Assassin's Creed Odyssey
An open-world action RPG from Ubisoft with a mercenary system.
Where Assassin's Creed Odyssey comes up2 episodes and tests
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testHow the Nemesis System Creates Stories
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testCommanding ShepardAssassin's Creed Odyssey shows two ways a game can miss. Its mercenary system stays surface level, lacking the structural depth and focus on meaningful emergent stories that made the Nemesis System work. A DLC also forced a heterosexual romance on players, and Ubisoft had to apologise and patch it. Lesson: build story systems with real depth, and let players choose identity where the story allows.
- 1Player picks hero's sexFollowing Mass Effect 3
- 2Romances either sexIdentity stays in player's hands
- 3DLC forces heterosexual romanceReverses choices players already made
- 4Ubisoft apologises and patchesBacklash forced the fix
From Mark Brown on Assassin's Creed Odyssey
What was said about Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Odyssey's mercenary system copied the Nemesis idea but stayed surface level. Mark Brown calls the mercenaries a similar system to Mordor's Nemesis System. They lack its structural overhaul and its focus on meaningful emergent stories.
He groups it with Watch Dogs: Legion's Play as Anyone as imitations that "just can't touch Mordor when it comes to generating narratives." The lesson he draws is not to bolt a story system onto a game without structural depth and a focus on meaning.
A DLC that forced a heterosexual romance on Odyssey players backfired. Odyssey lets players pick the hero's sex and romance either sex, following Mass Effect 3. A DLC then forced a heterosexual romance, reversing choices players had already made, and Ubisoft had to apologise and patch it.
Mark Brown uses it to show that identity choices the story does not depend on should stay in the player's hands. He describes that as "the player and the game co-authoring the character together."
How the Nemesis System Creates Stories
Its mercenaries are a similar system that stays surface level. It lacks the structural overhaul and focus on meaningful emergent stories of the Nemesis System.
Odyssey's mercenary system copied the Nemesis idea but stayed surface level. Mark Brown calls the mercenaries a similar system to Mordor's Nemesis System. They lack its structural overhaul and its focus on meaningful emergent stories.
He groups it with Watch Dogs: Legion's Play as Anyone as imitations that "just can't touch Mordor when it comes to generating narratives." The lesson he draws is not to bolt a story system onto a game without structural depth and a focus on meaning.
Commanding Shepard
It lets players pick the hero's sex and romance either sex. A DLC forced a heterosexual romance on players, and Ubisoft had to apologise and patch it.
A DLC that forced a heterosexual romance on Odyssey players backfired. Odyssey lets players pick the hero's sex and romance either sex, following Mass Effect 3. A DLC then forced a heterosexual romance, reversing choices players had already made, and Ubisoft had to apologise and patch it.
Mark Brown uses it to show that identity choices the story does not depend on should stay in the player's hands. He describes that as "the player and the game co-authoring the character together."
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