Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the next big chapter in the series, releases very soon. Which means it’s now time to devour Assassin’s Creed Odyssey reviews and impressions. Odyssey represents a lot of firsts for the franchise. It’s the first Assassin’s Creed to take us to Ancient Greece, the first true Assassin’s Creed RPG with choices and consequences, and the first one to offer players the choice of protagonist. Though you may see a lot of similarities between Origins and Odyssey, the latter seemingly stands on its own with upgrades to the combat, enhanced exploration, and a BioWare-style approach to storytelling and dialogue. It remains to be seen whether Ubisoft has been successful in turning Assassin’s Creed into that style of RPG, but the reviews below should give us an idea. Here are the reviews we’ve spotted so far. As ever, scores displayed are out of ten unless noted otherwise. You may also want to give our own review-in-progress a read. PC players should grab the latest Nvidia drivers before playing. If you’re interested in that version, it’s also worth having a look at the minimum and recommended specs. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is out October 5 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Owners of the game’s various special editions can play starting tomorrow.<doc-sep>Assassin's Creed took a year-long break in 2016, then came out swinging last year with a quite literally game-changing new vision for the series in Assassin's Creed: Origins. It's a year later now and there's no break this time. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey picks up many of the newer ideas laid out in Origins, then expands on them and frames them all against the backdrop of an ancient Greece setting. But is that a good thing? Critics seem to think so. Mashable's review is coming soon, but here's a rundown of the critical pulse surrounding Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, which is out for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on Oct. 5. The world is highly detailed and smartly laid out Heather Alexandra, Kotaku Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is huge. Each new boundary is broken down the moment you reach it, the game world spilling out and expanding further and further than you can possibly imagine. It is big in the same way the Great Pyramids or Empire State Building are big, the result of untold amounts of labor and artistry distilled into something remarkable yet intimidating. It’s not a sandbox. It is a world, with all of the beauty, anxiety, and inconsistency that entails. Jeff Grubb, GamesBeat The Greek world in Odyssey seems to have more missions, quests, characters, and side diversions than any Assassin’s Creed ever. At the same time, the world has enough space to let each of those activities breathe. Some past open-world Ubisoft games seem like Yves Guillemot threw mission icons onto every possible square inch. Odyssey is the opposite of that. All of its map icons exist as distinct little islands. As a result, the entire adventure is much more manageable. Your brain actually has a chance to meaningfully process the information. It’s as if Ubisoft is treating you like a human and not some kind of box-checking automaton. The story's newfound focus on choice works well Brandin Tyrrel, IGN For the first time in an Assassin’s Creed game we get a choice of whether to play exclusively as a man or a woman: siblings Alexios and Kassandra. ... These protagonists are easily the most flexible characters in any Assassin’s Creed game to date when it comes to their personalities. As a mercenary, my Alexios was free to be whoever I decided he should be. A merc with a conscious, a one-track-mind horn dog, or a ruthless murdering psychopath – there are no wrong answers, but there were definitely consequences to the decisions I chose. Andrew Webster, The Verge The story is fairly standard stuff, but what makes it interesting is how you actually have some control over the lead character. She still has a distinct personality, but you’re able to make decisions at various points in the game, that somewhat shape her beliefs. This was true in Origins as well, but it feels deeper and more meaningful here. You can choose whether Kassandra accept money as a reward from a poor slave, or spare the life of a criminal. In one particularly harrowing mission, a murderer kidnapped a family, and forced me to choose whether the mother or father should survive. These moments can add emotional weight to otherwise boring missions, and they often forced me into difficult quandaries, as often the morally right decision would mean more work, typically in the form of an extended battle. Naval combat is still great, recruiting a crew is not Alessandro Fillari, GameSpot Naval combat and sailing make a return in Odyssey, opening up exploration on the high seas. As you build up resources and find new members to join your crew, you can customize and upgrade your ship, The Adrestia, to take on more daring challenges. Much like in Black Flag and Rogue, seafaring offers up some of the more exciting and visually pleasing moments of the game, finding lost sunken ruins in the oceans depths or facing off against increasingly aggressive rival ships. Over the course of your travels, you'll be able to recruit new lieutenants to add buffs to your ship, giving you more of a fighting chance against the sea's greater threats. Mike Williams, USgamer Lieutenants can be recruited from nearly every enemy non-player character (NPC) in Odyssey. While you're scanning forts and outposts for enemy positioning you can also see what ship bonuses your opponents bring to the table. If you find one that strikes your fancy, you can knock them out, either from stealth or with the new Spartan Kick ability. Once they're down, you can loot them and then recruit them to your pool of lieutenants. Most of the worthwhile NPCs are named, with their own weapons and looks, so there's a bit of individuality to them. You'll find yourself wanting to collect more unique folks, just so you can see them on the deck of your ship. The recruiting system is cool, when it works. The problem is all the good recruitables are likely strong enough that the stealth knockout option won't work (more on this in a bit) and the Spartan Kick is touchy. A Spartan Kick only knocks enemies out at the last portion of their lifebar, but at that point they're low enough that anything can kill them. I've kicked a potential recruit, only to have them roll down a hill and die instantly. There are some great candidates you can find on enemy ships, but boarding actions include the rest of your crew, who will likely kill any hopeful outright. Or you'll accidentally kick them into the ocean, where they'll drown. Combat is great, but making progress is a chore Tom Phillips, Eurogamer The [new signature weapon, Spear of Leonidas] symbolizes the shift away from Ubisoft's habitual Assassin's Creed gameplay to one that feels freer, more fantastical and more fun. Why wait to dual assassinate a pair of enemies who've finally rotated around their guard patterns to stand next to one another when you can blink around a map chaining assassinations over great distances, should you have invested in the skills and built-up the stamina to do so. Another combat move, where you rip the shield away from a powerful enemy and donk them on the head with it after, reminds me of the joy felt in Zelda when, after hours whittling away the health of armoured enemies, you finally get a hookshot and are able to de-shell them instantly. Fire arrows? Sure, but how about ghostly arrows which zip through walls, through enemies into other enemies, who you can then also set on fire? Level up far enough and you'll get these too. Arthur Gies, Escapist Magazine Too much of Odyssey’s later game story content is locked behind a murderous progression wall. Every quest in the game has a level attached to it, and while there’s some wiggle room, anything more than a couple of levels above your character is intended to be beyond your capability — more simply, you just can’t do enough damage to fight effectively. As the game goes on, more and more quests are required to be completed to move on and frankly, I’ve found it exhausting. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a game obsessed with making the player eat their vegetables. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey comes to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on Oct. 5, 2018.<doc-sep>Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, like many other AAA games, allows players to spend real money on various microtransactions. With the game now available, we've learned all about the items you can purchase using the franchise's Helix Credit system. You can purchase Helix Credits in five different packages: Base Pack -- 500 Helix Credits ($5 USD/$7.55 AUD/£4.29 UK) Small Pack -- 1050 Helix Credits ($10 USD/$14.95 AUD/£8.59 UK) Medium Pack -- 2400 Helix Credits ($20 USD/$29.95 AUD/£16.99 UK) Large Pack -- 4600 Helix Credits ($35 USD/$52.95 AUD/£29.99 UK) Extra Large Pack -- 7400 Helix Credits ($50 USD/$75.95 AUD/£41.99 UK) There are loads of different things you can buy with Helix Credits. Starting off, you can purchase a number of "time-saver" bundles with Helix Credits, including various allotments of the in-game currency, Drachmae, as well as packs that come with materials like wood and pelts that you would otherwise find in the world. You can also purchase permanent XP and Drachmae boosts that offer 50 percent more XP and Drachmae than normal. The permanent XP boost costs 1000 Helix Credits, while the bundle that gets you 50 percent boosts for XP and Drachmae costs 1500 Helix Credits. What's more, you can purchase maps that reveal the locations of things like legendary chests, ancient tablets, and more. There are also microtransactions specific to ships in the form of various different designs for sails, figureheads, and outfits for your crew. You can also purchase various gear packs for your character, as well as skins for your horse that turn it into a unicorn or even a pegasus (but it doesn't appear to be able to actually fly). Additionally, you can buy swords, spears, and staffs individually or through sets. You can visit Odyssey's store to see everything there is to buy with microtransactions. GameSpot's Assassin's Creed: Odyssey review scored the game an 8/10. "Assassin's Creed Odyssey's ambition is admirable, which is reflected in its rich attention to detail for the era and its approach to handling the multi-faceted narrative with strong protagonists at the lead," reviewer Alessandro Fillari said. "While its large-scale campaign--clocking in at over 50 hours--can occasionally be tiresome, and some features don't quite make the impact they should, Odyssey makes great strides in its massive and dynamic world, and it's a joy to venture out and leave your mark on its ever-changing setting."<doc-sep>
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is now available, bringing the blockbuster action series to ancient Greece. After Ubisoft saw diminishing returns from its annual sequels, the company took a year off to put more time into its next installment. The result was Assassin's Creed Origins, a well-received return to form that borrowed some heavy RPG elements like loot, and revised some of its staid mechanics. Odyssey is the first sequel since Origins, and it follows just a year after. Though Ubisoft has already confirmed another isn't coming next year, this game following so hot on the heels of the last one runs the risk of exhausting fans again. The critical reception suggests that the shine hasn't worn off quite yet, with generally positive reviews that note this one isn't quite as novel, but learns its lessons well from its predecessor. Read on for a look at impressions from around the industry, or check GameSpot's sister site Metacritic for a wider view. Game: Assassin's Creed Odyssey Assassin's Creed Odyssey Developer / Publisher: Ubisoft Ubisoft Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Release date: October 5 October 5 Price: US $60 / £49 / AU $78 GameSpot -- 8/10 "Assassin's Creed Odyssey's ambition is admirable, which is reflected in its rich attention to detail for the era and its approach to handling the multi-faceted narrative with strong protagonists at the lead. While its large-scale campaign--clocking in at over 50 hours--can occasionally be tiresome, and some features don't quite make the impact they should, Odyssey makes great strides in its massive and dynamic world, and it's a joy to venture out and leave your mark on its ever-changing setting." -- Alessandro Fillari [Full review] GamesRadar -- 5/5 "In the end this journey is all about choice. The people you decide to let live, the romances you have, the sexuality lines you blur, the questlines you follow, the people you help and hinder and the RPG picks you make. It's an utterly beautifully crafted world and story, with cutscenes for literally days. After 70 hours I've only just finished the main storyline and I still have plenty to see in Odyssey's Greece, and it's a joy to keep on exploring." -- Sam Loveridge [Full review] IGN -- 92/100 "Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a resounding achievement in world building, environment, and engaging gameplay with occasional problems throughout. Its incredible recreation of ancient Greece is something I'll want to go back to long after I've finished its main story, and its excellent systems mesh together in a way that’s hard to beat. While there are definite rough edges, Odyssey sets a new bar for Assassin's Creed games and holds its own in the eternal debate over the best open-world roleplaying games ever." -- Brandin Tyrrel [Full review] Forbes -- 8.5/10 "Origins was delightful and Odyssey hits almost all the same notes, so there's a lot to like about it as well. But this series needs a bit of breathing room, and I hope it gets another bit of rest after this." -- Paul Tassi [Full review] Game Informer -- 8.25/10 "Assassin's Creed Odyssey aims high in its attempts to blend innovative additions with returning features. The execution might be uneven, but Ubisoft Quebec ultimately strikes a successful balance among the many parts. The story is compelling, both as a hero's journey and in the way it ties into the series' wider lore. Exploring the world is fun, combat is empowering, and getting epic loot is a thrill. That solid core formula carries Odyssey a long way, but like Icarus and his wax wings, it's not enough to reach the bright star on the horizon." -- Joe Juba [Full review] The Escapist -- 6/10 "I'm still going to go back once this review is written, to play more, and to definitively solve the mysteries of Kassandra’s odyssey, but I will in all likelihood spend real money on an in-game permanent XP boost to reduce the amount of stuff I have to see that I just don't care about. If that sounds like an endorsement with a small but appreciable 'but' attached, well." -- Arthur Gies [Full review]