Assassin's Creed Origins: 12 New Gameplay Features You Need To Know
Loot grinds, eagle drones, a completely new combat system - but do you care?
When Ubisoft announced they were taking a year off to rest Assassin's Creed and give it some much needed time in the shop, the world wondered just how much would (or could) change. The franchise has seen annual instalments since 2009's AC II, and in that time we've seen very little meaningful improvements or true forward momentum - more a refinement of everything the 2007 original pioneered in the first place.
For Origins, Ubi are almost soft-rebooting the franchise, delving into how the Assassin Brotherhood was formed, setting the action in a point in history where real-world records are still mostly nonspecific. Such a clean break allows Ubisoft to enjoy all the familiar iconography we associate with ancient Egypt (pyramids, camels, curved blades etc.) before using it as a launching point to highlight what was going on below the surface.
The two trailers released give zero mention of the Templars, and instead we've seen some incredibly impressive location shots of Egypt from overhead, alongside a good chunk of gameplay that includes a huge array of new animations, moves and infiltration tactics.
Is it enough to make you really care about Assassin's Creed again? Time will tell, but Ubisoft are certainly throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks...