Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is the eleventh main installment in the Assassin's Creed series developed by Ubisoft.

Development
The game was primarily developed by Ubisoft Québec, which had previously worked on Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. The concept for the game emerged in 2015, as the team was wrapping up development on Syndicate. In the shift to an RPG-esque game, inspiration was taken from titles such as The Witcher 3, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls, in regards to the idea of player choice. The development team engaged in communication with the team behind Assassin's Creed: Origins; it was decided to quote:"push it [the series] forward" with the introduction of RPG elements. The setting of ancient Greece was chosen as it was one of the most requested settings from the fanbase.

Odyssey uses a lot of the same graphical technology as Origins. Far more color was used in the game; the designers tried to tap into the notion that the ancient Greeks believed that their land was built by the gods, thus the use of vibrant colors. There was pushback against the "ordinary" depictions of ancient Greece, which lean on it being an arid place with an emphasis on white and gold. The end result is intended to be a middle-ground between historical accuracy and vibrancy.

The game was announced on May 31, 2018. It will receive weekly updates post-release.

Setting
The game's genetic memory story is set in 431 BCE, recounting the secret history of the Peloponnesian War, fought between the city-states of ancient Greece. The protagonist is a mercenary named either Alexios or Kassandra (selectable) who can choose to fight for either Athens and the Delian League or Sparta and the Peloponnesian League as well as against the Cult of Kosmos. The modern day segments will again follow Layla Hassan, who was first introduced in Assassin's Creed Origins, and her story will touch on the Isu.

The game is said to deal with the themes of "freedom versus order."

Plot

 * For the purposes of this article, the canon protagonist Kassandra is used.

Ancient
As a child, Kassandra was presented with the broken Spear of Leonidas, an Isu weapon, as an heirloom by her mother. Because of her prestigious lineage, great hopes were placed upon her to live up to the strength and valour of Leonidas. Her step-father, Nikolaos, would often train her in hopes that she would follow in his footsteps. At some point, the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi gave a prophecy in which Kassandra's younger brother, Alexios (who was a new-born at the time), would lead to the fall of Sparta in the future. In order to prevent this, Alexios was to be sacrificed at Mount Taygetos, despite Myrrine's plea for Nikolaos to stop it. As a priest was about to drop Alexios, Kassandra attempted to stop the sacrifice, but instead pushed the priest and Alexios to their apparent death. Kassandra was condemned as a traitor to Sparta, leading her step-father to execute her by dropping her off the mountains, though it was obvious he was remorseful in doing it.

Kassandra, however, survived the fall, and escaped to the beach with the spear. Refusing to be found by the Spartans, Kassandra fled out to the open seas, with an eagle following her. A storm later turned Kassandra's boat overboard and she woke up on the beaches of Kephallonia. There, she was greeted by Markos, who took her under his wing and tasked her to do errands for him.

Over the years, Kassandra's skills as a warrior developed and she became a mercenary, working with Markos and the little orphan girl Phoibe, but in doing so they also gained the ire of the local warlord, the Cyclops, who runs Kephallonia with an iron fist. Kassandra learns that Markos had borrowed money from the Cyclops and bought a vineyard with it. She is angered by this due to the fact that Markos owed her money. When she confronted him about it, he set her on a few missions in order to get her own debt back. Kassandra would steal the Cyclops' Obsidian Eye from his home so they can eventually sell it to gain some money. Kassandra also got wind of a group of foreigners who arrived with the Cyclops so she went and killed them all but one. The one man is revealed to be Elpenor. Though he seems unaffected about his men's massacre, he offers Kassandra a deal. She is to collect the Shroud of Penelope from some thieves. Kassandra does this but when she returns Elpenor tells her that she can keep the shroud and pays her a great amount: Kassandra quickly worked out that it was all test for her as he offered her more money if she killed a Spartan General, called The Wolf of Sparta, stationed at Megaris. Kassandra agrees to the deal but has no boat to reach Megaris. She discovers that the Cyclops is vulnerable and confronts him while he is torturing a ship captain, Barnabas. Kassandra mocks the Cyclops and then reveals that she has his eye, he demanded it back but she instead stuck it up a goat's rectum and released it. Obviously angered by this the Cyclops attacks Kassandra but she manages to slay him and his men, then frees Barnabas. Grateful for this, he offers her place on his ship, the Adrestia, as its Commander. Kassandra agrees and plans to leave, she says her farewells to Phoibe and Markos. On their way to Megaris, Barnabas asked why they were going there to which Kassandra answered that there was a price on the head on the Wolf of Sparta: Barnabas then reveals to Kassandra that the Wolf of Sparta is in fact her step-father, Nikolaos.

Upon reaching Megaris, they discover that they are cut off by an Athenian blockade. They destroy the ships and continue to the beach. Upon reaching the beach they notice a battle is taking place between the Spartans and Athenians. Led by Nikolaos, and his adopted son Stentor, the Spartans are victorious. Kassandra arrives after the battle but is stopped from seeing Nikolaos by Stentor, who asked why she was there. Kassandra offers to help the Spartans take down the Athenians in Megaris, in exchange for a meeting with the Wolf. After slaying the Athenian Leader, Kassandra returns to Stentor and takes part in the battle for Megaris. With Kassandra on their side, the Spartans win the fight and take Megaris for themselves. Shortly after the victory, Nikolaos sends a message to Kassandra and Stentor, whising to speak with Kassandra alone. While angered by this, Stentor accepts and allows Kassandra to meet Nikolaos. Nikolaos talks to Kassandra and quickly works out who Kassandra truly is. She confronts Nikolaos about what he did, and revealed to him the price on his head. Consequently, Kassandra has the choice to either spare or kill him. Either way leads to Kassandra discovering that Nikolaos is not her bilogical father and tells her to find her mother, Myrrine. He then warns her about snakes in the grass. Kassandra is taken aback by this discovery and takes Nikolaos' Helmet and Sword. If Kassandra kills Nikolaos, then Stentor arrives and confronts her, leading to a fight between them where Kassandra is forced to kill him. Upon returning to the Adrestia, she tells Barnabas about her discovery to what he then states that they should meet with the Oracle to discover where her mother is. Kassandra is hesitant to meet her due to the fact that she is the reason why her family was destroyed.

Kassandra goes to see Elpenor and produces Nikolaos' helmet. Elpenor is impressed and states that he has more targets for her to kill, revealing to Kassandra that he plans to kill the rest of her family. She refuses to be used like this and Elpenor orders his men to kill her, but they fail and are killed as consequence. Unfortunately Elpenor manages to escape, so Kassandra meets with Barnabas who introduces her to Herodotus who recognises the Spear on her back. After, she meets with the Oracle, who reveals that she knows who Kassandra is and mentions the Cult of Kosmos. Upon meeting again with Herodotus, they work out that the Oracle is being controlled by the Cult and has been like that for a long time, meaning that the Cult was behind the destruction of Kassandra's family. Kassandra confronts the Oracle in her own home who reveals information about the Cult and that Elpenor is one of the cultists. Kassandra also discovers that the cultists are based under the Temple of Apollo. Kassandra tracks down Elpenor and kills him to which he reveals that the Cult wanted her dead and that he had convinced them not to kill her as he wanted to use her for their own plans. He dies soon after. Kassandra discovers a cult uniform and a small triangle of Isu origin. She meets Herodotus at the Temple and enters with her disguise on, where she finds out that the Cult has eyes and ears everywhere in Greece. After being drawn towards the centre piece in the Cult room by a strange force, she places the small Isu triangle into the Pyramid, completing it. The Cult is then interrupted when Deimos enters the room with the head of Elpenor, revealing that he knows one of them is a traitor. He has various cultists then touch the central piece and, upon getting Kassandra to touch it, he witnesses her memories and she is shocked to discover that Deimos is her thought to be dead brother, Alexios. Deimos kills the next Cult member covering for Kassandra, in which she steals back the small piece of tech that she put in. Upon leaving the Temple, she is shocked to the core, where she meets Herodotus, and reveals to him the Cult's plan to find and kill her mother and birth father as well as the revelation that Deimos is Alexios. (Needs expantion/continuation)

Modern
In the modern era, Layla Hassan, discovered through the writings of Herodotus of Kassandra's exploits with the Isu artifacts, she tracked down the burial site of the Spear of Leonidas, and used it to relive the memories of Kassandra. She awoke later on from the Animus disoriented, and is advised by her friend Doctor Victoria Bibeau to take it easy. She contacted her other teammates Kiyoshi Takakura and Alannah Ryan before she returned to the Animus.

Gameplay
Odyssey uses a lot of the gameplay and interface mechanics of Origins, including the radial compass, and the return of a bird that can survey the landscape, spot treasure, and highlight and harass enemies.

The game features RPG elements, including dialogue options, branching quests, multiple possible endings, romance options, and the ability to select between a male or female protagonist. Reportedly, the game is a "full RPG," and will push the franchise into this genre. Both Alexios and Kassandra follow the same story. Romance options remain the same regardless of the character chosen. Interactions with NPCs can have consequences, either short or long term, in regards to the story. Choices are said to "add up." Relationships with NPCs don't always change, and there is no binary divide in regards to interaction&mdash;lying to an NPC isn't necessarily a "bad" choice, and vice versa. By extension, there is no "right" way to play the game in regards to character choice.

Gear can be selected, and is classified by rarity. Each piece of gear can be enhanced with engravings. Players also have access to a skill tree, and can follow a 'branch' to better suit their playstyle. Compared to Origins, the skill tree is more clear cut in Odyssey, and players can unlock high tier versions of pre-existing skills. In combat, the hitbox system for enemies is used again.

The game world has been described as the "biggest one yet" for the franchise; specifically, the game map is 100 square miles, split evenly between land and sea. Environments range from forests, to mountains, to beaches. "Legendary animals" can be hunted on land. The world is divided into a number of zones divided by level (similar to an MMO), but level scaling features to a point. For instance, if a player starts at a level 2 zone, then returns after having reached level 20, the enemies there will be scaled up to be 2-3 below the player's character.

The game features a dynamic weather system.

The Sparta-Athens divide is represented in-game with a red or blue border along each region to indicate which of the city-states has control. 28 city-states feature in the game, each of which is allied with either Sparta or Athens. Each city-state has a "nation power" level. If one city-state leader is weakened (e.g. by assassinating their leader), other faction leaders will invade their state. If the invading army is defeated, the nation power is reset. The army will invade regardless of the player's actions, but they can involve themselves in the battle.

Players will no longer de-sycnhronize if they kill innocents in the game. Some civilians will fight back if attacked.

Naval combat
Players will have access to a boat, used to sail the Aegean Sea in a similar manner as the ships in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed: Rogue. Crew can be recruited, and in a sense, it serves as a mobile hub. Sharks can be found in the seas, which will attack the player as well as their enemies. The Adestria can be customized with options such as crew cosmetics, ram/hull upgrades, and new sails and figureheads.

In terms of combat, the Adrestia opens up more combat options as players increase their overall damage against an adversary, such as the options of fire arrows and fiery javelins. Focus-firing on specific points causes increasing damage and opens that point up to an attack by the ship's ram. Ramming helps to refill a portion of the Adrestia's health. Additionally, in relation to past naval combat in the series, the Adrestia has the ability to slow down and turn very quickly depending on how rowers are used. Compared to previous games, the naval combat in Odyssey is more focused on close-quarters rather than long ranged attacks. Ramming and sideswiping are two such tactics, along with being able to turn quickly and drift. Player's can temporarily 'boost' their ship (measured in a meter) to give their ship a speed increase.

Enemy ships are divided into sections. If players focus their attacks on one particular section, the ship will burst into flames, leaving it stunned. 'Epic ships' sail in the outer reaches of the game map, which will grant the player exclusive cosmetics if taken down.

Players can recruit "Lieutenants" throughout the world through simple conversation or combat. Each Lieutenant comes with their own perk, and there are different types of recruits that range from archers to brawlers.

Mercenary System
Odyssey also introduces a Mercenary System, whereby players may become the focus of a bounty through their gameplay decisions, such as committing crimes. With this system, there are more than 50 potential mercenaries they can encounter, with some having animal companions. There are multiple ways to deal with them, including killing, paying them off, or even recruiting them. Even if the player kills or recruits them, however, mercenaries will continue to pursue the bounty. The Mercenary System has rankings, and at higher rankings, players will be able to unlock certain perks, such as discounts. Some of the mercenaries are hand-crafted, equipped with backstories and unique legendary items. Others are generated from the pool.

Players can find themselves as the target of bounties, which can come about from actions such as killing civilians, and they will be hunted on the sea. The player will also take part in mass battles, some of which are story-relevant, while others are optional. The player has a 'penalty level' that escalates if they commit crimes such as killing civilians, stealing, or sinking merchant ships. This system has been likened to the 'wanted level' in the Grand Theft Auto series. The higher the bounty, the higher the level of mercenary that comes after the player.

Editions
Ubisoft announced several editions of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. Standard Edition= Deluxe Edition= Gold Edition= Ultimate Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A Steelbook case (PS4 and Xbox One only)
 * A Medal Necklace (PS4 and Xbox One only, for the first 10,000 pre-orders)
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * The Kronos Pack
 * The Herald of Dusk Pack
 * The Capricornus Naval Pack
 * 1 Temporary XP Boost
 * 1 Temporary Drachmas Boost
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A Steelbook (PS4 and Xbox One only, NA exclusive)
 * The Season Pass
 * The Secrets of Greece, a Season Pass exclusive quest
 * A Medal Necklace (PS4 and Xbox One only, for the first 10,000 pre-orders)
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * The Season Pass
 * The Deluxe Pack

Medusa Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A 33cm Fallen Gorgon statue, with Alexios figurine.
 * A copy of the official artbook
 * A copy of the world map
 * A copy of the official soundtrack (selected tracks).
 * "The Blind King" bonus mission
 * The Kronos Pack
 * 1 Temporary XP Boost
 * 1 Temporary Drachmas Boost
 * A Medal Necklace (PS4 and Xbox One only, for the first 10,000 pre-orders)

Spartan Edition= Pantheon Edition= Kassandra Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A 39.5cm Spartan Leap statue, with interchangeable Alexios and Kassandra figurines.
 * A Steelbook
 * A copy of the official artbook
 * A copy of the world map
 * A copy of the official soundtrack (selected tracks)
 * A copy of Hugo Puzzuoli's Athens lithograph
 * The Season Pass
 * The Deluxe Pack
 * A Medal Necklace (PS4 and Xbox One only, for the first 10,000 pre-orders)
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A 39.5cm Nemesis Diorama, with interchangeable Alexios and Kassandra figurines
 * A Steelbook
 * A copy of the official artbook
 * A copy of the world map
 * A copy of the official soundtrack (selected tracks)
 * A copy of Hugo Puzzuoli's Athens lithograph
 * "The Blind King" bonus mission
 * The Season Pass
 * The Deluxe Pack
 * A Medal Necklace (PS4 and Xbox One only, for the first 10,000 pre-orders)
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A Steelbook (PS4 and Xbox One only)
 * The Season Pass.
 * The Secrets of Greece
 * A 9-inch statue of Kassandra.

Athenian Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
 * The Athenian Weapons Digital Pack
 * An exclusive Steelbook (PS4 and Xbox One only)

Omega Edition= Digital Omega Edition:
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * A copy of the official artbook
 * A copy of the world map
 * The Kronos Pack
 * 1 Temporary XP Boost
 * 1 Temporary Drachmas Boost

Gallery
Videos=

Trivia

 * The game's title is inspired by the The Odyssey, the second of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer.