Released in October 2018, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey marked the second major entry in Ubisoft’s reimagined direction for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Building upon the RPG foundations laid by Assassin’s Creed: Origins (2017), Odyssey pushed the boundaries even further, offering an expansive open world, rich storytelling, player-driven choices, and a vibrant re-creation of Classical Greece. While controversial for deviating even further from the franchise’s stealth roots, Odyssey was widely recognized for its ambition, scope, and ability to blend myth with history.
Setting: Greece During the Peloponnesian War
Set in 431 BCE, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey takes place during the Peloponnesian War, a brutal decades-long conflict between Athens and Sparta. This time period is among the most iconic in ancient history, home to legendary figures like Socrates, Pericles, Leonidas, and Herodotus. Ubisoft Quebec, the game’s lead developer, meticulously recreated this ancient world, from the marble grandeur of Athens to the Spartan military camps of Laconia, and from the sun-soaked islands of the Aegean to the war-torn fields of Boeotia.
What makes Odyssey’s world stand out is its sheer variety and density. There are over 30 major regions, each with its own unique culture, architecture, wildlife, and storylines. Players can traverse arid mountains, explore sunken ruins, swim with sharks, or climb the towering Statue of Zeus. The entire world is a playable sandbox, rich with side quests, mysteries, and ancient secrets.
Characters: Choose Your Hero
For the first time in the series, Assassin’s Creed gave players the option to choose between two main protagonists: Alexios or Kassandra, mercenary siblings separated by fate. While both characters follow the same overarching story, their personalities, voice acting, and player choices affect how individual moments unfold. Kassandra, voiced by Melissanthi Mahut, was particularly praised and has since become one of the most beloved protagonists in the series.
Born as descendants of the great Spartan king Leonidas, the siblings carry his broken spear—an ancient artifact imbued with First Civilization powers. The main story centers on the character’s journey from a misthios (mercenary) to a legendary hero, as they uncover their family’s fractured past and battle the sinister Cult of Kosmos, a shadowy organization manipulating the war from behind the scenes. The narrative blends political intrigue, personal redemption, and philosophical reflection in equal measure.
Gameplay: A Full-Fledged RPG
Odyssey continued and expanded the RPG systems introduced in Origins. It features a deep leveling system, branching dialogue, multiple endings, and extensive gear customization. The progression system is divided into three skill trees: Hunter (ranged combat), Warrior (melee), and Assassin (stealth). Players can mix and match abilities, allowing for flexible playstyles—from silent killers to brute warriors or hybrid combatants.
Combat in Odyssey is fast-paced and acrobatic, with an emphasis on active dodging, parrying, and special ability use. Signature abilities such as the Spartan Kick, Shield Breaker, and Call to Arms turn the player into a near-mythological figure on the battlefield. Unlike earlier games, there is no shield mechanic for the player—dodging and counterattacks are essential for survival.
A significant innovation was the introduction of choice-driven dialogue. Conversations offer multiple paths, allowing players to form relationships, lie, threaten, or seduce characters. These decisions impact quest outcomes, character relationships, and even the game’s ending, making each player’s experience unique.
Naval Exploration and Conquest Battles
Given the Aegean setting, naval gameplay plays a major role. The return of full ship combat—last seen in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag—allows players to command and customize their trireme, the Adrestia. Players recruit crew members from across Greece, each with unique bonuses, and can engage in ship battles, board enemy vessels, and explore uncharted islands.
Odyssey also introduces large-scale conquest battles, where players can take part in epic skirmishes between Spartan and Athenian forces. These battles, while optional, offer extra experience, loot, and the ability to influence a region’s allegiance. Territories can be weakened through assassinations, sabotage, and combat before initiating a conquest.
Myth Meets History
One of Odyssey’s boldest moves was its embrace of mythological elements. While the Assassin’s Creed series traditionally grounded itself in historical realism, Odyssey takes liberties by incorporating Greek mythology and supernatural phenomena.
Players can face off against mythical creatures such as the Minotaur, Medusa, Cyclops, and Sphinx, each tied to the First Civilization lore. These boss fights are challenging and creatively designed, requiring skill and strategy.
This blending of myth and science fiction is further explored in the Atlantis DLC, which dives deep into Isu (First Civilization) mythology and introduces new realms like Elysium and the Underworld. Here, the game becomes more surreal, spiritual, and philosophical, pondering themes of power, immortality, and fate.
The Cult of Kosmos and Mercenary System
The Cult of Kosmos is one of the game’s central antagonistic forces. Much like the Order of the Ancients in Origins, they represent a proto-Templar group influencing the political landscape of Greece. Identifying and hunting down cult members is a core component of the game, requiring players to gather clues, explore regions, and eliminate targets. The cult is organized into several branches, each with leaders and underlings that provide insight into the broader conspiracy.
The game also features a Mercenary System, inspired by the Nemesis System from Shadow of Mordor. If players commit crimes or create chaos, they attract the attention of bounty hunters. These mercenaries increase in difficulty and vary in tactics, weapons, and strengths. Defeating them yields powerful loot and improves the player’s mercenary ranking.
Visuals and Audio
From whitewashed temples and golden sunsets to lush forests and deep blue seas, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is a visual feast. Ubisoft’s artists created one of the most vibrant and colorful worlds in the series. The lighting, weather effects, and water physics contribute to an immersive atmosphere that captures the beauty of ancient Greece.
The soundtrack, composed by The Flight, combines traditional Greek instrumentation with sweeping orchestral themes. It enhances the emotional and epic tones of the game, from tense battles to quiet moments of reflection. Voice acting, particularly from Melissanthi Mahut (Kassandra) and Michael Antonakos (Alexios), is strong throughout, giving depth and personality to both leads.
Modern-Day Storyline
The modern-day segments return with Layla Hassan, the Abstergo researcher introduced in Origins. Her role expands as she continues to explore the genetic memories of ancient heroes. While these sections remain brief, they further develop the ongoing Assassin–Templar conflict and hint at the future of the franchise. The Isu lore also becomes increasingly central, as Layla begins to interact with powerful ancient artifacts and simulations.
Reception and Criticism
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey received widespread acclaim for its ambition, storytelling, and the richness of its open world. Critics praised the sheer scale of content, the depth of its RPG systems, and the historical setting.
However, it was not without controversy. Some fans and critics argued that the game strayed too far from the franchise’s stealth roots, with little emphasis on traditional assassinations and Brotherhood themes. Others pointed out issues like repetitive side content, level gating, and an over-reliance on microtransactions. Despite this, Odyssey remains one of the most commercially successful and influential entries in the series.
Legacy
Odyssey solidified Ubisoft’s shift toward RPG-driven design for Assassin’s Creed. Its influence is seen in Valhalla (2020) and likely in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Red. It showed that historical RPGs could merge action, story, and exploration on a grand scale while still retaining elements of the franchise’s core DNA.
The game also marked a turning point for narrative choice in the series, giving players unprecedented control over their story and legacy. With its mixture of history, mythology, action, and drama, Odyssey felt more like a Greek epic than any game before it—and that was exactly the point.
Conclusion
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is more than a historical adventure—it’s a mythological odyssey through one of history’s most storied eras. With its richly drawn world, deep role-playing systems, and memorable characters, it expanded the franchise’s horizons in bold new directions. Though not without flaws, it is a game of immense ambition and beauty, standing as both a tribute to ancient Greece and a milestone in open-world game design.
