Assassin’s Creed Odyssey shown off at E3

Ubisoft has finally shown off Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (officially, anyway). Finishing off their E3 conference with a bang, they gave us all the details we’ve been begging to know. We may have known it was coming, but that didn’t stop it from being an impact. The first trailer gives us a taste of the epic gameplay and stunning environments, as well as a family-driven narrative as is the case with most Assasin Creed titles. The game will launch on October 5th this year.

In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, you’ll play as a mercenary who embarks on a journey to reunite their lost family and take revenge on those who tore you apart. Descended from a hero, you’ll wield the broken spear of Leonides, a legendary weapon that grants your character special power in battle. Odyssey marks the first game in which you can choose your player character – Alexios or Kassandra. This choice doesn’t appear to change any gameplay elements – not even romance options.

Yes, you heard right – romance options. One of the newest additions to Assassin’s Creed is RPG elements, such as dialogue options, branching paths, and NPC relations. Ubisoft intends for players to really interact with history this time, it seems. Odyssey continues the trend of using historical figures to full effect, notable ones this time including the famous philosopher Socrates.

The second gameplay video goes into detail about the combat and gameplay. Rather than traversing a massive map on foot like we did in Origins, it appears that the majority of travelling will be done by boat as you sail the Aegean Seas. Combat looks fluid and engaging, being built around quick movements and parries to look for openings to use your spear’s special abilities. Another new gameplay element is Conquest battles, in which you can help turn the tide of war. The video also gives us a sneak peek of something that could be a trireme battle.

Ancient Greece is one of the most iconic and historically important periods of time in human history. It paved the way for democracy, philosophy, science, and more. It’s no surprise that Ubisoft has chosen Greece for the backdrop of their next Assassin’s Creed. Specifically, Odyssey is set during a time of ear between Sparta and Athens. In addition, a bunch of cool figures have been announced, including a legendary edition of Alexios.