Assassins Creed: Origins

 

I've never been interested in Egyptian history. I've always found the names confusing, the time period hard to wrap my mind around, and thus despite being referenced a lot in modern times, it is not anything that has piqued my interest. I've been playing through Assassin's Creed games, and with Origins being based in ancient Egypt, it may have been one that I wouldn't have selected to play in the past. However, we saw a replica exhibit of King Tut's tomb in North Carolina last year which has sparked my interest in Ancient Egypt. Additionally, one of my daughters is really interested in ancient Egypt, so I decided to give Origins a go. I was not disappointed. Below is ChatGTP's summary of the plot:

You play as Bayek of Siwa, a Medjay (protector of the people). After a mysterious masked group abducts Bayek and his son Khemu, Bayek is forced into a struggle that results in Khemu’s accidental death. The masked conspirators are part of a secret organization called the Order of the Ancients.

Consumed by grief and guilt, Bayek swears vengeance and begins hunting down the Order’s members across Egypt.

Bayek reunites with his estranged wife, Aya, who is also pursuing the Order. As they eliminate its members, they uncover a vast conspiracy manipulating Egypt’s politics.

The Order is backing Ptolemy XIII, while Bayek and Aya ally themselves with Cleopatra VII, who promises to restore Egypt’s greatness. Together, they help Cleopatra reclaim her throne with support from Julius Caesar.

However, Cleopatra ultimately sides with Rome and tolerates the Order’s continued influence, betraying Bayek and Aya’s ideals.

Realizing that tyrants will always rise so long as power goes unchecked, Bayek and Aya conclude that their fight must be bigger than revenge.

They form a hidden organization dedicated to fighting oppression from the shadows—what will become the Hidden Ones, the precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood.

• Bayek establishes the creed in Egypt.

• Aya (who takes the name Amunet) operates in Rome.

• The iconic Assassin tenets begin to take shape.

Aya later assassinates Julius Caesar, linking the series to real history.

Per the usual in AC games, the bigger plot is the Assassins vs the Knights Templar, in this game labled as the Hidden Ones vs the Order of the Ancients. What's especially cool about this setup in Origins is that it establishes the Hidden Ones, it is their Origin story. Additionally, roaming around in an open world set in ancient Egypt was just cool. The Great Pyramids are always looming, seeing the lighthouse of Alexandria on the coast of the Mediterranean, and thinking about how amazing it is that these structures existed thousands of years ago. The whole setting was quite enjoyable. And I have to mention my trusty Camel Billvadore, who transported me around for the duration of the game and was quite enjoyable to ride. 

Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Ptolemy, etc. are hugely famous historical characters that honestly I didn't know much about. Anything I knew about Caesar came from Shakespeare's play. It was really interesting to learn a little about these people and the political struggles of the area going on at the time. The scenes that take place in modern times are a weak point. They're confusing and pull me away from the main story. Other than that small complaint, I really enjoyed this game. It's definitely one of my favorite AC games, and is an early game of the year contender for me in 2026.