide how missions play out) have been a part of Assassin’s Creed for some time. However, they were still very much action games that just had some RPG goodness sprinkled in. This time around, Assassin’s Creed Origins will be stepping much more firmly in RPG territory thanks to several new elements being introduced to the game’s progression system.
Players will earn experience as they explore the world, participate in combat, and progress the story. This will allow them to earn skill points which can then be invested into a branching skill tree that lets players truly customize the way they play, and this is just one of the systems that make up player progression. Gear, which began to play a major part in the games with Unity and Syndicate, becomes even more important. Several gear slots will allow you to create powerful loadouts that offer various perks and advantages with regards to world traversal and combat. There’s even crafting which will allow you to have even more control over the experience.
While the core of the gameplay is still relatively the same, the freedom factor has been dialed up, allowing players to really mold the assassin they control.
Dynamic Gameplay
The series has always had some interesting gameplay systems. Traversal was a parkour fest that let players explore cities and other locales in ways that just weren’t possible in other action titles. Combat allowed for brutal combos that saw players dodging in and out of the fray, and loot was just how it is in just about every game. There were moments when they sometimes crossed streams, but they kept to a very strict set of rules. You couldn’t climb in certain situations, you couldn’t use certain attacks, you couldn’t use specific commands.
However, in Assassin’s Creed Origins, different elements string together much more seamlessly. You can climb many more objects, and from there dive into the water. While in the water, you can use ranged weaponry like your bow, or even dive underneath the surface and use your melee weapons to defend yourself from enemies or other natural threats (like enraged hippos). That rigidity that had been such a large part of the series’ gameplay since the beginning is fading away, allowing players to pull off badass feats while completing objectives and experiencing the world in the way they want to.
Tougher Challenge
While the Assassin’s Creed franchise has always offered a healthy dose of difficulty, there were some automatic elements that really helped players out. Stealth kills were automatic, combos allowed for automatic assassinations with ease, you never really had to change your gear, and other elements along those lines. That’s most certainly not the case in Assassin’s Creed Origins. You will have to be mindful of every decision you make, every piece of gear you collect and equip, and every encounter you come across.
Things like automatic stealth kills are present… if you have the strength and skill to pull them off. You have to craft better gear and focus on assassination skills to take down bigger enemies. No more can you just take advantage of the AI and string together countless easy kills, at least not without earning that right first. Some enemies can even be a higher level than you. This doesn’t mean you can’t defeat them at all, but you will need to play smarter and harder to emerge victorious. In essence, you’ll really have to prove yourself as the badass assassin you claim to be. More strategy is always a good thing because it will prevent fans falling into the motions which can sap the fun and immersion out of an experience.
If things keep going as well as they are, Assassin’s Creed Origins will truly be the step up that the series has needed for some time now. It’s great to see that Ubisoft took this hiatus seriously, and the series, along with fans, will reap all the benefits.
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