Assassin’s Creed: Origins Hands-On – A Creed Is Born
Taking a year off from the Assassin’s Creed franchise was pretty much the best thing the team at [...]
Taking a year off from the Assassin's Creed franchise was pretty much the best thing the team at Ubisoft could've done. Sure, technically, it didn't quite have it off, as we had The Ezio Chronicles in the place of a new game. But not having to buckle away at a new franchise gave the publisher the time needed to refocus and re-energize the series, and we can't think of a better way that it'll be doing so than with Assassin's Creed: Origins.
Ubisoft recently invited me down to a special event to go hands-on with an unfinished build of the game, to get an idea of what the city of Memphis (Egypt, not Tennessee) had to hold for the main hero of the game, Bayek. He begins by steering his makeshift boat across the waters, eventually making his way to the city where he runs into Aya, his beloved wife and fellow assassin. But their trip is not for pleasure, as they find themselves having to track down a would-be saboteur who has poisoned a prize animal – and the culprit isn't as easily found as you might think.
That's just part of the mission that was presented to me during the hands-on, as I was also given the opportunity to explore inside of a giant pyramid, getting the hang of the puzzle solving the game was capable of. Within this mighty temple, I found myself having to adjust certain lifts with weights in order to get to higher areas, and occasionally trying to figure out the next place to go. Fortunately, Bayek is able to light up a torch within these dark ruins, so he can get a lay of the land and give you an idea of what to figure out next.
A Whole New World (Of Danger)
Before we get to that particular part of the game, though, let's talk about the amazing scope of Origins. The cities I explored within the game are perhaps the best I've seen in an Assassin's Creed game to date – and that's including the hustle and bustle of the 18th century from Syndicate. The appearance of Memphis and the surrounding locales are beautiful, and you can really get the detail that the developers put into the game, especially when you summon your eagle compatriot and go flying over the city, really seeing what every nook and cranny has to offer.
Even the smaller details are something. For instance, as you're climbing up the side of the pyramid (yes, there are crevices that you can actually grab onto – it's not a straight-up sprint), you can really see the architecture that really went into its building, and then look out and see what the world has to offer. Even the interiors look great, with exceptional work put into the lighting, as well as the general build of the level itself. This is easily an impressive-looking game, and a new high for Ubisoft's usual Assassin work.
The story has a lot to offer as well. Even though we only covered bits and pieces of what's happening thus far, it's great to see more historical characters get involved in the mix, including Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, among others. There are times the dialogue can get a little too dramatic, but you really feel the drive for these characters. Not only that, but Bayek is a superb hero, with his own drives and passion. His relationship with Aya is really cool, and having her around to back him up is a great thing.
prevnextBayek's Awesome Abilities
Plus, Bayek has many skills to his credit. His combat style is very cool, as he draws his sword and can do great up-close damage, as well as parrying incoming attacks and figuring his way around shielded enemies. That said, it can be a bit easy to get bombarded by too many bad guys, so it never hurts to figure out an alternative method to taking them down. For instance, he's absolutely deadly with a bow and arrow, and you can perform "death from above" techniques to take someone down rather quickly. He's very agile, so watching these kills is really something.
That's not all. Bayek also has some smarts in him, as demonstrated by a new investigation mode within the game. By turning this on and pressing up on the D-pad, you can pay attention for certain things in the environment and try to solve things, Witcher style. In this case, we had to look around a small area for clues in terms of how the animal could've gotten poisoned – and, more importantly, who was affected.
There's also observation, in which Bayek calls upon his eagle to scout the idea, not only for potential targets and/or important subjects, but also guards that could very well stand in the way. This plays very well with your combat skills, as you can plan a course of attack and carefully make your way to a proper execution. Well, either that or go Scorpion King on everyone and eventually leave a bunch of bodies in your wake. It's totally up to you.
prevnextStalk Like An Egyptian
Origins has a large, explorable map filled with all sorts of hidden secrets and side missions, though I only got to see a select few with my hands-on time with the game. But this is just a small portion of what the overall world has to offer – and, man, what I wouldn't give for an opportunity to sack Rome. Just to say that I could.
That said, there were some noticeable bugs. For instance, during one segment, Bayek was making his way up a ladder, and some thug was making his way down. We actually passed through one another, in a rather humorous moment. Also, some enemies seemed to disappear completely from certain sections of the game, and collision detection was slightly off. But, keep in mind this is a work in progress, and the final release will remedy these issues, we're very sure.
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Although Assassin's Creed: Origins' new approach could take some getting used to – especially if you're used to the ways of Ezio or another given Assassin – it's remarkable thus far. The broad scope of this new world is really something, the combat style is fantastic (thus far) and the many elements surrounding Bayek really make him a well rounded character. We can't wait to see how the finished product shapes up when Assassin's Creed: Origins arrives on October 27th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Currently, Amazon Prime members can save 20% when they pre-order.
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