Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the eleventh entry in the titular video game series, gives players a front row seat to the Peloponnesian War. The series prides itself on making “history our playground,” and with this installment that has never been more true. Throughout the series, players have been to the Third Crusade, Renaissance Italy, Colonial America, The French Revolution, Victorian London, Ptolemaic Egypt, and now, Ancient Greece. The game is developed and published by Ubisoft.  

The story of Odyssey begins in 431 BCE, at the start of the conflict between the Spartans and the Athenians.

When the game begins, players can choose to play as either a male (Alexios) or female (Kassandra), who are siblings, and the only real difference this makes to the narrative is the higher tier voice acting from Melissanthi Mahut, who voices Kassandra. One of the most prominent changes that Odyssey makes to the franchise is the ability for the player to make decisions that can drastically change the story. Choices can be made on who the player can spare and whom to align themselves with, the Spartans or Athenians. These choices dictate which ending the player sees in the game. 

Odyssey moves away from the traditional mechanics of the series and places an emphasis on role-playing. Gamers who have played the previous entry to the series, Assassin’s Creed Origins, will see an evolution of these mechanics, which include dialogue options, expanding quests, and romance options.  

While all previous entries focus on the stories of the Assassin Brotherhood, Odyssey takes a different route. Alexios/Kassandra take on a quest in which they try to reunite a broken family that was split apart when the siblings were thrown off a cliff decades prior. The game also features a prominent group proposed as the antagonists, The Cult of Kosmos, who have a reach spanning the entirety of Greece and are plotting to rid the ancient world of its typical politics as well as a sinister plot that involves the family of the protagonist.  

The gameplay is reminiscent to that of Origins. All enemies  are set at a specific level depending on the region in which they are located. As the player progresses through the game, they will visit a variety of different locations and islands throughout ancient Greece, and will continuously level up their character. The combat can be difficult, especially if the player is at a lower level than their enemies.  

Ubisoft has done its usual amazing job at rebuilding the historical locations of ancient Greece. The world is full of enemy fortresses and temples that honor gods such as Zeus or Apollo. Players can visit the city of Athens itself which effectively transports them to the world the developers have created.