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Assassin’s Creed: Origins Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Assassin’s Creed: Origins Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Birth of the Brotherhood

Ubisoft’s decision to take a year off from Assassin’s Creed was a blessing from Amun. Not only did it allow fans and critics of the series a respite to garner a resurgence of anticipation for the next entry, but it provided the development team some breathing room to fashion a massive and breathtaking Egyptian playground, with fully fleshed out stories and characters, and every sand-kissed inch begging to be explored for rewards. Assassin’s Creed: Origins is like a freshly pounded piece of papyrus, with a new script of features infusing the series with some fresh lungs to breathe life into a franchise whose air was growing stale.

You’ll slip into the sandals of Bayek, a skilled Medjay who is instantly amicable and always eager to help the suffering from the corrupted hierarchy of Egypt, Rome, and Greece. Destined to become the first Assassin of the Creed, his compassion, cool head, and soft-spoken voice will have you clinging to every scripted conversation, despite the developers tossing the rules of word “origins” out the window in favor of a gripping narrative. His sultry tongue is matched by his combat prowess, and in Assassin’s Creed: Origins you are granted some flexibility to tailor Bayek’s abilities to your playstyle. The skill tree allows you to focus on melee combat, ranged upgrades, or stealth and supplementary abilities as you gain skill points. The branches will eventually intersect, creating a more wholly balanced warrior as you get deeper into the game, but the game still offers you the choice in every encounter on how to tackle the obstacle.

The combat itself is far improved from the old animations and single engagement system. Replaced with a hit-box format, striking is based on angles and precision, which allows you to manually target body parts for increased damage or the ability to incapacitate a foe. Like you, enemies have a level, displaying a baseline difficulty for certain areas and indicating spots that should be avoided until you are stronger. You also need to take heed when barreling into a group of armed defenders, as they all act independently and can strike together. It’s not so easy to parry multiple incoming blows with your one shield. Along with your bow and buckler, there are plenty of different melee weapon types to suit your style and exploit the vulnerabilities of the enemy in front of you. Sickles, scepters, maces, spears, and blades are just a few types to test out. You’ll need to understand each one’s individual effectiveness against various armor types and durable hides of creatures. Egypt is teeming with wildlife, like hyenas, crocodiles, lions, and the dreaded hippopotamus, all providing unique encounters and crafting materials once slain.

With the crafting, gear types, skill tree, and leveling system, Assassin’s Creed: Origins dives much deeper into the role-playing haystack than its predecessors. This may feel off-putting for fans who prefer the seamless and unhindered action presented in the past, but fortunately shifting and tweaking Bayek’s optimal loadout doesn’t force you into menu screens for extended periods, though manipulating a cursor with a controller is bit of a nuisance. It also makes the acquisition of loot a lot more enticing as you wander around the dunes of the Sahara and the shores of the Nile River.

Assassin's Creed: Origins Screenshot

There is no multiplayer component in Assassin’s Creed: Origins , though the game does offer a separate Horde-style gladiator mode that lets you take a break from the campaign and test out some combat challenges for gear and other loot. I’m surprised a co-op element couldn’t at least be squeezed into this arena mode, but Ubisoft swears by its focus on a robust solo experience.

Assassin's Creed: Origins Screenshot

Assassin’s Creed: Origins ’s stunning backdrop makes it near impossible not to wander, and the game doesn’t force the main campaign down your throat. There is a very palatable Skyrim -esque motivation to finish the tutorial, take a left turn, scale a vantage point, and find your own points of interest on the horizon. With no minimap to guide you, tagging locations can be accomplished via Senu, your eagle “drone” companion that can be controlled for a bird’s eye view of your surroundings. Not only can you tag landmarks for future study, but Senu can also harass enemies and take down wild game.

The slice of Egypt is loaded with sandstone and beige hues, but the landscape is far from barren. Ancient monuments cover the map, as do bustling villages and wildlife-infested islands. The sandy colors make the green oasis patches all the more vibrant, and the attention to detail is astounding. With a daily cycle delivering a plethora of lighting effects and the shadows of tombs instilling claustrophobia, there’s visually very little to complain about. Apart from the pyramids in Giza, the structures don’t have the verticality of past Assassin’s Creed games, but it’s still a far cry more interesting than the dull and congested streets of Paris and London. The only distortion, as with every open-world game, comes from animation glitches. I’ve seen rats suspended in midair, body parts disappear through walls, and an NPC that doesn’t trigger a quest related conversation now and then, but nothing that has affected gameplay in any serious fashion.

Assassin's Creed: Origins Screenshot

The musical score is also brilliantly composed, and feels authentic to the period, highlighting ancient instruments and leaning heavily on the Phrygian dominant scale that is typical of the Egyptian locale. It’s a bit over-cinematic at times, but finds a good balance between moments of heightened tension and the myriad of occasions where it’s just you and nature, letting the environmental ambience play in the foreground. From the clashes of metal in combat to the groans of a camel while riding, the superb voice acting, and all the Assassin’s Creed signature synchronization effects, the entire audio team deserves applause for near flawless execution.

Assassin’s Creed is one the greatest action-adventure franchises out there, though its hidden blades have been dulled of late from overexposure. After its brief sabbatical, Assassin’s Creed: Origins enters the arena glistening in the Egyptian sun with quality and quantity. Whether you’re a devout member of the Creed, someone who’s fallen off the hay wagon, or even a prospective new member of the Brotherhood, this is the time to dig your blade deep into a succulent new Assassin’s Creed .

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.6 Graphics
Egypt has never looked more lush, beautiful, and alive then in Origins. A few expected visual glitches are present, but otherwise the world is flawless. 4.4 Control
The hit-box system is a more competitive and visceral experience than past Assassin’s Creed games. Bayek moves fairly effortlessly around the Egyptian paradise. But what’s the deal with the manual menu cursor? 4.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music score may get a touch too excitable at times, but otherwise it finds a good balance between the action and the interludes. The effects and voice acting are top notch. 4.5 Play Value
Some form of multiplayer would have been nice, but as a single-player affair, hundreds of wonderful hours can be lost here without a shred of boredom. 4.5 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • THE MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT – Discover lost tombs, the Great Pyramids, mummies, and the gods.
  • AN ORIGIN STORY – Start at the beginning and uncover the origin story of the Assassin’s Brotherhood.
  • ALL-NEW COMBAT – Experience new combat mechanics and use powerful weapons to take down epic enemies.
  • MEANINGFUL QUESTS – Play intense stories with impactful objectives at your own pace.
  • EXPLORE A FULL COUNTRY – In busy cities and down the Nile, you’ll never run out of things to do.

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