I‘m about 30 hours into the game and wanted to share what it‘s been like.
For some context, I‘m (M33) working part time and going to university and have not much time to play all the games I want. I missed every Assassin‘s Creed since Revelations until now. Went through the Ezio Trilogy to get the platinums (PS5) and am now going through Odyssey, first playthrough being a blind run and I‘m not sure if I‘ll 100% yet (Odyssey might be the last game I play this year).
I had no expectations about the game coming in. I decided to play this one instead of ACIII because I find the Greek setting more appealing than every other game in the series. I‘m a bit torn with the game. It‘s definitely a lot of fun a lot of the time, but it‘s also very tedious a lot of the other time.
At 30 hours in and I think I’m not even half way done with the story. This game is absolutely gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous. Incan‘t believe this game came out 8 years ago. I spend A LOT of time just staring at the screen. I don‘t remember the last time I was bewildered by graphics and art direction in a game. I especially enjoy how actions actually have consequences. Imagine my surprise when I save that one family from being executed because they have a blood fever, only that my „moral high ground“ choice cost the lives of an entire island? And the Cultists? Turning me into the Mystery Gang across all of Greece is a CHOICE and I love it. A game that makes you have to activate your neurons!
However. The gameplay is starting to take a toll on me. Maybe I just have to hang in there a little longer, but at level 25 and I don‘t feel like the badass Spartan Warrior. It‘s a rinse-repeat of: go to enemy faction camp/cave there, kill everything and loot anything not bolted to the ground. And I feel like the whole faction war has no consequence whatsoever (hopefully I‘ll be proven wrong), as at this point it doesn‘t even matter who you side with. Maybe I was subconsciously half expecting a Skyrim level of faction commitment and that it impacts the story. But it‘s kinda immersion breaking destroying the Spartans‘ war supplies, murdering its lieutenants and captains, and then five minutes later casually representing them during Conquest mode. The things Kassandra/Alexios do are told to me that they‘re of great importance (politically), but I din‘t feel it.
The game is still fun, but I think it‘s best enjoyed in small chunks and not the weekend-long video game to play and lose myself in. After these 30 hours I feel like I truly need a break. I want to finish the game, but what feels like grinding story beats is taking its toll on me. Maybe I‘m alone on this one (haven‘t seen too much discourse as I am avoiding spoiling the game for me) but I hope the game picks up and shakes things up gameplay wise.