I've put a lot more time into the game and have been in Alexandria for a bit and I'm finding myself liking the game less. I still enjoy exploring and walking around the world, but the writing is goddamn terrible and the combat is never going to feel good. First, let me just rehash my thoughts on the combat, it's garbage. I've got a better grip on Bayek's janky controls and have unlocked plenty of abilities, but all this just reveals the combat to be as shallow as it is. There just isn't any challenge, you execute the same moves over and over as you just mash your way through each encounter. And, "difficulty" only comes from the levels of your enemies. If they're too high a level then it's near impossible to win as you must land hundreds of hits on them, meanwhile, one hit from them will automatically kill you.
As I said before, stealth seems to be the only enjoyable aspect of gameplay for me. I do enjoy trying to infiltrate an area as sneakily as possible, dropping guards, and executing my targets before anyone knows I was even there. But, I have my own complaints about this as well. First, I have to reiterate my hated for Senu, he robs all challenge out of trying to sneak into an area. And yes, while he is technically "optional," the game berates you if you don't use him and certain objectives will only be revealed until you use Senu. Second, I dislike that I can't simply knock enemies out. Yes, you have that ability at the start, but once you get the hidden blade it replaces that option. Maybe I don't want to execute a bunch of guards just doing there job, maybe I just want to knock them out long enough to reach my target. Sorry, Bayek doesn't give a shit, everyone dies.
As far as the story, I've just met up with Cleopatra and I have to say I find the story extremely poor so far and Bayek lifeless and boring. Like, has there ever been an AC game where the main characters reason for hunting down individuals wasn't revenge for a slain family member besides AC1? Bayek's backstory is so worn out at this point it's hard to feel engaged, especially when it's following all the similar story beats from past games. What;s that you say, the people I'm killing are hinting that they are in the right and I may not know the full story behind what I'm doing? Color me shocked. What's weird is how the game attempts to hide his backstory at the start as opposed to having the game start with Bayek's past. I guess they didn't want to rip too hard from AC2? Yet, all this does is further disconnect the player from Bayek, why should I care about his son who I'm only just learning he had hours later into the game.
Lastly, I just can't take Bayek and this world he inhabits seriously. This is a problem with many of the characters in AC games but shines through particularly here, characters don't react to events as the way they should, especially given their time period. Bayek's meeting with Cleopatra sort of sealed the deal in this regard for me. He's told by the person setting up the meeting to bow and do certain courtesies when he meets Cleopatra. Bayek does none of these things and mocks the guy when he forgets to do so upon meeting Cleopatra. Why is this such a problem for me? Well, first, Bayek is presented as a godly man. He believes in the Gods of Ancient Egypt. Yet, when meeting Egyptian Royalty, essentially a GOD on Earth, he acts like a fucking asshole and even gets uppity with Cleopatra. Again, Cleopatra is of the Royal Bloodline and sees herself as the rightful Pharaoh of Egypt. Bayek should naturally be on his knees bowing before her. Yet, here he is, mocking such courtesies. It completely takes you out of this world. I've yet to encounter Bayek's views on slavery yet but I'm willing to bet that he is somehow against the practice of slavery in an age where slavery was natural and everyone supported it. So much for being historically accurate.
And, I'll finally just complain about the side quests. Everyone has already stated it before but I'll just restate it, they suck. While the initial context of the side quest might sound interesting, the end result is always the same. Rescue a person or kill a person. There is no quest variety, it's all the same. And, there are a TON of these filler side quests.
Any way, end rant.
