Assassin’s Creed: Origins Early Impressions
When Assassin’s Creed: Origins debuted at the Xbox conference, it looked so good. Incredible, even. Surely there was a moment when a host of jaws were hastily collected from the floor. But that was Microsoft’s plan all along. Blow us away with unmatched graphical fidelity. Once I got a chance to play the newest Asassin’s Creed at the Xbox showcase, the super hot graphics coudn’t disguise the true nature of the game. It’s still pretty much Assassin’s Creed, after all.
This time your story takes place in Egypt, where the brotherhood of Assassins began. You play an assassin prototype who will presumably be instrumental in the formation of the brotherhood. The demo didn’t give me much more than that in terms of story. Yes, there’s a priesthood whose members are vulnerable to corruption. You have your sharp barriers between social castes, your standard look of stormy determination on the protagonist and your shadowy dealings at every level. Beyond that, I wasn’t given much to go on, as far as narrative goes.
The demo was divided into two sections, a single mission and a gladiator-type arena fight. I was pretty bored with the mission, a fetch quest involving two gold statues, but perhaps that was a failure of imagination on my part. Perhaps I should have been sneaker, instead of running in, grabbing the goods and booking it. After all, the trailer had that sweet arrow shot sequence. I was given access to the hawk shown off in the trailer, a surveillance ability useful in seeking out targets and mapping out the terrain. Allegedly there were side quests available, but I ignored them in favour of that glowing quest marker.
The gladiator match was much more fun for me. You’re given a single weapon, an enormous two-handed axe. It’s slow, clumsy and great for burying in the back of people’s necks. I fought a few waves of henchmen before being introduced to the slaver, the demo’s boss encounter. The fights were simple enough, yet infused with this frantic energy that kept me invested. After a series of gruesome deaths over simple mistakes, I got the hang of the dodges, charges and strikes necessary to succeed.
Overall, the demo was a great example of how the graphics have gotten better since the series started. Other features were hinted at (the RPG-style equipment system for example), but I was unable to discern to what extent they would be implemented. Beyond that, I wasn’t able to get a feel for what’s changed or improved since the last game. Hopefully, we’ll see more in the near future regarding the new systems in place. While I’m sure that the full game will prove otherwise, the demo felt like Ubisoft staying the course when it comes to Assassin’s Creed.
