Game Review: Assassins Creed: Origins, the Culture of the First Assassin

By Alexander Espinosa

Staff Writer

One of the most popular games among digital game design students is “Assassins Creed: Origins,” an open world game that was released on October 27, 2017. The game revolves around a man named Bayek, a Maji from Siwa, and takes place in ancient Egypt during the time of Cleopatra, last of the pharaohs. The game itself is phenomenal, but it’s the culture that makes the game stand out from others.

“Assassins Creed: Origins” takes inspiration not only from the physical culture of Egypt, including the pyramids and towns, but also from the beliefs of the people of the time. Through-out the game there are references the Egyptian gods, their underworld, and what they consider heaven.As you go through the game, you meet the people of Egypt, who ask for your help. These quest givers often talk about Sobek, Anubis, Apep, and many other gods. There are also references to the Duat, the Egyptian underworld. When the player completes an assassination, a cutscene begins where Bayek will speak with the dying target and tell them “The Lord of The Duat Awaits.” In Egyptian culture, the god he is talking about is named Osiris, who is the son of Apep, and in the game he is known as The Hidden One.

Another god in the game is Sobek, the god of crocodiles and watcher of the Nile River; he is often depicted as a humanoid crocodile. In addition, there is Anubis, god of the dead, one of the major gods in Egyptian culture, who is depicted as a humanoid jackal and even has an outfit for Bayek to wear in the game.

Heaven is also referenced in the game. This paradise in the afterlife, known as “The Field of Reeds,” is where the people of Egypt wanted to live after they died. The Field of Reeds also known as A’aru, a mirror image of one’s life on earth and it is here that the Egyptians believed they would reunite with their loved ones.

The game is an amazing experience, not just because of the gameplay and story, but because players see how these people lived, who and how they worshipped, and take a step into a time long forgotten.