I’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Assassin’s Creed. I played the first game quite a while after it launched and didn’t get back into the series until some of the games were bundled in with my console. Being honest, I hadn’t played a game from the franchise for some time when Origins landed in and I didn’t know what to expect.
What is Assassin’s Creed All About?
Here’s the quick gist of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Using a device called the Animus, you play a character travelling back in time to relive the memories of age-old assassins. In these memories, you fight on the side of the Assassins who are taking on another ancient organisation, the Knights Templar.
Throughout the games in the past, you parkour your way over towns-worth of villages, fighting and assassinating your way towards your goals. Assassin’s Creed Origins takes these best parts from the early games and build upon that from scratch to create a game to shake the complacency of more recent entries to the series.
What is Assassin’s Creed Origins All About?
As is often the case with ‘origins movies’, Assassin’s Creed Origins takes a look at what came before the entire series. While Assassin’s Creed Origins predates every game so far it’s also the most advanced and diverse game yet.
Assassin’s Creed Origins takes place in the ever-fascinating setting of Egypt. Just a few weeks ago, a new secret chamber was discovered in the pyramids of Giza, showing just how much we still have to learn about these ancient historical sites which until know had just be theorised about. Ubisoft had done their homework though and are already built these chambers into the latest Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Ok, I digress. Beyond the incredibly fine details being nailed, Origins arguably delivers some of the most engaging storylines from the Assassin’s Creed series yet. You play the powerful yet surprisingly warm and caring assassin Bayek, tasked with protecting the ruler of Egypt. The great thing about Origins is that you’re not on rails. This frustrated the hell out of me playing Uncharted on the PS4; the feeling that you can’t get lost.
Origins Has a Huge Map
Now, this might be a personal thing, but the real sense of exploration is something that made me love the Fallout series. I had no idea that Assassin’s Creed had gone down the same route. The sheer size of the map is incredible. I’ve been playing for about 15 hours, the time it’s taken to complete Wolfenstein’s campaign, yet I’ve only made a small dent into Origins. It’s a huge map and the scenes are so beautiful that you’ll never want to power off.
The Gameplay
Beyond looking great, Origins has one of the best parkour and fighting systems of the Assassin’s Creed games that I’ve played so far. Some features, like the melee fight system, does leave a bit to be desired but there’s enough in Origins to keep the game fresh and not repetitive.
One pro tip I have is level up as you earn your new skills and abilities. It might seem so obvious but I didn’t pay attention to that early on and wondered why the game was so damn hard. The difficulty ramps up as your character grows so make your life easier and upgrade as you go.
Should I Play the Other Assassin’s Creed Games First?
Until now, missing one of the Assasin’s Creed games would have meant you missed out on quite a bit. The beauty of this entry to the series is that it’s an origins game, so it predates the lot. You’ll get more from the game if you understand some of the wider background but it’s not essential.
If you have no intention whatsoever of going back and playing the older games, here’s a roundup video on the vast majority of them all:
Verdict
I’d personally fallen out of sync with the series for a while but fell straight back in with Assassin’s Creed Origins. In the past, games like this have often felt repetitive but Origins is so beautiful and engaging that you won’t be able to stop playing.
You can pick up Assassin’s Creed Origins now from a range of stores, including:
