Game Review: Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Well after 7 weeks of serious gaming I finally have concluded Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and can say it ranks among my all time favorite gaming experiences. First because I have always loved Greek history and culture, but second is because of it's incredible RPG gameplay style. Similar to AC: Origins this wide-open gameplay makes for such an interactive experience. However AC Odyssey provides the largest map and most content by far yet in the series. Also there is the unique experience to play as two different characters as well as make decisions throughout the game with multiple outcomes.

I can't remember the last time I've been so emerged into a game, finding it entertaining yet also very challenging at times. There were various days where I would simply lose track of time so immersed into the beautiful detailed map of Ancient Greece. There were also times where I felt invigorated by a challenging quest. It was a similar feeling as watching my Detroit Lions play, where the pendulum often swings from frustration to jubilation (however with a video game it's much nicer to be in control). All-in-all this game has reawakened my appreciation for video games, especially the Assassin's Creed Series (which I intend to continue with). 


The Story

The setting is in the Classical Era of Greece during the Peloponnesian War (430-404 BC) between Sparta and Athens. I chose to play as Alexios (as opposed to his sibling Cassandra). Alexios was mysteriously abandoned by his parents in Sparta, and he later took refuge on the island of Kephallonia. As an adult he becomes a powerful warrior and eager to search the world for his parents. On the island of Kephallonia he is able to enlist a sea captain, Barnabbas, to take him on a journey across the Aegean Sea on-board the Adestria.

One of his first big jobs is to assassinate the "Wolf of Sparta" who he later discovers was his adopted father.  Upon completing the job, Alexios discovers he was hired by a member of a cult who seek to overthrow Greece thru the war. Furthermore he discovers that one of the key leaders of this cult is his abandoned sister, Cassandra, referred to as Deimos. Alexios seeks out to Oracle of Delphi to get more answers about the cult as well as the whereabouts of his mother. At this point he is joined by the wise historian, Herodotus.

Together they sail to Athens to get more answers where they meet powerful leaders such as Perikles and Aspasia. Alexios also meets and befriends other famous Athenians such as the political playboy Alkibiades, the playwrights Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophokles, the physician Hippokrates, and the great philosopher Socrates. Alexios is later able to discover his mother and learns that the Cult of Kosmos was the reason he was abandoned. He also sets off on a quest to find his true father, Pythagoras, who is on a mission to open the lost city of Atlantis. Alexios discovers that he is the descendant of the great Leonidas.

Alexios is later able to defeat and convince his sister Cassandra to leave the Cult, at which point he discovers that Aspasia is their leader. Aspasia however claims she was forced into the role and is glad to see the cult brought to an end. After this main story, there are still many other side quests to complete such as discovering Atlantis by finding 4 artifacts guarded by a Minatour, Sphinx, Cyclops, and the deadly Medusa. Alexios must later fight his father to protect the secrets of Atlantis and pass it on to the present day scientist, Layla.


The Gameplay

The game stays true to the Assassin Creed elements of viewpoints, investigation, and stealth while completely expanding the hero's combat skills. The fighting in this game was my favorite part about it, with a whole menu of weaponry and abilities to be updated. I eventually found four special moves (the health upgrade, the bull charge, the fire swords, and the spartan slice-n-slam) and stuck with those most the game. The hero is also very quick at parrying and side-stepping which works great for counter-attacks. The climbing is extremely efficient and the hero's ability to jump from great heights was quite the treat.

As it was introduced in Origins, the aerial view is once again made available with Alexios' eagle, Ikaros. This bird provides great scouting detail as well as a helpful aid during combat. The horse-riding is also vastly superior with greater climbing durability. I enjoyed the ability to whistle and use Phobos as a quick escape when things got out of hand. However he could not survive the long falls and jumps as Alexios could.

Another new feature I really enjoyed in this game was the expanded menu. Normally the AC series includes the map, quests, and inventory however AC Odyssey offered some new features. This included a ship menu where updates to the Adrestia could be made. A Cultist menu where there was clues and information about the cultist members to hunt. And my favorite was the inclusion of a mercenary menu which detailed all the bounty hunters and their respective levels. My side goal early in the game was to become the top tier, number one mercenary before I called it quits, which I did.

There was so much more to the game that I perhaps did not take full advantage of, such as the conquest battles. Each Greek city-state had a political faction and Alexios is able to lure into each state into war by burning national supplies and by assassinating it's leader. I took part in this feature only a few times when it was necessary to hunt a cultist or a part of the main Odyssey campaign.

Perhaps my least favorite part of the game was the sea battles, and that's only because I wasn't very good at it. I found many of the battles were unfair in which I was fighting 5 triremes at a time. I only partook in the sea battles when I had to, and hardly ever sought out any pirates or mercenaries at sea. I did enjoy the open water voyages tho, and the songs of the ship's crew. The idea of someday touring the Greek Islands along the Aegean Sea was inspired by this aspect of the game.


The Mythical Beasts

The most challenging part of this game was fighting the mythical beasts. There were the four beasts required to discover Atlantis, and the eight beasts required to complete the Daughters of Artemis task. Both of these objectives were not main quests, yet rather a matter of pride (more-so the Daughters of Artemis). The fighting took place in some sort of den and each beast had it's unique abilities which is perhaps why these were more difficult then fighting other soldiers or mercenaries in the game. 

The Minotaur: The hardest part about the Minotaur was finding it on the island of Crete. This required a series of tasks in order to obtain a disc key into a temple of lost souls. Inside the temple was a labyrinth to navigate thru, and finally there was the beast itself. I found fighting the Minotaur to be the easiest of the 4 Artifacts of Atlantis.

The Sphinx: This mythical creature was not so much a fight yet rather a test of wit. If you did not get the riddle right, the creature would blast you to oblivion. I believe it took me a couple tries to figure out what was going on and over-all would say this one wasn't too difficult.

The Cyclops: This monster was difficult to find and very difficult to fight. I would rank him as the 3rd hardest beast in the game! In order to find him I had to help some lunatic who thinks he is related to the creature. The cyclops is massive in size and is as powerful as he is stupid. One stomp from his foot, swing from his knuckle, or swing from his club is instant death. Which is what makes the fight so frustrating is you have to be perfect and avoid all his attacks. It took me many deaths before I established a rhythm of arrow shots and powerful counter attacks.

Medusa: This iconic monster is the second hardest beast to fight in the game. She was difficult to locate in her temple yet even more-so difficult to fight. It took me many deaths to establish a rhythm to defeat her. She shoots a laser from her eyes which will slowly turn the hero into stone. Even more damaging however are her aerial fire bombs which devastate the player's health. She also summons stone guardians in which the player must defeat while fending off her attacks, at least 3 times throughout the fight. I eventually was able to hide behind the columns when she shot off her lasers, and strike the moment she shot off the aerial bombardments.

Kalydonian Boar: The 1st of Daphne's beast challenges for Alexios is quite easy. It is a larger than usual boar with a more deadly attack, however some simple side-steps and strike at it's back with flames and bull rushes will do him in. The only trick however is there are several other mini boars to deal with simultaneously.

Kalisto the Bear: This beast was quite difficult. It had a ferocious charge as well as a series of swinging claws that was instant death upon impact. After several attempts I was able to develop my usual routine of counter-attacks, flaming swords, and bull charges.

Kretan Bull: The father of the Minotaur on Crete island was a bit more difficult than the other beasts of Artemis. This was a very angry bull, the only beast of it's kind in the game. Obviously his horned-charge packed a deadly punch, but he also had a killer kick and would occasionally go on a mad jumping tirade of thrusts. This one took me maybe two or three tries to defeat.

Krokotta Hyena: This beast was fairly easy with the similar attack pattern of the boar or the dear. It was basically just a large hyena with a killer lunge. I was able to easily defeat this beast on my first try with some flames and counter attacks.

Erymanthian Boar: In my opinion, this was the hardest beast to fight in the entire game. It was very different than all other boars in the game and had a unique arsenal of attacks. First was it's deadly charge that covered long range in a very quick instance. Then it would go on a series of unpredictable spins and thrusts that made for even more difficult up-close fighting. However the most challenging aspect was the deadly poison it omitted from it's farts. After a while this poison would linger throughout the den and cause severe health damage. I tried many tactics and died many times fighting this creature, until finally I had to lure in the help of another mercenary to kill it.

Hind of Keryneia: This is a majestic deer with massive antlers, the only creature of it's kind in the game. There are deer and moose to hunt in the game, but none compare to the ferociousness of this beast. Besides it's massive size, the beast didn't have any special abilities and was a fairly easy kill.

Lykaon Wolf: This wolf had the same attack movement as the Krokotta Hyena with a killer lunge, and also had an army of smaller wolves at it's disposal. However it was still fairly easy as long as you can stay away from this lunge and fend off the other wolves. I was able to defeat this beast on my first try.

Nemean Lion: This beast moved very quickly and had some vicious jumping claw attacks. It also had several smaller lioness at it's disposal. However by using targeting it is fairly easy to avoid his quick movements and strike at the opportune time. I was able to defeat him and his assistants on my first try with my usual arsenal of bull charges and flaming swords.