Eldest child of a Spartan general, you were sentenced to die… but you survived. Now you must embark on an odyssey to uncover the secrets of your bloodline. From the heights of snowy mountain peaks to the depths of the Aegean Sea, explore an entire country full of bustling cities, uncharted locations and hidden treasures. A living and dynamic world, rich in myths and danger, constantly evolving to react to your decisions.
Two heroes. One journey. Your odyssey.
Historical Narrative
- Odyssey is set in 431 BCE, in Greece, during the Peloponnesian Wars.
- The protagonist is born into a powerful Spartan family, however, circumstances change and they’re led to escape as a mercenary across the Aegean Sea.
- The Philosopher Sokrates will be present in the story, who often leads to philosophical debates with the protagonist. In addition, the physician Hippocrates will also be involved within the narrative.
- At the beginning of the experience, players will be able to select to play as Alexios or Kassandra. There aren’t any narrative nor gameplay differences between either character, save for some minor elements as the actors behind the characters gave their respective characters their own feel.
- Freedom vs. Order will be a major theme in Odyssey.
- There is a narrative explanation as to why Layla is able to relive genetic memory either as Kassandra or Alexios. According to Creative Director Jonathan Dumont “The DNA is old and imprecise, so it offers you the choice to pursue two characters. He also added that there’s also some fuzziness in the historical record because Alexios and Kassandra come from a lost book of Herodotus, the first historian, who wrote about a hero that could be one of these two characters.
- According to the development team, Odyssey will try to stick as close to historical facts as possible.
- The Cult of Kosmos, a cult mask-wearing figures (similar to The Order of the Ancients in Origins), has been harassing the protagonist’s family for generations.
- Fantasy/Mythological elements (possibly similar to The Curse of the Pharaohs and Trials of the Gods in Origins) will be present in the game and players will be able to fight mythical creatures such as the Minotaur and Medusa, but it is yet to be known how the game will rationalize their existence.
- While Bayek is indeed the founder of the form of the Assassin Brotherhood -known in Bayek’s times as “The Hidden Ones”- The Creed of Free Will did indeed exist long before him, but in a less organized way than what we’ve known the Assassins to be.
- In the official novelization of the game, there will be a canon following Kassandra as the lead of the story. However, in the game, players will be able to choose and there won’t be one correct path.
- While the game is confirmed to feature The Broken Spear of Leonidas as a Piece of Eden, the game will feature other piece(s) of eden, in addition to the Spear.
- Player choices will impact main and side quests alike, including multiple endings for the game and different outcomes for side quests.
Modern Day / Overarching Narrative
- Present day and the First Civilization will be a focal point in Odyssey, as the historical protagonist will have ties to the Isu, as well as welding The Spear of Leonidas as their main weapon of choice, a piece First Civilization technology.
- Layla Hassan will continue her journey as the present day protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, after being officially introduced in Origins.
- Layla’s quest to find First Civ artifacts and First Civilization information leads her to discover one day a lost book, the lost book of Herodotus, the first historian. And that book refers to a Spartan mercenary who’d been in contact with First Civilization artifacts. He also might have very well wielded one.
- At the beginning of the game, Layla will find a skeleton, and then the players will have to “choose” who they think it belongs to, Alexios or Kassandra, and play the game with them.
- The present day of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be somewhat larger than what it was in Origins.
- Odyssey will present a new First Civilization / Isu story arc, rather than continuing the Juno narrative.
- There will be references to previous Assassin’s Creed games, in one shape or form.
- Modern day gameplay and narrative are not optional, and players will experience modern day in their playthroughs. However, due to the narrative choices that players can make in the game, there will be opportunities to experience more present day for players who desire to know and experience more.
- In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the dev team wanted to tell the story of how the First Civilization artifacts were created how the Templars vs. Assassins conflict story began, which started long before the established Brotherhood, itself.
- Narrative Director, Melissa MacCoubrey revealed that Layla Hassan will find two DNA strands in the Spear of Leonidas (a First Civilization artifact) one belongs to Alexios and the other for Kassandra, and that’s how she (and the player) will be able to choose to play as one or the other. This suggests that the two characters do indeed exist in the world of the game, perhaps as siblings, since siblings share %50 of their DNA, which leads the Animus to create a simulation as either of the characters.
World
- The world is geographically diverse and massive. It is also the largest world in an Assassin’s Creed game, to date. It’s reportedly 1.6 times larger than the world of Assassin’s Creed Origins, however, about half of that is water.
- According to officially released concept arts, players will be able to explore a variety of climates and drastically different locations. Whether that means seasons will be changing during the game, remains to be seen, but there are arid, green, volcanic and aquatic locations to explore all over Greece.
- Volumetric foam will manifest in the sea and near the shores.
- Not only will night time transform the world of the game, there are also seven types of biomes in the world of Odyssey and many subregions, each of which will give a different vibe and feel.
- A spectacular dynamic weather system is implemented in the game, and sailing will be challenging during storms.
Navigation
- Odyssey will reintroduce Eagle Vision as a form of an actual eagle, exactly like Origins. This time, the eagle is known as “Ikaros”. Ikaros can be seamlessly summoned during on-foot exploration, riding mounts and even sailing.
- Mounts are available for the protagonist to summon at any time during land-based navigation. The protagonist’s mount is named “Phobos”.
- Naval exploration and combat are back in a way that is much more expansive than Origins and close to Black Flag, though not as much of a core element as it was in Black Flag. The protagonist will sail the world on their ship, The Adrestia both to travel, explore and engage in battles with other ships. Small boats will also be available to traverse the world.
Gameplay
- The Hidden Blade is no longer the player’s main weapon. The Broken Spear of Leonidas, a First Civilization artifact will be the protagonist’s main weapon, allowing powerful strikes and extraordinary abilities, in addition to the grounded melee attacks. The Broken Spear of Leonidas was used in the battle of Thermopylae.
- Players will be able to customize their characters’ outfits, by mixing and matching armor pieces and weaponry across five slots. However, this won’t include any alteration of outfit color or the facial features of the character nor their hair or body features.
- An XP/Levelling system that is very similar to Origins is adopted in Odyssey.
- Civilians can side with mercenaries/enemies against the protagonist.
- Instead of one adrenaline ability, players will be able to use four different abilities that can be mapped on a small ability wheel, which can be accessed seamlessly during gameplay, without the need to go to pause the game and enter the main menu. In addition, there’s another wheel with four different weapons, as well, which functions the same way as the ability wheel.
- Players will be able to unlock abilities using ability points, synchronizing viewpoints and leveling up. Some abilities such as “Leap of Faith” will be upgradable to multiple levels.
- The protagonist’s actions will have consequences. For example, if the player steals something from a chest or a anything that doesn’t belong to them, citizens will report that action and there will be consequences to that (similarly to The Witcher).
- The game will introduce player choices, dialogue options which will affect the narrative of the game with different outcomes.
- Romances with characters of the same and the opposite sex will be available and there are many characters that can be potential love interests for the protagonist and they can opt in and out of those relationships.
- Players will be able to choose whether to kill or knock out certain enemies, including mercenaries. By knocking out mercenaries, players can recruit them to their ship and they become your allies from then on.
- Sinking an enemy ship will immediately result in a feeding-frenzy for the sharks in the area.
- Inigmata Ostraka are hidden all over Greece, and play a similar role to the Papyrus in Assassin’s Creed Origins as they requiring the player to decode clues to allocate them.
- Players will be able to built friendships over time in the game.
- Refusing certain quests in the game, right away, could lead to unlocking others.
- Mercenaries will behave similarly to the Phylakitai in Origins, and players can track their position on the map and hear sounds when they’re nearby. Accordingly, players can stealthy set up ambush for them.
- The protagonist will be able to dive at any time beneath the surface, except when they’re in the middle of a naval battle. Alexios and Kassandra have the lung capacity to reach the bottom of the sea, however, it will be very risky as visibility will be limited, not to mention the dangerous creatures beneath the surface, unless players are well-leveled up and looking for something specific.
- Character outfits will be more customizable, allowing players to add and remove certain elements that will raise or decrease specific attributes to the character, such as strength and vitality, as well as cosmetic options such as headgear like a helmet, a hood or nothing.
- AI-controlled mercenaries can complete contracts, and while the player and other mercenaries complete these contracts, they will make enemies and eventually, contracts will be put out against different mercenaries, including the protagonist. Some contracts are justified as when one of the states in Greece is weakened, the leaders of the state will create contracts to weaken others and defend their own.
- Players can tame and pet animals. Cats however, are not present in Odyssey, only big cats.
- Regarding weapon and armor sets and where to find them, in most cases, they are not randomly placed and follow objectives that players can set for themselves. In addition to that, completing a set grants a set bonus and all pieces can be upgraded through the blacksmith.
- The progress tracker in Odyssey won’t be presented in a traditional sense. However, there will be a quest log and quest sets like Mercenary Contracts will have their own individual progress tracker.
- When it comes to unlocking abilities, players will acquire a certain amount of ability points as they play, but they will need to choose where to spend those points. However, players can “Re-Spec” at any time and unlock the ones they want to try out.
- Parkour-driven puzzles will make a return.
- Mercenary contracts can only be carried out on NPCs, rather than other players.
- Guided & Exploration modes will be available, allowing players to choose between wanting a traditional experience with markers appearing at all times (Guided Mode) or a new experience where players won’t see markers on the screen and instead, need to investigate locations themselves to find quests (Exploration Mode). The latter is labeled to be the mode they game was meant to play with.
Sound & Music
- The official soundtrack of the game is composed by The Flight.
- Michael Antonakos and Melissanthi Mahut are the actors behind Alexios and Kassandra, respectively.
- Over 30 hours of dialogue have been recorded for the game.
Development
- Work began on Odyssey in 2015.
- The game is being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, the team behind Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate; Creative Director Jonathon Dumont, Senior Producer Marc-Alexis Cote, Game Director Scott Philips, Narrative Director Melissa MacCoubrey and Art Director: Thierry Dansereau.
- The dev team understand and respects the franchise’s lore, and do their best not to cause any contradictions or different canons.
- Speaking of the source of knowledge about Greece that Odyssey was based on and historical accuracy, Creative Director Jonathan Dumont stated: “We visited Greece to see the country first-hand, understand the topography and get a feel for the culture. We studied up on archaeological research and read ancient and contemporary authors of the classical period. We also hired on a historical specialist of Ancient Greece, Stephanie-Anne Ruatta, who has been instrumental in helping us recreate Ancient Greece and who we run our decisions past to make sure they are as historically accurate as possible.”
- Every physical copy of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will ship with a reversible cover, one for Alexios and the other for Kassandra.
- Creative Director, Jonathan Dumont reflected on the absence of shields for the protagonist in Odyssey, despite being a Spartan as Spartans did use shields, from a gameplay and design choice perspective stating: “gameplay is much more versatile than that of Origins and a shield was not suited to it, so we replaced shields with dodging, rolling and parrying mechanics. The parry mechanics gives a bit more of feel of old school AC Fight of counter attack, while still retaining fight mechanics of Origins. I can’t speak for the future of the franchise for social stealth and parkour.”
LEGACY OF THE FIRST BLADE
This episodic adventure will introduce players to the first hero to wield the iconic hidden blade, changing the course of history. Players will learn more about the backstory of the Assassins and why they choose to fight from the shadows. Starting December 2018, episodes will be released approximately six weeks apart.
THE FATE OF ATLANTIS
In the second story arc, players will confront godly creatures and uncover the secrets of the legendary sunken city. In a surprising saga filled with twists and turns, players will get even closer to Greek mythology and the First Civilization. Coming spring 2019, episodes will be released approximately six weeks apart.
ASSASSIN’S CREED III & LIBERATION REMASTERED
In the second story arc, players will confront godly creatures and uncover the secrets of the legendary sunken city. In a surprising saga filled with twists and turns, players will get even closer to Greek mythology and the First Civilization. Coming spring 2019, episodes will be released approximately six weeks apart.
Ignite the American Revolution as Connor, the master assassin born of the beauty and the brutality of 18th century America. As a bloody revolution draws ever nearer, your clan is threatened by a powerful group seeking to crush the American Revolution and control the thirteen colonies. Shocked into action by the devastation of your village, you pledge your life to the cause of freedom, and embark on a decades-long quest to achieve it.
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered will be released in March 2019 and will include:
- All the DLCs: Benedict Arnold Missions, Hidden Secrets Pack and Tyranny of King Washington.
- Assassin’s Creed® Liberation Remastered.
The Remastered editions will feature 4K and & HDR on PS4™ Pro, Xbox One X and PC, higher resolution textures, new graphics engine, and several more other graphical enhancements. Gameplay mechanics and ergonomics have also been improved. Assassin’s Creed III Remastered will be sold as a stand-alone title for players who do not own the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Season Pass.
THE LOST TALES OF GREECE
- The Lost Tales of Greece: Free episodic questlines will release regularly in-between episodes, providing a constant flow of new stories for players to discover. These quests will feature familiar faces and new characters from the world of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
- Recurring In-Game Events: Each week a new epic ship or mercenary will appear, presenting players with challenging battles as they hunt down these powerful enemies. Daily and weekly contracts will send players on new quests across Greece.
- Discovery Tour: The educational tool that lets anyone explore the game in a conflict-free environment, will be available for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Players can traverse the entire interactive 3D recreation of Ancient Greece, free of conflict, time pressure or gameplay constraints, after launch.
- Many more updates, including new monstrous and mythical creatures to defy and a New Game Plus mode presenting new challenges and the ability to see how different choices affect players’ stories.
There will be more to come as the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey development team is committed to support the game and continued improvement of the core experience with additional content, yet to be revealed.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be released worldwide on October 5, 2018. Gold, Collectors and Ultimate Editions owners will have access to the game three days early, starting October 2. The game, as well as the post launch game content (Excluding Discovery Tour) will feature Arabic subtitle and menus support exclusively in the MENA region, across all platforms.
