Revisiting 'Assassin’s Creed Odyssey' – A Timeless Open-World Adventure
Even years after its release, AC Odyssey remains one of the most ambitious and celebrated titles of the Ubisoft franchise - and for legitimate reason! Here are some of the highlights of my experience with the game, and why you should revisit this title whilst waiting for the release of AC Shadows...
The vast open world of AC Odyssey offers an exciting exploration of Greek mythology, where gods and mortals coexist on the same plane, blending elements of ancient literature with depictions of Mediterranean social life for an adventure spanning over 80 hours of gameplay...
The Eagle Bearer's Odyssey
The game keeps players on their toes for 80+ hours with its core intrigue, offering a balanced mix of revenge-driven ambitions, social investigations, and mythical encounters inspired by Greek mythology.
Game Synopsis:
As a child, the Eagle Bearer was exiled from Spartan society after they attempted to stop a Spartan elder from throwing their infant sibling from Mount Taygetos at the urging of the Pythia.
As punishment for inadvertently causing the elder’s death, they were thrown off the mountain by their father, Nikolaos, who was compelled to do so by Spartan leadership. Surviving the fall, they ended up in the care of a conman named Markos, based in Kephallonia, where they worked various odd jobs under his direction.
Now a wandering mercenary (misthios), the Eagle Bearer has the opportunity to fight for both the Delian League (led by Athens) and the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta). Alongside their attempts to reunite their fractured family, they take on parallel quests, including the destruction of the Cult of Kosmos (a secret organisation spanning the Greek world) and the discovery of artifacts and monsters from Atlantean times.
The chapter editorial of the game helps keep track of the main storyline and character progression, while a variety of non-linear quests (such as hunting down members of the Cult of Kosmos or completing side quests and local contracts) encourage further exploration accross the large (enormous) map of the game.
Beyond human encounters, combat and social interactions, AC Odyssey also features legendary creatures from Greek mythology, like the Nemean Lion and Medusa, offering thrilling boss battles with powerful loot rewards. These mythical elements blend Greek social life with the belief system of the Mediterranean basin, creating a world that leans more towards antique literature than social realism.
The bond between Kassandra and the legendary Spear of Leonidas also feeds into the sci-fi overarching plot of the AC franchise, acting as a MacGuffin connecting the different eras depicted in the game (modern-day and ancient Greece). However, it’s fair to say that Isu references and the overarching modern-day storyline feel diluted at this stage in the franchise.
In reality, the Animus technology exists mostly as a justification for in-game mechanics, rather than having any significant impact on Odyssey’s core narrarive. The sci-fi elements feel redundant at this point in the series - and Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla, and Mirage could have easily functioned independently without suffering from major plot holes.
A Master Piece of World Design
The one thing that will strike you early is the beautifully crafted environment of the game.
AC Odyssey is an absolute masterpiece of world design and a true feast for the eyes, featuring rich regional biomes and legendary landmarks, from war-torn battlefields to lost ruins and temples, from bustling cities to untamed wilderness.
The world is immersive and varied, packed with intricate details that create a compelling cultural depiction of ancient Greece - an acheivement perhaps uncontested by most recent AC titles.
A Rewarding Game System
One of Odyssey’s standout features is its protagonist choice: Kassandra or Alexios. While both characters offer the same gameplay experience, Kassandra, in particular, has become one of my favourite AC characters (performed by Melissanthi Mahut). There is something truly inspiring about playing Odyssey as a female character, and Ubisoft later legitimised this choice by making Kassandra the official lead of the game.
As such, the game system behind Odyssey offers a variety of gameplay style from exploration, stealth, melee and ranged combat, and social influence. The character's skill tree provides a variety of powerful abilities to customise your combat approach and expert abilities—making this odyssey your very own!
AC Odyssey also allows you to use NPCs to collaborate with your attack strategies when needed (use of your eagle or recruited soldier to attack your target). Another notable feature include naval combat, borrowing mechanics from AC Black Flag (similar navigation style, brace and attack) - in this specific situation you control the ship of Kassandra as the playing character and direct the NPCs to engage in ranged combat.
Finally, the dialogue system allows players to shape Kassandra’s personality—whether exploring her virtuous and flirtatious side (or not) - making every interaction unique to the player’s preference. Another key feature of Odyssey’s dialogue system is time-sensitive decisions - these choices depend on the immediacy of the action itself, rather than being purely narrative-based.
The Mercenary System
As you complete quests or cause chaos in targeted areas, bounty hunters will track you down, making every fight more challenging and unpredictable.
That being said, this is one of my biggest criticisms of the game—this mechanic feels biased against your success. If you gain the upper hand in combat, the game spawns increasingly difficult mercenaries out of nowhere, forcing a losing condition where your only options are to flee (or die/get desynchronised).
Taking down mercenaries can be a satisfying challenge, but Odyssey unfairly stacks the odds against you by constantly adding new opponents mid-fight—making encounters feel artificially difficult.
Adaptable AI
The game adapts encounters to your XP level, meaning that every location with standard NPCs will match (or exceed) your level for fair combat encounters. While this is a balanced design choice, it does feel somewhat unrealistic.
One possible reason for this choice is to prevent low-XP grinding, ensuring players reach level milestones through legitimate encounters rather than repeatedly farming weak enemies on their path.
Overall, the AI in Odyssey feels more reactive and engaging than in Valhalla or even Mirage. NPCs react naturally to crimes and violence—fleeing, calling reinforcements, or investigating disturbances. While Odyssey’s AI isn’t perfect, it certainly feels more responsive than its modern counterparts.
As We Leap into the Shadows...
Many of the talents and resources behind Odyssey have shaped later Assassin’s Creed titles, and AC Shadows is set to reuse key components and mechanics from Odyssey, Valhalla, and Mirage.
Whilst it would be fair to expect a similar approach to gameplay, Shadows is, in fact, introducing significant changes to the franchise - marking a departure from the classic Origins-style experience towards a new era of Assassin’s Creed titles. Some of these key changes will include:
- Dual playable protagonists (each with different skills and weapons)
- A dynamic seasonal system (rather than pre-mapped seasonal zones)
- More adaptable AI
- The removal of Eagle Vision, requiring players to scout areas without sky-high perspective.
As AC Shadows approaches release, I’m excited to see how it compares to Odyssey in terms of creative ambition, cultural representation, map scale, and overall playability. Those with a PS5 will be able to enjoy day-one release on 20th March.
Final Thoughts...
AC Odyssey is - and will remain - one of the greatest achievements of the AC franchise, as well as one of the most immersive history RPGs ever made.
Whilst I am still trying to discover and unveil the many mysteries of this title (50 hours in the game at time of publishing), I am having a wonderful time exploring the rich world the game as to offer...
If you can’t play AC Shadows but still want to scratch that Assassin’s Creed itch, I highly recommend giving Odyssey another go.
May the gods of ancient Greece guide you, Eagle Bearer!
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Credits: © 2025 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a 2018 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. Images provided by the E3 Fan Kit
Release date: 2 October 2018
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One