1. Choosing Your Own Character
In the newest Assassin’s Creed game, players have the chance to choose between two main characters.
A new feature that Ubisoft is bringing to Odyssey is the ability to choose your own character. Players will get to choose one of two main characters: Alexios or Kassandra. Whichever you choose, your character has the same story. They are a Spartan warrior in exile who becomes a mercenary during the war between Sparta and Athens. The player, playing as either Alexios or Kassandra, will have the ability to make several crucial choices throughout the game.
2. Dialogue Options
A new feature in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey gives players dialogue options in nearly every conversation. Players can even verbally spar with Socrates!
Speaking of choices, players will now have access to dialogue options in nearly every conversation of Odyssey. These dialogue options can range from joking and lying to NPC’s, to crucial decisions that could turn the tide of the war. If a player makes too many dialogue choices that upset certain factions, they will send mercenaries to deal with the player. According to Ubisoft, they toyed with the idea of letting players know whether or not a certain line of dialogue will have an effect on the outcome of the game, but they ultimately decided it was more important for a player to make the decisions that they wanted to.
3. Romance
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is revolutionizing the series as a more in-depth RPG. Players will now have romance options, including same-sex romance.
As far as dialogue options go, players have always experienced romance in the Assassin’s Creed series as fixed and linear. However, according to Ubisoft, all of that is about to change. Players now have many different opportunities to romance a cast of diverse NPC’s throughout their own odyssey. For example, if a player opts to play as Kassandra, they are free to choose whether they romance a man or a woman, or no one at all. Players can also opt out of romancing options if they so choose. As Ubisoft describes it, Odyssey is all about the player’s individual journey.
4. Big Battles
In true Spartan fashion, players now have the option to lead armies of up to 150 soldiers into epic battles.
The map of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is incredibly expansive, covering a vast amount of the Greek islands. It stands to reason, then, the battles would be just as big. In Odyssey, players have the opportunity to lead up to 150 soldiers into battle. In these massive battles between the Spartans and Athenians, it is the player’s job to target the lieutenants of the opposing side needing to hack, slash, and dodge through waves of enemy soldiers to get to them.
The more lieutenants the player takes out, the more enemy soldiers begin to flee out of fear, so it’s imperative for players to take them out right away. However, the more lieutenants the player takes out, the more they will gain the attention of the captain, the battle’s penultimate boss. Once the player has killed the enemy captain and a significant amount of enemy soldiers, the battle is won. We cannot wait to play through this feature when it comes out!
5. Naval Combat
Naval combat is another feature that is returning from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, giving players the option of fighting and boarding enemy ships.
Another combat feature that is making a huge comeback in an exciting way is naval combat. Introduced in Assassin’s Creed III, naval combat was the cornerstone of the game and will also play a significant role in Odyssey as well. The player will be commanding their very own Greek trireme that can be controlled by either rowing or sailing.
During a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything, Odyssey’s Creative Director, Jonathan Dumont, explained that this game’s naval combat will not include cannons, but will have more of a focus on cleaving and ramming other ships as well as eliminating an enemy’s ships with arrows and javelins. “There’s nothing better than to cleave an enemy ship in half and see her crew devoured by sharks,” he jokes. He also admits that there will be a progression system and ways for players to recruit their own crews. We are definitely eager to see this feature make a comeback in this game!
6. Mercenaries
Since the main character does not live by the Assassin’s Creed, players are free to lie, cheat, and steal. But be warned! If they get caught, they have the potential to be hunted by mercenaries.
A completely new feature that is being introduced in Odyssey is the mercenary system. Since this game is set around 400 years before the Assassins Brotherhood was founded with Bayek, the protagonist of Odyssey does not need to live by the Assassin’s Creed. Instead, players can choose to lie, cheat, steal and generally be a rapscallion. But be careful! If the player is caught doing any of these unreputable things, they could end up with a bounty on their head. If this happens, mercenaries will begin to seek out the player, who in turn will be notified of their location, their weapons, strengths, and weaknesses. Players have several options when it comes to dealing with mercenaries. They can either choose to kill them, pay the bounty on their head, or run. However, if a player chooses to kill the mercenary, another one may simply shift up the ranks and take the assassinated mercenary’s place.
This system is very reminiscent of the Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor where enemies and their grudges are constantly evolving with the player. We are excited to see how this plays out!
7. Huge World
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey allows players to explore a large portion of the Ancient Mediterranean islands.
According to Ubisoft, the world of Odyssey is their most expansive yet, covering quite a few of the Greek islands. However, the map is mostly made up of the Aegean Sea, which players can freely explore to find some unique goodies that Ubisoft has no doubt hidden around. Also, according to Creative Director Jonathan Dumont, the map will feature several different biomes. Players will be able to explore everything from snow-capped mountains to forests and beaches. Reportedly, the map is twice the size of Assassin’s Creed: Origins, which covered a hefty expanse of the Egyptian desert. There is no doubt there will be lots of places for us to explore in this game!
8. No Hidden Blade
Since Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is set many years before the brotherhood is officially formed, players will not have access to the signature weapon of the franchise, the hidden blade. Instead, players will wield the broken spear of Leonidas.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey will be the first Assassin’s Creed game to not feature the hidden blade. Instead, the player will wield the broken spear of Leonidas, which functions as sort of a hidden blade in this game. According to the lore of the game, Alexios or Kassandra (whomever the player chooses to be) is the child of Leonidas, who is said to have First Civilization DNA. His spear is the game’s signature weapon and seems to possess some mystical powers. As prophesied by a Greek oracle, Leonidas’ family will bring a great doom to Sparta, which leads to the player getting thrown off of a mountain as a child and surviving, reappearing 17 years later as a mercenary. We are interested to see just what mystical powers the broken spear of Leonidas possesses!
9. Skills and Abilities
Players will be able to craft their own play style with Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’s new skill tree.
According to Ubisoft, the skill tree in Odyssey will be quite similar to the previous game, Origins, with some minor tweaks. The skill tree will be divided up into the Hunter, Warrior, and Assassin branches, which will allow the player to craft their own play style by mixing and matching different perks.
As in Origins, the Hunter skill branch is focused around ranged attacks such as archery or commanding your eagle. The Warrior skill branch focuses more on melee attacks, allowing the player to unlock certain abilities that will improve this aspect of combat. A notable skill that the player can unlock in this skill branch is the famous Spartan kick, which launches enemies off of cliffs or away from the player. After all, this is Sparta!
The final skill branch is the Assassins skill, which focuses mostly on stealth attacks, allowing the player to craft a sneakier play style. It is interesting to note that some of the skills in this tree allow the player to use the Spear of Leonidas in a stealth-like way, similar to the hidden blade of previous Assassin’s Creed games. From the sounds of it, players will be able to craft their own kind of playstyle in this game, and we are excited to try it out!
10. Modern-Day Plot
The modern-day plot of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey will pick up where Origins left off with Layla Hassan’s story.
As revealed at E3 2018, Layla Hassan’s story has not quite yet finished. Ubisoft was quick to tell us that in Odyssey, we will be delving further into her story. When we last saw her in Origins, she was headed to Alexandria with William Miles. Now that her partner from the Sigma Team has been captured, it will be interesting to see how she reacts with Miles and the Assassin Brotherhood, even though she is not a member herself.
While we do not know too much else about the modern-day plot of Odyssey, we do know Ubisoft has said there will be more room for exploration during the modern-day story segments. After complaints that they did not focus as much on the modern-day part of the story in past Assassin’s Creed games, Ubisoft has announced they will be allowing players more freedom to explore the modern-day story in-depth if they so choose. Players who prefer the historical plot can also choose to not delve fully into the modern day plot. It sounds like Ubisoft is cultivating a game that can be enjoyed by everyone and we cannot wait!
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey will be available for purchase for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 5, 2018, giving players the chance to embark on their own Odyssey.
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