After “Assassin’s Creed Origins” came out in 2017, Ubisoft focused on their next installment of “The Layla Hassan Trilogy.” This time, modern-day assassin, Layla relives the memories as either Alexios or Kassandra who must fulfill his/her quest to hunt down a cult, learn about secret family roots and secure a powerful artifact to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The Premise I’m referring to is none other than “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.”
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was released in 2018 (same year Red Dead Redemption 2 came out) on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It received positive reviews from critics, fans and gamers alike. Plus, the game sold enough copies worldwide. Two Years Later, “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” is the most recent entry. As you may know, Ubisoft is working on the next installment of the series titled, “Assassin’s Creed: Infinity.” Netflix is currently developing a television adaptation of the series. As a fan of the games, I wanna share my thoughts on Odyssey. In my opinion, is the best entry of The Layla Hassan Trilogy.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS whatsoever. I’m only reviewing the Ultimate Edition.
Strong & Weak Elements
Strong: Voice Actors all did an excellent job for their respective voiceover performances.
Graphics are beautiful bringing several things to life such as character models, lighting, fluid animation, a wide variety of environmental locations and a bigger map than Origins.
Here’s a list of new stuff involving gameplay/mechanics.
New Stuff
- After playing The Prologue, you can play as either Alexios or Kassandra. However, you can’t switch between siblings. This is a permanent decision. Choose wisely.
- A unique mechanic allows you to track down Cultist members and mercenaries. The Cultists are a precursor to the Templars. Track ’em down in missions and gather clues on a designated target.
- After you weaken an army by killing captains, burning supplies and stealing treasure, you can participate in a war between Spartans or Athens. Your call to pick which side. I joined the Spartans.
- A “Wanted System” increases if you partake in illegal activities. For instance, whenever a witness is present seeing you steal or kill a guard, the meter goes up with a bounty on your head. The higher it goes, the more mercenaries will try to hunt you down. If you are feeling annoyed, you can pay off your wanted status in the map menu or eliminate somebody with a heart and dagger icon.
- You finally command your ship anytime you want in the world. Origins only used that feature in main missions. In addition to owning a ship, you can upgrade weapons, armor and hire crew members.
- Boss Fights are tough. Think you can conquer every single one?
- World Map is ridiculously massive with a tremendous amount of content.
- Influenced by games mentioned below, this is the first time in the franchise a dialogue tree determines a specific mission’s outcome. You can also romance with multiple characters.
- Maximum Level Cap is 99. Much higher than Origins.
The game is influenced by “The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim,” “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and the “Fallout” series.
Other influences are “300,” Homer’s “The Odyssey” and Greek mythology.
Combat draws elements of melee, range and stealth perfectly balanced.
Ubisoft did extensive research of the Peloponnesian War between the Spartans and the Athens. Keep in mind, the games are purely fictional. They included monsters from Greek mythology as bosses.
Set after Origins, Layla relives the memories of either Alexios or Kassandra to find a secret location hiding a powerful artifact.
You gain experience by completing missions, side quests, exploring islands, synchronizing high vantage points, taking down foes, fight in a gladiatorial arena, hunt rare predatory animals and explore caves/tombs.
There are three types of branches for Alexios & Kassandra’s skill tree. Hunter is your bow and arrow. Warrior is melee combat. Assassin is sneaky ninja. Various abilities definitely come in handy. Don’t forget to explore a cave/tomb if you wish to obtain a free skill point. Once you reach level 99, you’ll be deadly assailant like “Leon: The Professional.”
It took me a few weeks to finish the main story and DLC without relying on microtransactions.
Photo Mode is included. It never gets old taking snapshots.
If you bought the Season Pass, there’s a ton of DLC including story-based missions “Legacy of the First Blade” “The Fate of Atlantis,” new sets of weapons/gear and cosmetic looks for your ship.
New Game Plus is optional for replay value.
The Main Missions and DLC contain several twists and turns.
Weak: Microtransactions continue to invade single-player games. I prefer DLC containing story-based missions. Time Savers felt unnecessary for boosting your progression. When I bought the Ultimate Edition for discount, I only got a free temporary boost. In-game resources are required to upgrade your favorite gear. What makes it tedious, is you gotta save a lot of stuff depending on your current level. Another reason not to purchase resources with real money. Stick to actual in-game currency worth an actual accomplishment.
The Final Verdict: A-
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is the best entry in The Layla Hassan Trilogy. If it weren’t for microtransactions, I would’ve given it my highest-grade an A, FOR APEX. An A- will do. The Ultimate Edition is worth every penny. If you haven’t played this game, it’s definitely a must buy.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 