E3 2018: Assassin's Creed Odyssey - 7 Ways It Changes The Franchise Forever

1. Side Quests Intersect With The Main Story

One of the most interesting aspects of Odyssey, however, has to be the way in which side quests influence the main story. Whereas before they only boasted a minor influence, potentially granting the player a new array of abilities to choose from, now they can actually impact the game in a massive way.

One example given during E3 involved an imprisoned rebel. The player, if they so choose, can follow the advice of Socrates and free him, with the added caveat being that they're a loose canon. From that point on, the player can either assassinate the rebel, ignore him entirely or release them if they choose to do so. The consequences of actually following through with the quest aren't revealed until the final story mission in that particular act however and, in the event that either Alexios or Kassandra freed him, the rebel ends up murdering an ally.

Doing so then fractures some of the relationships the player has developed up until that point, which adds a whole new layer of depth to the title's side-missions. Obviously with the game being as large as it is it's unlikely that every distraction will impact heavily upon the overarching narrative, but still, from the looks of things, side quests have never been so important to a mainstream AC title.

It's a huge change, and though there are others to note, this particular one exemplifies Ubisoft's new approach to the series. Everything matters, and in attempting to immerse players in their version of Ancient Greece, ensuring every act has its consequence could be where Odyssey finds real success.