8.5 / 10. This IS Sparta, M*laka! A beautiful, engaging Ancient Greek storyline, interesting role-play and amusing characters. Maybe a bit too long…

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft.

Odyssey follows on from Assassin's Creed Origins, but is set 400 years previously. It also features, as usual, sections set in the present day. Layla Hassan, who was also in Origins, travels into the Animus to unlock this ancient world.

In 431–422 BCE, the storyline features an adapted mythological history of the Athens / Sparta war. You play as either Alexios or Kassandra, who are Greek siblings, mercenaries (misthios) and descendants of Spartan King Leonidas I, of 300 fame (the famous battle of Thermopylae is mentioned). You inherit Leonidas’ broken spear which can be upgraded with special combat abilities and the usual options for stealth and all-out attack are present. Your eagle vison this time is provided by golden eagle, Ikaros.

I played as Alexios, attempting to find answers and reunite his family after he and his sister were thrown off a cliff as children and left for dead by their father, blindly following a Spartan oracle prophecy. Alexios grows up on Kefalonia island and upon reaching adulthood, he receives an assassination contract to kill the ‘Wolf of Sparta’ and sets off across Greece. He encounters the mysterious cult of Kosmos, magical artefacts and mythological monsters.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey has more role-playing elements based on the players choices than previous Assassin’s Creed games. You choose dialogue options and branching quests, which have consequences, affect your notoriety, and eventually provide one of multiple endings. You can choose to fight for Athens or Sparta or both during the game, fighting in different war missions which change the army’s influence over separate regions.

I loved Origins last year, and Odyssey keeps up the return to form. It definitely was an Odyssey, I clocked 120 hours and didn’t do absolutely everything. Some tasks grew tedious, just due to the scale of the map and everything there was to do, but still, hours of fun to be had!

Ancient Greece was vast, beautiful and incredibly detailed, as AC games always are.

The main storyline was the most engaging since Ezio’s arc. The history and twisting plot lines were intriguing. Alexios was fantastic character, a delight to look at and listen to. I liked that some choices / actions affected missions, and the allies you make impact your whole journey. The philosophical conversations with Sokrates, etc, were thought-provoking. Side characters had interesting and developed personalities, which is an improvement; Leonidas, Nikolaos, Barnabas, Kassandra, Myrrine, etc. The Cult of Kosmos were a sinister enemy and the links with the present were more synchronous than other entries in the series.

Highlights for me were the Medusa and Minotaur story missions and final battles. I found Medusa the most pesky.

My least favourite aspect of gameplay is always the naval missions, which I find difficult and irritating.

I looked forward to the Fates of Atlantis DLC but found Chapter 1 - Elysium a bit lack lustre and repetitive. The map was difficult to navigate, many of the locations are up high and you don’t always end up in the right place to use the ‘wings of Hermes’ fast travel spots.

Chapter 2 - Hades looks promising.

I also find it irritating that it takes so long for DLC content to come out, I’m not lucky enough to keep all my games and need to trade them in once finished. I waited months for the Atlantis DLC, and chapter 2 has only just been released.