Assassin's Creed Origins - Part 9: Battling Elephants...

00:00:00 - What's Yours Is Mine (First part missing) 00:06:21 - Jumbe 00:30:20 - Herwennefer The Series play has finally led me to a mainline entry in the Assassin’s Creed series that I have never played, and I was looking forward to this one due to the RPG elements. Released in 2017, AC Origins takes us to Ancient Egypt circa-48BC. You play as a Medjay called Bayek, who along with his wife Aya looks to take down the Hidden order that killed his son whilst in search of a relic. Along the way, Bayek discovers that the Order is bigger and more problematic than just his original 5 targets and that they seek to control the political climate of Egypt and potentially beyond. This time round, historical figures such as Cleopatra, Ptolemy and Julius Ceasar are met along the way. The main story itself is one that is well paced and will run you around 25-30 hours – it is helped along by just how likeable Bayek is as a character, one of compassion and moral judgement, and although deadly will only use his skills where they are just. He has also endured hardship, and you really feel for the character and want him to succeed. It has been a while since an AC game had me invested in the story so much, and the turns that show just how vile the Order are will have you thirsting for revenge just as much as the protagonists. Layla Hassan is the character entering the Animus in a bid to impress Abstergo, and as usual the modern day nonsense is just as forgettable. It is important to mention that depending on how thorough you are with main quests, you may find yourself still having to grind in order to defeat enemies of a higher level – though this won’t take you long if you are doing the occasional area en-route to destinations, and isn’t nearly as bad as some would have you believe. The game immediately sets itself apart from other titles with its exploration and questlines – each side quest is a well written and engaging micro-story (even if, when you break it down it is still “go kill these dudes” or “solve this crime” – the reason you’re doing it will spur you on). It is also the first time an Assassin’s Creed map has been so vast (daunting, even with fast travels and a mount), though every area is somewhat unique, which cannot have been an easy task for Ubisoft considering Ancient Egypt is mostly desert and villages with similar architecture (other than landmarks, also present! The Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza were fun to traverse!). It was a joy for a while to wander off and remove fogged map areas and complete tasks within. Although location tasks were not massively different after a while and got a little repetitive after the 50/60-hour mark, the side quest element helped – and you will not run into this grinding and exploration issue if you are not a completionist. There is also the welcome addition of Bayek’s companion, a female Bonelli’s eagle named Senu, helps scout areas for treasure, enemies, crafting materials, and quest goals – which I loved. Other location activities include chariot racing (incredibly fun) and gladiator arena gauntlets. Also, naval combat returns in certain story missions! There really is an impressive amount of content. Traversal and assassinations remain very similar to previous series entries, but the entirely new combat system is more in line with the reboot of God Of War or Horizon: Zero Dawn (the latter of which was released just before) – and each customisable weapon has different features or abilities and handle in their own way (be it melee, bow and arrow or shield). It can be Janky or frustrating, especially with Bayek disengaging with locked-on enemies at inconvenient times – but is not too bad once you get around the shortcomings – something I hope the developers addressed in its follow up which I will play soon enough. DLC is present for those who crave more, and I played both The Hidden Ones and Curse Of The Pharaohs, which surprised me on the strength of their stories and how different they were (new abilities and materials did not go amiss either) – I obviously won’t go into detail, but I feel that the 6-8 hour (main quest) Curse of The Pharaohs is probably the best AC additional content I have played. Ultimately Origins is a refreshing entry into a series that relied on annual releases with the same mechanics past their sell by dates, and I would encourage people to have a go. #assassinscreed #assassinscreedorigins #ubisoft #PS4 #twitch #gameplay #nukeboxharris #fullplaythrough #firstplaythrough Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at   / nukeboxharris