I'm always hesitant to write something that bares my soul, but I'm really compelled to share how Assassin's Creed: Origins has affected me.
Thanks to L. Sprague de Camp's Great Cities of the Ancient World, I'm a history buff who's always been fascinated by Egyptian culture--the early dynastic era, and especially the Golden Age of Hellenism, which Assassin's Creed: Origins takes place.
For the longest time I've dreamed what Alexandria looked like. Thanks to Roy G. Krenkel and countless artists I've been given an idea. The Pharos, the Museum and the Great Library, Khufu's Horizon and even the Bent Pyramid...the Serapeum and the Sema where Alexander the Great was buried...all have been dreams of mine to see.
When I booted up Assassin's Creed: Origins for the first time I was able to enter these dreams. Just the first tomb was breathtaking and incredible to me--the lotus paintings on the pillars that held up the cyclopean blocks, the vividly painted statues of gods that lined the walls, the sand that swallowed up riches and fractured ruins like voracious sea waves.
But when I stepped out the tomb into the Oasis of Siwa...I felt it. Anyone who's played a game that profoundly effects them knows what I'm talking about: it's a warm sensation that radiates through your body, almost as if your very heart's passion has been ignited.
I knew right away this game was special. It feels like it was made just for me.
My fantasies became a reality: here was Hellenized Egypt right before my eyes, so vibrant, so alive, so real. Seeing all of the things I've pictured in my mind recreated like this...being able to explore them, and drink in their beauty...it's incredibly overwhelming to me.
I cried when I visited Alexandria for the first time. I marveled at the Great Library, at the Pharos, at the statues and the obelisks and the colors. I teared up when visiting the Great Pyramids, too, marveling at their caps and white, sun-bleached casing stones. I've taken Bayek into the heart of my dreams...and I have a feeling I'm only getting started.
The world looks and feels so incredibly vivid, and resembles what I imagined while reading about Hellenistic Egypt, where two of the world's most advanced societies mingled as one. Everything is so bright, colorful, and unique, and is a pure feast for the eyes. This game is utterly enchanting in its visuals and it holds deeper meaning for someone like me.
I have a deeply intimate connection with this game. It's hit me hard, and I honestly just want to roam around and explore and uncover fragments from one of the most beautiful and wondrous periods of human history.
I have looked at everything--from the deeply intricate friezes and bas relief inscriptions on the palaces and temples of Alexandria to the colorfully painted hieroglyphics, and even the Hellenistic technology like the fishtraps and the capstans and arches...I investigate everything and let it soak in. Every little detail matters.
Thank you for making this game, Ubisoft. I appreciate it more than I can really say in words. You've made one of my most inner-most dreams come true, and I am absolutely in awe at this incredible world you've created.
Thanks to L. Sprague de Camp's Great Cities of the Ancient World, I'm a history buff who's always been fascinated by Egyptian culture--the early dynastic era, and especially the Golden Age of Hellenism, which Assassin's Creed: Origins takes place.
For the longest time I've dreamed what Alexandria looked like. Thanks to Roy G. Krenkel and countless artists I've been given an idea. The Pharos, the Museum and the Great Library, Khufu's Horizon and even the Bent Pyramid...the Serapeum and the Sema where Alexander the Great was buried...all have been dreams of mine to see.
When I booted up Assassin's Creed: Origins for the first time I was able to enter these dreams. Just the first tomb was breathtaking and incredible to me--the lotus paintings on the pillars that held up the cyclopean blocks, the vividly painted statues of gods that lined the walls, the sand that swallowed up riches and fractured ruins like voracious sea waves.
But when I stepped out the tomb into the Oasis of Siwa...I felt it. Anyone who's played a game that profoundly effects them knows what I'm talking about: it's a warm sensation that radiates through your body, almost as if your very heart's passion has been ignited.
I knew right away this game was special. It feels like it was made just for me.
My fantasies became a reality: here was Hellenized Egypt right before my eyes, so vibrant, so alive, so real. Seeing all of the things I've pictured in my mind recreated like this...being able to explore them, and drink in their beauty...it's incredibly overwhelming to me.
I cried when I visited Alexandria for the first time. I marveled at the Great Library, at the Pharos, at the statues and the obelisks and the colors. I teared up when visiting the Great Pyramids, too, marveling at their caps and white, sun-bleached casing stones. I've taken Bayek into the heart of my dreams...and I have a feeling I'm only getting started.
The world looks and feels so incredibly vivid, and resembles what I imagined while reading about Hellenistic Egypt, where two of the world's most advanced societies mingled as one. Everything is so bright, colorful, and unique, and is a pure feast for the eyes. This game is utterly enchanting in its visuals and it holds deeper meaning for someone like me.
I have a deeply intimate connection with this game. It's hit me hard, and I honestly just want to roam around and explore and uncover fragments from one of the most beautiful and wondrous periods of human history.
I have looked at everything--from the deeply intricate friezes and bas relief inscriptions on the palaces and temples of Alexandria to the colorfully painted hieroglyphics, and even the Hellenistic technology like the fishtraps and the capstans and arches...I investigate everything and let it soak in. Every little detail matters.
Thank you for making this game, Ubisoft. I appreciate it more than I can really say in words. You've made one of my most inner-most dreams come true, and I am absolutely in awe at this incredible world you've created.
Last edited:
