I still remember the moment Ubisoft first showed Assassin’s Creed to the world. The gaming community was surprised and couldn’t wait to get their hands on this new franchise. A couple of games later, Ubisoft proved the franchise was here to stay, resulting in annual releases. Last year, we had to wait a little longer but this year, we can finally control a new assassin once more. Origins is more than just a sequel, a marks a new start for the franchise.

An impressive atmosphere

First things first, this game looks amazing. It’s without a doubt the best-looking of the franchise and it really shines when played on a high-end PC or one of the console’s Pro versions. This game takes us back to the start of the Creed.

Enter the year 49 b.C. in Egypt, Welcome to the age of Caesar, Pompey and Cleopatra. It’s a theme fans have been asking for since the start of the franchise but I’m glad Ubisoft waited this long to deliver te popular demand. The technology of today is finally capable of a perfect recreation of the mighty Egypt. Egypt is ruled by Ptolemy, Cleopatra’s younger brother. He rules with an iron fist and doesn’t make compromises. We control Bayek, who’s a Medjay, a protector of the people. Soon he learns it’s not Ptolemy himself who rules the country and makes it his goal to hunt down the Order of the Ancients and claim back the homeland of Siwa.

One of the best assassins in the franchise

Bayek’s background is perhaps one of the better ones in the franchise. Since he’s a protector of the people, he already has a lot of respect and power. Right from the start, we see a confident and strong protagonist. Since he already knows how the world works, this results in a lack of combat tutorials at the start of the game. This is a welcomed change if you ask me, the buttons are explained quickly at the start of the game but after that, you’re free to discover everything on your own.

What I liked most about the story and Bayek is that his actions really matter for the people around him and even matter for Egypt. He’s married with Aya, both gorgeous and powerful. Since he needs to take care of her, it’s important to question your actions from time to time. Will you kill a certain person if this might end badly for your family?

Besides personal issues and motives, Bayek also fights for the sake of Egypt. For the first time in the franchise, you’re really able to make a difference. The story is way more than a background story. Here you’ll meet the weakest characters of the country and the strongest ones later on. Seeing how your actions affect their lives is crucial in this game. Ubisoft really managed to create an interesting story filled with interesting main quests and side-missions.

Forget everything you know

As you can see, waiting a year to create the perfect new Assassin’s Creed game really turned out to be a great decision for the story but what about the gameplay itself? Well, that changed a lot too! While playing this new Assassin’s Creed game, I often thought about The Witcher franchise since it’s way closer to that one now.

The combat has been reworked from scratch and everything feels new. You can still lock on your enemies but attacks aren’t based on counters anymore. Instead, you can use a light and heavy attack (charge the last one for extra damage) and defense with your shield or a counter you have to time perfectly this time. Combat is way more fluent thanks to this, but I’m also sure a lot of veteran Assassin’s Creed players will have to get used to this new, faster combat. After spending some time with it, it works perfectly.

When it comes to weapons, Bayek can use seven different types of weapons ranging from swords to spears. All of those can be upgraded for better ones thanks to the crafting mechanism. Besides that, you can also use different types of bows. For example, one bow is able to shoot multiple arrows at once, while another one is able to shoot farther without notifying the enemies you’re close to. I really liked this variation in the weapons. The combat is different and for sure something you’ll need to get used to but it’s the best ever.

Upgrade your abilities

Combat doesn’t end just there. Assassin’s Creed: Origins takes the RPG route and adds ability points to the game. If you level, you can upgrade one of the three main abilities.

If you go for warrior, you’ll become better in melee attacks and even boost the so-called Overpower ability. This ability can be triggered if Bayek created enough adrenaline to launch this attack. When you launch an attack like that, you’ll become extremely powerful and hard to take down. Investing in the warrior abilities will make you stronger for sure.

Like stealth gameplay more? Invest in the Hunter abilities. Here you’ll master the sneaking, hidden blades and bow combat. It’s not my personal favorite style of playing but it’s good that it’s included for sure.

The last one is called the Seer and this is for the assassins who like to use bombs, darts and other traps. I had fun messing around with it, but in the end, I always went back to the Warrior class.

Innovation after innovation

It’s clear to say that Assassin’s Creed: Origins is packed with innovations and even feels like a different game. The mini-map has been removed so your forced to find your way with the small compass on the top screen, or you can use your Eagle to scout the environment. Using your eagle, you can look for interesting crafting materials or missions. Once found, you can indicate them so Bayek can find them more easily. The game is literally packed with content like this and it’s truly amazing to see how far the franchise came from the last time we played it.

Small bugs

The world of this new Assassin’s Creed is gorgeous but there still are some small bugs. For example, compared to the environments, the characters themselves look rather flat. The emotions don’t always work that good and the countless NPC’s in the city look a lot like each other. Besides that, the game still suffers from small bugs but it’s nothing game-breaking. Compared to other versions, this is one of the smoother launches.

Conclusion:

Assassin’s Creed: Origins feels like a fresh start for the franchise and it couldn’t be a better start. Egypt is gorgeous and it feels like your actions really have an influence on the story. The combat and ability system work extremely well, resulting in a very deep and impressive game. This is one of the best Assassin’s Creed games out there, you definitely need to play it to believe it. The Creed has returned!

9.5/10