PC & console game reviews
THE TECHLIFE TEAM REVIEWS THE LATEST GAMES FOR PC AND CONSOLES, BEGINNING WITH THE LATEST JUMPY STABFEST FROM UBISOFT.
Assassin’s Creed Origins A SPRAWLING OPEN-WORLD EGYPT RIDDLED WITH NUMBERS. $99.95 | PC, PS4, XO | www.assassinscreed.com
IT’S HARD TO detect at which point in recent gaming history numbers started to figure heavily into anything that wasn’t a niche RPG. Nowadays, you see numbers everywhere, whether it’s the interminable level grind of your average online FPS ( Overwatch, Battlefield) or in once breezy and noncommittal arcade racers ( Forza, Need For Speed). Games like Diablo arguably perfected the “loot grind” — actually a cyclical, alarmingly futile chase for bigger numbers — but now it’s difficult to imagine any blockbuster game launching without some form of levelling attached.
And so it is with Assassin’s Creed Origins, which has enjoyed a longer period of gestation since Ubisoft ceased dishing them out on a yearly basis. It’s the archetypal, modern, ‘light RPG’ — you won’t need a spreadsheet to form an optimal build, but you’ll sure as hell need to know how to count. Unlike earlier games in the series, your protagonist accumulates levels, and loots items based on their rarity and various other numerical markers. And to be honest, these are among the only functional changes to the series since 2015’s Syndicate: the meat and potatoes of the game — the moment-to-moment gameplay — stays much the same.
And yet, Origins is definitely among the best Assassin’s Creed games we’ve played. The ancient Egypt depicted here is gorgeous, sprawling through deserts and oases and ruins, taking us to the high seas and down into the dank treasure-strewn caverns of the actual Pyramids. Protagonist Bayek is charismatic and as vaguely interesting as an AC main character can be, and the tools he uses, such as his military-drone-esque eagle, add a lot of flavour to both exploration and tactical stealth play. Aside from the loot grind, Origins also sports the best combat system in the series yet, melding the DNA of Ubisoft stablemate For Honor with something like Dark Souls or Bloodborne. It’s not as exacting and unforgiving as any of those, but the necessity to block and dodge and time your moves makes it a more exhilarating affair than the sticky auto-swipe rhythm of previous instalments.
For its world, and its combat, and the sheer joy of being in the game, Origins is a winner. But there are caveats: if you’re the type to blaze through the main missions without a thought for side dishes, that’s virtually impossible here: main missions are levelled, meaning if your character is at 8 and a mission is at 11, you’ll pretty much fail it. Side missions are essential, and while occasionally great, the requirement to do them feels a bit pushy. But if you’re after a huge (to the tune of 60-odd hours) adventure, there’s probably nothing better out this season.