Origins is a massive sandbox, worth every bit of the price tag. The game contains well over 100 combined side and main quests, with excellent crafting of Egypt and its sites! meaning, you don’t have to spend the money on a trip to Egypt, when you can just turn to Origins. This review of the game will contain NO SPOILERS, addressing the Bayek, The World, Combat, Details and some random observations on my part.
Origins is a massive sandbox, worth every bit of the pricetag. The game contains well over 100 combined side and main quests, with excellent crafting of Egypt and its sites! meaning, you don’t have to spend the money on a trip to Egypt, when you can just turn to Origins. This review of the game will contain NO SPOILERS, addressing the Bayek, The World, Combat, Details and some random observations on my part.
Bayek:
So far in Origins, I have found an appreciation for the variety of personalities in character, from the cowards to the remorseful, the happy to the resilient. Each showing their individuality. Aya, Bayeks’ wife, stands out for me particularly at the beginning due to her sense of urgency.
Bayek is the main character of our story who we primarily follow, with the addition of his wife. He is focused on his mission but takes on side tasks, especially if they fall in line with his overarching goals. The most impressive aspect of Bayek is his ties to the land. From what I know, I don’t think there could be a better representation of the Medjay. He helps those in need, telling one little boy post-mission he does not need to pay for his help. He is a protector and lets it be known. Bayek also follows customs and religious practices, while referencing his culture. We can tell he was a part of this land before the story and will continue to be throughout.
The World:
The world which has been made is utterly beautiful, although the basic layout is sand, no area comes across the same, with a vastness which can only be admired. The world offers many different animal habitats and people, with period dress for the villagers in order to promote the immersion into Egypt at the end of the Ptolemaic period (49-47BC). The actions we see are typical of families, from tending to children and their work/everyday life, including our ability to listen in on conversations which aid to the main characters story.
The world can be observed easily through many types of transport, from horses and camels, to climbing up the amazing pyramids and overlook the beauty of the landscape. All assuming you haven’t found yourself in the middle of a sandstorm. It is important to note that through exploring the sites, you are able to find items which prove useful in later objectives.
Combat:
I am by no means the best at combat, be it stealth or running in head first yelling “Leroy Jenkins”. Therefore, as you can guess, I died a lot. One could say, it was a massacre of death. This does not mean that the combat is difficult to grasp however, it is just different to what I am used to from such games as Batman. One part of combat which I particularly enjoyed was the ability to vary the attacks, blocks, parrys and dodges which provides a more realistic approach.
Going from the initial shock to my present skill has made me conflicted. Mostly, you can only pick up weapons equal to or less than your level, but acquiring them seemed almost too easy. Regarding leveling, I seemed to get stronger very quickly. That could be because of my play style, completing side quests before the main quests. Nevertheless, I felt like I could die, if I ventured too far out before it was time. That is huge for me. There are too many games that don’t pose that challenge or if they do they are completely unforgiving. The nice thing is each player can set their own level of challenge by seeking out tough fights or selecting higher difficulties or even restricting how they fight. You can also skip combat all together with sleep darts or by being sneaky (using the ever famous hidden blade from ezio).
I spent some time running from the first Phylakitai until I out leveled him considerably. The fight was still tough because his high health, but I was able to defeat him. I continued to dodge the next one until I said, “Forget it. Today you die.” That statement ended up not being as heroic as it sounded because I ended up keeping my distance and using all my arrows until the final hit. That didn’t make me feel good, so next time I will stand and fight. Again, it’ll be up to me. I am the assassin.
Attention to Detail:
I applaud the creators for their attention to detail. To be honest, I might have freaked out a little the first time I noticed a cat following me. I was able to pet it and Senu. Of course, a photo session ensued and it was everything to me. I am more of a dog person in real life, but I couldn’t help to be amazed at the fact that they would include those types of interactions. Cats were sacred to Egyptians in that period and they made sure to highlight their presence. This is one of many examples of the details put into the game along with blood flowing in the water, Bayek praying in tombs and elsewhere, and even an awkward hug from someone Bayek helped during one of the side missions.
I can tell a lot of time was put into this game. The detail makes me want to pay more attention to what is going on and not try to rush from mission to mission. There’s a difference between something taking time and you taking your time; this game makes both happen.
Random Observations:
I appreciate the random trivia given to us. It brings us closer to the world.
The boats approaching you while swimming can be annoying because they like to cut in front of you, but they show the developers make sure you have what you need, even if it requires “borrowing” from the villagers.
It’s cool how the guards will remove bodies on their own instead of them all just disappearing. It adds a level of immersion.
There a couple of things I have to point out. I didn’t get too much into the story because I’m still working on it. This game has some flaws, but I chose not to focus on them here because the positives far outweigh the negatives and I wanted to show why this game was a good buy. Most importantly, my perspective is one of someone who has never played an Assassin’s Creed game before. Hardcore fans, or even casual ones, may disagree with every point I made. They know a whole lot more than me about the series. This post isn’t necessarily for them, but I do welcome their input in the comments.
With that said, I am loving this game. I still want to go back to past entries, and will eventually, but I think playing this gives me greater motivation to do so. It may take some time to get through the whole thing, but the investment is worth it. All in all, for those who have never played the series, Assassin’s Creed: Origins is a good game to be begin with as it is stand alone.