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 Alexios or Kassandra who can choose to fight for either Athens and the Delian League or Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. 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."

Ancient
The player takes control of a Spartan rejected by their family, making the journey from outcast mercenary to legendary hero, learning the truth about their past along the way. Their family line was prophesised to bring doom to Sparta, which leads to the protagonist being thrown off a cliff. 17 years later, the protagonist resurfaces, discovering a conspiracy against their family.

Modern
In the modern era, Hassan's quest to find Isu artifacts leads her to discover a book written by Herodotus that refers to a Spartan mercenary who had come into contact with Isu artifacts, and may have even wielded one.

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 feature 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.

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 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 bears. 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)
 * 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.
 * "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.