Genre: Action
Developer: Ubisoft Quebec
Publisher: Ubisoft

Ubisoft's very own "AnvilNext 2.0" engine drives the action in this one, and its underlying tech is deeper than Plato's writings. There are real-time undulating waves, visible from above and below the water's surface-- and by the way, every square inch of deep water can be dived into, showing off the finest underwater effects this industry has ever seen. Volumetric clouds dynamically swirl and form spectacular thunderstorms. Famous ancient stone buildings, marble statues, and even entire towns such as "Delphi" have been painstakingly reproduced inch-by-inch. The game's wilderness environments look a bit generic especially when compared to a release like "Horizon Zero Dawn", but even then it doesn't take the light of Helios to reveal the title's overall splendor.

The game's oft-heard menu music has those oh-so-typical moaning women vocals so common in Hollywood-- how did that fad ever start, anyway? But the title's main theme is a jaunty little acoustic guitar affair, while it's not uncommon to hear the bouzouki or the lyre in many of the game's supporting tracks, or even while out-and-about wandering its staggeringly massive Ancient Greek world. Combat sound effects are about as run-of-the-mill as pillars are in Athens, although the voice acting is a strong suit-- especially that of the male protagonist, who is both charming and swarthy as the situation requires. The game's writers clearly had a sense of humor, and the title refreshingly doesn't always take itself too seriously.

This latest Assassin's Creed has deeper stats, more equipment slots, and more weapon plus armor types than the last "Elder Scrolls" did! Adding that kind of meaty progression, so often found wanting in this style of game, is revelatory: it gives the player incentive to climb every mountain, "Breath of the Wild"-style, delve into every catacomb, and stealthily wipe out each fortress. The movement physics feel spot-on, although the player does tend to get awkwardly "stuck" on geometry a bit too often. The parry-heavy combat is enjoyable, and there is a robust stealth system too. The game has a fully crewable and upgradeable boat, which is used to engage in mind-bogglingly incredible ship-to-ship combat.

As in the best classic literature, Assassin's Creed Odyssey foreshadows future events: specifically, how games will be both the same and different throughout the upcoming, assuredly pitched "Xbox Series X - PlayStation 5" battle: nominally, Odyssey is nothing more than another third-person, icon-filled, somewhat-repetitive Ubisoft game. But on closer inspection, the sheer scale of the game's world and subsystems-- combat on the ground, scouting through the air, taking down pirates on the seas, playing map-integrated user-made side content, and even infiltrating and destroying a cult, member-by-member-- feel unprecedented when taken together: as if created by Zeus himself!