Ubisoft's century-spanning stealth RPG series Assassin's Creed has had a mainline entry released almost every year since 2007, with a slew of spin-offs alongside. Each game explores its own historical setting in interesting ways, letting players free-run across a multitude of different locations from ancient civilizations to pre-Revolutionary Paris. While the Assassin's Creed entries have a lot in common despite their disparate settings, they mostly focus on a different protagonist – or set of protagonists – in each successive installment, splitting the time between the historical period and a modern-day section. Assassin's Creed Odyssey was no different, with a contemporary setting that followed Assassin and former Abstergo researcher Layla Hassan.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey also had a historical element, with Layla able to access the past through her portable Animus device and follow the adventures of either Alexios or Kassandra during the Peloponnesian War in a hidden mythological history. While most Assassin's Creed games have a set historical protagonist, some started to introduce the concept of choosing between a male or female main character, like Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Assassin's Creed Odyssey follows suit, with players able to pick from the brother and sister pair, with the character not selected becoming an NPC. As two separate characters, Alexios and Kassandra have some pretty distinct aspects, and it can be a tough choice for players to choose between them.
Alexios vs. Kassandra
While the choice between Alexios and Kassandra is an important one, it won't change things significantly from a gameplay perspective. Both characters have the same skillsets to utilize in combat and the same DPS levels as they are gradually upgraded throughout the game. The outfits and gear that players can equip as they go can look a little different on each of the characters and show a slightly unique style, but they are also essentially the same with the same stats, meaning there isn't an innate advantage playing as Alexios or Kassandra. Dialogue doesn't vary too much either, and gamers won't be missing out on whole chunks of certain interactions depending on their choice of protagonist.
However, some reactions and responses can differ depending on if the player has chosen Alexios or Kassandra. They are played by two entirely different voice actors, after all, and each character has their own personality and quirks that will contribute to how they see certain situations. The distinction is comparable to the Ryder twins in Mass Effect: Andromeda – both characters occupy the same narrative space with pretty much the same interactions, but they're hugely distinct because of their deliveries and the subtle differences in their personalities. The choice may be completely up to players, but Kassandra has been used by Ubisoft to front a lot of the promotional material for Assassin's Creed Odyssey and is considered by many to be the canon protagonist.
Because of the motion-captured performances of the two potential protagonists, each can approach and react to situations in very different ways, starting from the opening moments of the game. Side-by-side comparisons of Alexios and Kassandra in the same scenes show the differences in their expressions, intonations, and gestures that all culminate in two unique characterizations. Kassandra can be curt, but she's full of conviction and has a strong sense of self, together with a humor that can't always be suppressed. Alexios has more of a standard tough-guy image, although his strength is often undercut by a vulnerability that adds depth to his character.
How The Choice Affects The Game
The combat, overall story, and the ending of Assassin's Creed Odyssey are not overtly affected by the player's choice of protagonist. However, the decision can greatly affect how they play and experience the game. Just like the difference between John and Jane Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy seems negligible, the way each character acts in pivotal scenes can have a massive impact on how players feel in those moments, just as Alexios and Kassandra's different personalities can inform their experience of key Assassin's Creed Odyssey scenes.
Choosing one character over the other also has implications for what happens to the NPC sibling and how their own story plays out. It comes down to personal preference, but the decision players are forced to make at the start of Assassin's Creed Odyssey essentially determines who is the hero and who is the villain. Although the decision has an impact, it doesn't place any restrictions on players. The extensive romance options in the game are open to both characters regardless of gender, showing a refreshingly diverse and inclusive focus in addition to ensuring that picking Alexios over Kassandra or vice versa doesn't close any doors.
The Argument For More Choice In Protagonists
In more recent years, the Assassin's Creed franchise has been experimenting with different protagonists and the chance to give players a choice when it comes to whom they play. In addition to Assassin's Creed Syndicate's system of switching it up between Jacob and Evie Frye and Assassin's Creed Odyssey's choice of Alexios or Kassandra, Assassin's Creed Origins let players experience some missions as Bayek's wife Aya. Assassin's Creed Valhalla kicked this up a notch and allowed players to choose the gender of the main character Eivor, instead of choosing between two pre-established figures.
With 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla as the last mainline entry in the series to date, players are wondering how Ubisoft might be looking to expand the series. Several big shifts are coming over the next few years for the franchise, with the release of Rift, Nexus, and Infinity reportedly approaching. Assassin's Creed Rift is rumored to be a smaller, narrative-focused experience centering on Basim Ibn Ishaq, but Assassin's Creed Nexus is reportedly a VR experience that will let players inhabit a selection of previous protagonists throughout their adventures. In perhaps the biggest shake-up to the series, Assassin's Creed Infinity looks to be a massive live-service title with years of content for players to enjoy.
The future of the franchise seems a little in flux at the moment, with more news reportedly coming in September of this year. However the next games pan out, Ubisoft needs to take more risks with Assassin's Creed protagonists, and giving players more choice in who they play seems like a great step for the games.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.