@TravMoody
Another Assassin’s Creed already? Say it ain’t so. Instead of Egypt, fans of the longtime Ubisoft franchise are getting Greece. With a choice of male and female protagonist ala AC Syndicate, include some instant Wonder Woman comparisons. I joked with the hands-on dev about female protagonist choice Kassandra’s slight resemblance to Diana Prince of Themyscira, and he was flattered by the comparisons — I mean, who wouldn’t? — while also staking claim that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was in development before the Patty Jenkins film. Strange that a sequel that instantly resembles last year’s edition has come so quickly (October 5, 2018!).
Not that I’m complaining. The gameplay was as seemless as Origins, and Kassandra’s dialogue choices made her as instantly likeable as Bayek (or maybe even Diana). At least in my roughly 40-minutes with Odyssey, the writing and dialogue seemed fairly strong. You can also chose male character, Alexios, except you can’t switch between our Peloponnesian War protagonists mid-game.
As far as combat goes, there’s far less parrying (you don’t carry a shield), and a diamond icon on the bottom left, which shows up using the left bumper, displays all of your special abilities. My favorite just had to be the Spartan thrust kick, although the shield-stealing option ain’t too shabby either.
While the usual in-town side quests, signature rooftop parkour and naval combat all returns, the most enthralling moment that occured during my gameplay was 150-warrior battle on the beach. My booth host was impressed at my victory — taking out all 4 Athenian captains — seeing how my “wonder” woman was only level 18 and all my foes were at 22. It was about as “Dark Souls” an Assassin’s Creed game can get. 4/5 Themyscirian Bibles.
-Travis Moody