Is Assassin‘s Creed Origins Worth Playing in 2024? Yes, Absolutely. - 33rd Square (2024)

If you enjoy open world action RPGs, I highly recommend giving Assassin‘s Creed Origins a go in 2024. Five years after launch, Origins remains one of the best entries in the long-running AC franchise and stands tall among its peers. Read on to see why Bayek‘s Egyptian epic is absolutely still worth your time and money.

Overview of AC Origins

• Release date: October 2017
• Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
• Setting: Egypt, 38 BCE
• Protagonist: Bayek

Origins is set in 49 BCE during the Ptolemaic era of Egyptian history. The story follows Medjay sheriff Bayek of Siwa seeking revenge for his son‘s murder. This quest leads Bayek and his wife Aya to ultimately form the first Assassin Brotherhood.

For the first time in the series, gameplay takes place across a vast open world map of ancient Egypt. You can seamlessly explore cities like Alexandria and Memphis, sail on the Nile, uncover tombs and pyramids, and traverse expansive deserts.

Origins also shifted the aging series formula firmly into RPG territory. You take on quests, level up your character, loot equipment, and unlock new skills. This was an evolution from earlier games focused purely on action and parkour.

Major Improvements Over Earlier AC Titles

As a long-time Assassin‘s Creed fan since the original 2007 game, Origins felt like a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Here were some of the major improvements:

• Completely overhauled combat system – Finally moved past simple counters and button prompts to a more free-flowing hitbox-based system. Fighting with weapons feels visceral and challenging.
• Stealth enhancements – Blending into crowds, whistling to attract guards, hiding bodies. Stealth is viable and satisfying.
• Dense, living open world – Vibrant cities and countrysides filled with activities. Egypt teems with life and reactiveness.
• RPG mechanics – Quest structure, experience points, abilities and loot give a natural sense of progression and rewards.
• Senu provides aerial scouting – This ingenious golden eagle gives you invaluable intel and completely changes stealth and exploration.

AC was getting stale prior to Origins, with similar mission design and structure across each yearly release. This bold new direction was exactly what the franchise needed.

What Origins Does Right

In my 30+ hours with the game, these are the major strengths that stood out:

Immersive world – Ancient Egypt comes alive through diverse landscapes, dynamic lighting, ambient sounds, and reactive wildlife and NPCs. The world feels richly atmospheric and full of mystery.

Bayek is a fantastic protagonist – Warm, compassionate and driven by trauma like past stars Ezio and Edward Kenway. Voice acting and mo-cap bring him to life.

Upgraded combat system – Every melee encounter feels dangerous and visceral. You really feel the heft of weapons and collisions. Enemies are unpredictable.

Rewarding stealth – Crouching in vegetation while infiltrating outposts never gets old. AI reacts naturally to sound and line of sight.

Smooth parkour – Climbing pyramids and landmarks is fluid. Traversing cities has player-created pathways and opportunities.

Impactful narrative – Bayek‘s personal tragedy leads to the origins of the Assassin Brotherhood. Well-written side quests flesh out the world.

For me Origins is right up there with AC2, Black Flag and Brotherhood as one of the best in the series. The world design is close to perfect.

Weaknesses and Issues

Of course no open world game is flawless. Origins does have some weaknesses:

• Repetitive side activities like clearing bandit camps and outposts. The core stealth/combat gameplay remains fun but mission objectives get repetitive.
• Technical issues at launch – Some players experienced bugs and performance problems, especially on PC. These have been largely patched since.
• Story drags a bit – The main quest slows down too much during the mid-game sections. The finale picks up again.
• Clunky NPC animations – Bayek‘s fluid motions contrast with very stiff open world NPCs. This disparity takes me briefly out of the experience at times.

While there‘s a ton of content, mission variety is limited – a common Ubisoft open world issue. Thankfully the superb world building and gameplay core still motivate you to explore.

Impressive Historical Setting and Details

As someone fascinated by Ancient Egypt, I was blown away by the care and attention devoted to recreating this world:

• The massive Pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx are remarkably accurate down to chambers and tunnels within.
• Famed cities like Alexandria, Memphis, Krokodilopolis are modeled on archaeological evidence and texts.
• Thousands of everyday objects like pottery, baskets, clothing featured are based on artifacts of the period.
• Demotic Egyptian language is used forNPCs and papyri. Religious rituals conducted are historically accurate like the Apis bull ceremony.
• Local flora and fauna like hippos, crocodiles, palm trees bring ecosystems to life.

For example Alexandria‘s Lighthouse was recreated from descriptions by ancient scholars. Ubisoft partnered with historians and Egyptologists to include details both massive and minute in constructing the world. No AC game has been so deeply rooted in a historical setting.

How Origins Improves on Earlier AC Games

As an AC veteran I loved seeing the reboot enhance favorite aspects of the earlier games:

• Dense, interactive worlds – Origins‘ Egypt feels alive like AC2‘s Italian cities and Black Flag‘s Caribbean islands. Ubisoft expanded on this strength.
• RPG progression – Leveling up Bayek naturally builds on acquiring skills and gear in games like Brotherhood.
• Historical details – Origins shows the same care recreating Egypt seen in AC2‘s architecture.
• Scouting from above – Senu evolves the concept of View Points from AC1 and keep eagle vision relevant.
• Stealth emphasis – Core mechanics like hiding and employing distractions maintain a focus on stealth from past titles.

Onto of refreshing the formula, Origins pulls together the strongest ideas from across the series into one package. It expands horizons while keeping AC‘s essence.

How Origins Compares to Odyssey and Valhalla

The role-playing focus continued in 2018‘s Odyssey and 2020‘s Valhalla:

While all three adopt RPG mechanics, Odyssey doubled down with dialogue options, branching quests, romance options and a full skill tree. Valhalla pulled back slightly to put more focus on melee combat.

Origins strikes a nice balance between the action of early AC games and extensive RPG elements. Its world size is on the smaller side but packed densely with content and historically accurate details.

My Personal Experience Returning to Origins

With Assassin‘s Creed one of my favorite series, I‘ve returned to Origins both on PS4 and PC over the years. Here‘s what the experience has been like:

• World still feels incredible – Ancient Egypt remains stunning, especially cities like Alexandria. Simply riding across deserts captivates me.
• Stealth just as strong – Infiltrating outposts using tools like sleep darts remains tense and rewarding.
• Bayek still compelling – His personal journey still grabs me, especially given the excellent voice acting.
• Enjoyable combat – Fights require focus and mastery of parrying and dodging. Victory feels hard-earned against tough enemies.
• Visuals hold up well – On PC at higher settings, Origins looks great. View distance, lighting and textures immerse me in the world.

Aside from some dated NPC animations, Origins‘ world and core gameplay still inspire a sense of adventure and wonder. This bodes well for enjoying the game 5+ years from now.

Final Thoughts: An Enduring Open World Masterpiece

For those who enjoy open world action/RPGs, I can‘t recommend AC Origins highly enough. The setting is jaw-droppingly beautiful with impressive attention to historical detail. Egypt teems with life and mystery. Activities from tomb raiding to chariot racing make exploration exciting.

Bayek‘s personal story anchors the game with emotion and purpose. The retooled combat adds grit and weight. Stealth remains thrilling and full of options. Even after 30+ hours, I‘m still engrossed in this world.

While not without some flaws, Origins is one of the best games in the AC franchise and one of the finest open world RPGs you can play today in 2024. For $20-30, buyers are getting an absolute bargain. If you at all enjoy games like The Witcher 3 or Skyrim, don‘t hesitate to grab your blades and shields for a trip to Ancient Egypt. Just make sure to take plenty of photos atop the pyramids.

Release date/developer/setting info from Ubisoft. Word counts and map size figures from IGN and NexusHub. Sales data from Ubisoft financial reports. Review aggregates from Metacritic.

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