Ubisoft’s popular series Assassin’s Creed has become an action-adventure staple, and its success has even led to a movie, to many fans’ chagrin. Recreating incredible settings from Earth’s history, and incorporating all manner of desirable features, the series has long evolved beyond Ezio, establishing engaging lore and letting you quench your inner desire to stab people in their sleep. The latest entry, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was revolutionary in many ways, but every game has problems. Even with plenty of DLC to go around, everyone is already looking forward to the new 2020 installment in this beloved franchise, especially after E3. Here are some things we’d like to see in that sequel, and a few issues we could do without.
10 Needs: Consequences
The whole point of a video game is to become immersed in something more entertaining than your actual life. With the success of TellTale Games installments, it’s clear that people have grown to enjoy the opportunity to choose their own adventure. When one wrong move can get an entire village burned to ashes, you feel a lot more involved in the story. It also makes for a great deal of replay value, and allows you to play as a ruthless killer or a compassionate vigilante. You can go full Affleck Batman if you feel like it. This feature definitely needs to stay.
9 Must Drop: The Combat System
So, here’s a franchise predicated on stealth so vehemently that you’re going to be punished if you end up in armed combat. The bow and arrow doesn’t function as well as it did in Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and although Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has a blocking mechanism, it quickly becomes useless when opponents spam their red glow. This makes it frustrating to handle multiple enemies, and the hit box never seems to be quite on point anyhow. Not for your protagonist, nor anyone else. They’ve taken steps in the right direction; now they just need to build on that foundation to fix the smoothness. Add weight, accuracy, and blocking. Otherwise, it’s just panicked dodging and button mashing. This isn’t Marvel vs. Capcom. Skill and strategy should be involved!
8 Needs: The Mythical Creatures
This may seem controversial, but honestly, it was quite refreshing to have such a change of pace in the franchise. It helps that the mythical threats are effectively designed, with entertaining behavior and a reasonable enough in-game explanation. Historically, people have always believed in supernatural things, and these creatures were often woven into a genuine religion. Leaning into that sense of wonder is a great way to give you things you could only possibly have in that particular setting. Now, Assassin’s Creed: Origins featured a giant snake, right out of Aladdin. But if we end up with a Nordic theme, there will be plenty of engaging mythology to mine. Maybe Chris Hemsworth will make a cameo.
7 Must Drop: Uninteresting Side Quests
So, moments with Phoebe can be lighthearted fun, but there’s a surprising number of Side Quests that are just plain fodder. It only seems to be intended for the inevitable level grinding, when it should be fleshing out the world.
Do we really care about an older lady who likes to sleep around? Besides, the majority of them simply ask you to retrieve one thing or another. At the very least, Side Quests should provide more XP than they already do. At their best, Side Quests should be an opportunity to tell engaging little stories that could only be found in the given setting.
6 Needs: Gender Options
For some reason, it can be very difficult to find games that allow you to choose your gender. This feels pretty strange, especially by now. But even Pokemon didn’t allow you to play as a girl until Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, despite the hit show and its source material. Playing Watch Dogs 2, it can be strange to have co-op with a bunch of Marcuses running around. Any story should be interchangeable, regarding gender, and Kassandra was a terrific addition to the Creed franchise. In a game where you make every decision, crafting your own story, it makes even more sense to continue incorporating this feature.
5 Must Drop: The Conquest Battle System
Now, the implication isn’t necessarily that Conquest Battles should be obliterated altogether. In concept, this feature sounds quite appealing. In practice, not quite so much. While it can be fun to fend off multiple opponents, with widespread carnage around you, it’s a little disjointed and repetitive. You should have to carve your way to a commander, and kill them in order to get the peons to flee. Basically, what Chess would actually look like. But there’s certainly no strategy to be found at the moment. Still, if the Vikings are involved, exchanges of slaughter would be an incredible sight to behold. Just lose the current system, don’t trash the idea outright. It could be, and should be, epic.
4 Needs: Good Voice Actors
Generally speaking, the majority of the characters in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey were voiced by decent actors; even some of the smaller roles had something convincing to offer. But Melissanthi Mahut’s work on Kassandra really helps carry the story, both playful and robust, certainly adding more character to her than her face ever can. No comment on Alexios. Still, it’s commendable that the voice actors of both protagonists lent themselves into every permutation of the story lines. That script must have rivaled a Lord of The Rings movie. In any case, when we have to listen to one voice for hours on end, hire someone talented.
3 Must Drop: Fewer Assassinations
It’s something of a common complaint that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey doesn’t really feel like the others. Although, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the new features work. However, it’s sort of in the title that you would be aiming to kill specific targets, using stealth and cunning. That just isn’t really worked into the plot of Odyssey, which functions more as 300 fan service. The forts allow you to sneak around, and you certainly get to hunt down the Cult members; but that’s treated as more of an aside, given that the story ultimately amounts to a family melodrama. Misthios or not, we should have to plan out elaborate assassinations.
2 Needs: More Ship Battles
This was always an engaging feature, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag cemented this dynamic into a fan-favorite. Traveling between islands, this feature’s return only made sense in Ancient Greece, particularly with such a large map to explore. If we end up as a Viking, one can’t imagine that setting without those glorious Nordic boat designs.
Their vessels are instantly recognizable, and we should absolutely be allowed to exchange arrow volleys whenever we feel like it. The Vikings were also known to get around. However, Nordic theme or not, this is an important design that provides a necessary change of pace from endless footwork between Viewpoints. It also offered new aquatic life.
1 Must Drop: Missing Multiplayer
Alright, so the ask isn’t for single player campaigns to be altered one iota—only that multiplayer be incorporated in a more effective way than previous installments attempted. With a franchise that is so dedicated to bringing vast expanses of historical regions to life, it’s really a shame that the closest you’ll get to sharing that experience with anyone is some random screenshot on your map. Even games like Monster Hunter: World, which aren’t a sandbox per se, lend themselves to cooperative gaming. It sure seems like an awful waste of space, when Ubisoft has apparently found a way to make every single NPC into a very playable character for their other upcoming release, Watch Dogs: Legion.
NEXT: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: A Guide To Every Possible Romance
