Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is an open world game of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and was published on multiple platforms in 2018. The main events unfold in the setting of the ancient greek empire, while a frame narrative is set in a modern day alternative reality. In the very beginning of the game the player gets the chance to choose a character: one of the two siblings Alexios and Kassandra.

Content of the Game

Core Game Mechanics

In the following section we will take a closer look at the core game mechanics of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and analyze how the make the game unique.  

Character Selection

The game starts with a flashback on the Persian War, where the player gets to play the king Leonidas. After the events unfold the player changes characters and a short cutscene starts that is set in the modern day. While the frame-narrative figure lays in a device called the ‚Animus‘, the player gets to adjust the settings of the game, like the level of difficulty. The most important part is the selection of the character, which is the choice between Kassandra and Alexios. This character choice defines to a certain degree the game course.

Related Research Approaches

Performing Gender

Through the selection of the character in the beginning of the game, the player is able to 'perform' the characters gender. One can look at how the avatars are performing their gender identity and thereby how a player can be a part of that performance in general.

Reflexivity on the Medium

Through the so called 'Animus' device through which the players avatar is able to visit the Ancient Greek Empire the game reflects on a certain degree on its own mediality. Thus the player and the avatar find themselves in a unknown world in which they are confronted with certain mechanics they have to master in order the fulfill their mission.