Assassin's Creed Origins

Reviewer Rating: 8/10

Price: NZ$ 99.99

Age Rating: R18

Assassin's Creed Origins invites you to traverse the majestic landscapes of ancient Egypt, a world brimming with wonder and intrigue. As Bayek, a seasoned warrior driven by justice, unravel the secrets of a civilization on the brink of transformation. From the bustling markets of Memphis to the serene beauty of the oasis, every corner of this meticulously crafted world beckons exploration. Immerse yourself in a rich tapestry of history and mythology, where each step unveils the origins of the legendary Assassin Brotherhood. With seamless combat, breathtaking visuals, and a narrative that weaves through the sands of time, Assassin's Creed Origins offers an unforgettable odyssey through the heart of an ancient empire.

Assassin's Creed Origins revived the Assassin's Creed franchise after the previous 2 games both recieved mid ratings. Ubisoft scaled up Origins from the previous games an insane amount, creating the beautiful open world of Egypt, rather than restricting the player to one single city. Origins feels so fresh after playing all the previous games which feel very similar to each other, it not only changes the map scale but also acts more like an RPG game with the new gear and loot collecting system and tanky enemies.

Origins has a great world reveal as you ride your camel out of the starting desert area into the Siwa Oasis with a huge mountain range visible in the background. As the title suggests this game explains how the Assassin's Creed was created, you play as Bayek, the first Assassin and the main story follows him as he avenges the death of his son and assassinates members of an ancient order. The story itself isn't anything really special, though it's definitely a step up over Syndicate. Origins introduces tons of new mechanics to the series which are still being used 7 years later, including the Eagle mode to find targets and expanded parkour where you can climb just about anything you can see.

Visually, Origins looks stunning with a huge variety of biomes in Egypt. You can climb rocky mountain ranges, ride through empty deserts, expansive swamps and visit the cities of Ancient Egypt including Alexandria. The game includes many other landmarks of Egypt such as the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza. You can really get immersed in this world, finding new locations around every corner.

Combat has been completely reworked in Origins, it feels very fluid with some great combo aniamtions and different abilities that Bayek can use to defeat his enemies. There is a great variety in weapon types as well including swords, spears, axes, maces, daggers and bows which all function differntly and encourage creating varied builds for your playthough. Enemies will attack at any time now which makes combat less predictable and before you get some proper gear upgraded you'll find yourself dying in only a couple of hits from higher levelled enemies. The game also adds real boss fights which can be pretty challenging at times and makes the game feel much more punishing.

The new RPG style was great for refreshing the Assassin's Creed franchise but there are still a lot of things that could be improved in this game. Here's my list of positives and negatives:

Positves:

• Amazing open world design

• One of the stronger AC stories

• Big improvements to combat

• Better enemy variety

• Good loot system and great cosmetics

• Boss fights are a good addition

• Immersive activites like diving, sailing and hunting

• Large quest variety

Negatives:

• Big step away from stealth

• Some enemies have too much health

• Levelling up takes forever

• Legendary items don't feel rare enough

There are a good amount of features in Origins that are really down to your personal preference. There is a huge ramp up in the supernatural, this may hurt the immersion for some players whereas others enjoy it. Overall, Origins is a great game and my favorite in the franchise in my opinion, I'd 100% recommend you try this game out.