Chapter 841: Heavy Spoilers, Skip If You Want
"Assassin's Creed: Origins" is set to release on June 6th, priced at 1980, slightly higher than "Uncharted."
However, for VR game players, it's just an extra 100 bucks, not much of a difference. Besides, given the game's scale, it's an open world rather than a linear game, so the slightly higher price is completely understandable.
In terms of playable game time, "Assassin's Creed: Origins" is longer than "Uncharted," and since this is Chen Mo's first VR game after the Spring Festival, many players are resolutely buying it.
Some players on a tight budget are waiting for the Double 11 sale. After all, Chen Mo already said last year that this event would happen annually, with everything half off. By then, the price of "Assassin's Creed: Origins" would be cut in half to 990, making it even more cost-effective.
For the wealthy players, waiting nearly half a year for a new game is unbearable. Plus, the Double 11 event also returns in-game currency, so buying now makes little difference to them.
Given Chen Mo's development pace, by Double 11, there might be new game bundles released anyway. Constantly waiting isn't really a viable option.
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After the release of "Assassin's Creed: Origins," more players experienced the game's unique qualities.
Previously, they could only watch streamers play online, unable to play themselves. But when these players finally got their hands on it, they realized that playing it yourself is completely different from watching others!
For a linear game like "Uncharted," everyone's script is the same, with relatively straightforward gameplay paths. But "Assassin's Creed: Origins" is an open world, making a huge difference.
Different players can plan their mission flow and combat style according to their own preferences, freely exploring the entire map. Some players don't even do missions at all, just focusing on uncovering the map, running to synchronization points, rowing boats on the Nile, or watching mirages in the great desert—and they have a blast!
Thanks to the special design of "Assassin's Creed: Origins," which collects player big data to infer behavior patterns and preload scene resources, it essentially eliminates most loading bars. This feature thrilled many players!
Many players were amazed: "This is an open-world game, yet it seems to have almost no loading? That's incredible!"
Some players treat the game as an Egypt travel simulator, visiting every village and city to experience the local customs. Others dive into the story, experiencing the tales of Caesar and Cleopatra, as if they've truly traveled back in time. And players who enjoy assassinations, melee combat, or farming equipment also find their own thrills in this game...
In any case, "Assassin's Creed: Origins" covers almost every aspect, providing different gaming experiences for players with varied interests. It's a complete, vibrant Egyptian world where every player becomes part of it, fully immersing in the exotic charm spanning a thousand years.
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In a village near the Temple of Sekhmet in Yamu, a woman tells Bayek that her husband took a boat to the ruins across the river and hasn't returned. As a protector, Bayek unhesitatingly "borrows" a boat to search for the woman's husband. After a bloody fight killing several crocodiles, Bayek finds the husband completely drunk, with no memory of having a wife.
Unable to do otherwise, Bayek sails the husband back to the village. A gust of wind wakes the man up. It turns out his "wife" got him drunk, forced him into marriage, and claimed he owed her a "virginity tax," demanding a large sum of money. Then two burly men approach—this isn't a search mission but an ancient Egyptian version of a "honey trap"...
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Bayek arrives at the Amun Stone Circle, recalling a time he came here with Khemu.
The father and son watched the stars in the desert night. Bayek's father once told him that the stone circles around them marked the positions of the gods in the sky and also pointed out their place in the world.
Hearing this, Khemu was thrilled, planning to find all the stone circles, along with the Sphinx and the pyramids, to discover his own place. After Khemu's death, as a father, Bayek's only way to honor his son is to find all the stone circles and locate Khemu's place among the stars.
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In the side quest "The Wily Scribe," a great poet and philosopher, Aristos, is imprisoned, and his wife weeps at home all day.
The reason for his arrest? He created beautiful works, but the scribe Eudoros plagiarized them. Aristos chose to take Eudoros to court, arguing for months, only to be beaten, mocked, and thrown into a cage.
Bayek must rescue this poet, helping the wife and her husband escape the city and end their suffering.
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To assassinate the Snake, Bayek infiltrates the baths of Alexandria. In a desperate move, he uses the hidden blade, cutting off his own ring finger. This later becomes the origin of the Assassins' vow to sever their ring fingers.
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In a grand mansion, Bayek meets Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. Her introduction is unforgettable: "I can sleep with any of you, but... the next morning, he will be executed."
Bayek learns that the bronze mask man he's been chasing belongs to the Order of the Ancients, who currently support Pharaoh Ptolemy. Thus, Cleopatra and Bayek and his wife share a common goal and formally ally.
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In Letopolis, the city suffers under the dual oppression of the Scarab and sandstorms.
Bayek meets Letopolis's leader, Taharqa, to discuss plans to uncover the "Scarab." Bayek helps Taharqa repel desert bandits, but during the victory feast, Taharqa drugs Bayek's drink, buries him in the desert, and leaves him to die.
Fortunately, Bayek calls his mount, and Senu brings the reins to Bayek's hand, allowing him to escape.
It turns out Taharqa is the "Scarab." His efforts to control the sandstorms in Letopolis aren't for the people's benefit but to secretly search for hidden secrets there.
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While tracking the "Hyena," Bayek enters the Great Pyramid of Giza, finding the Hyena performing a ritual to resurrect her daughter. After being defeated, the Hyena tempts Bayek to use the Piece of Eden to revive Khemu, but Bayek resists.
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In the main storyline, the historical tapestry of Cleopatra and Caesar unfolds step by step with the plot.
Cleopatra initially plans to ally with Pompey, but when Pompey's fleet lands, they are ambushed by Ptolemy and the Order of the Ancients, resulting in total annihilation. Cleopatra is forced to ally with Caesar to reclaim control of Egypt.
Thanks to Bayek and Aya's efforts, Cleopatra successfully allies with Caesar. In the Battle of the Nile, Bayek and Aya's bravery secures victory for Caesar's army, and Ptolemy is dragged into the sea by crocodiles.
But then, an unexpected twist occurs: Cleopatra only gives Bayek and Aya a sum of money, while Caesar blames them for Pharaoh Ptolemy's death, making them scapegoats.
Bayek, Aya, Tahira, and Phoxidas reunite, all agreeing they must continue fighting to protect the people's free will. The prototype of the Brotherhood emerges.
Cleopatra's marriage to Caesar doesn't bring peace to Egypt; instead, things worsen. Caesar joins the Order of the Ancients, and his deputy, Flavius, is the true murderer of Khemu.
In 47 BCE, Bayek and Aya return to Siwa to search for the Piece of Eden, finding the villagers in agony. Even Rabiah, who treated Bayek's wounds in the opening story, is not spared.
Flavius used the artifact to control everyone in Siwa, and they've already headed to the vault. This vault is the same one the Order of the Ancients killed Khemu and many innocent Egyptians to open, containing the secrets of the Piece of Eden.
Bayek and Aya enter the vault, where they see a giant golden globe model of the Earth. Bayek's friend, Hopzefa, who stayed in Siwa, died defending the vault.
Bayek and Aya split up. Bayek assassinates Flavius and retrieves the Piece of Eden. In Alexandria, Bayek and Aya reunite.
Both understand they must sacrifice their lives for a greater good, assassinating the deserving in the shadows, becoming "the Hidden Ones," and fighting for a new creed.
Bayek's eagle skull falls onto the sand, imprinting the Assassin organization's symbol.
In the final scene, Aya enters the Roman Senate chamber, becoming the first to strike the fatal blow against Caesar. Then, the other senators swarm in.
Brutus approaches Caesar, who utters the historical line: "Even you, my child?"
But Brutus answers Caesar with a cold blade.
"The tyrant is dead! You are free!"
Brutus raises his dagger and shouts, as the camera slowly pulls back. Caesar, lying on the ground, covered in blood, his head lolling to the side, breathes his last.
Afterward, Aya establishes an Assassin stronghold in Rome, while Bayek stays in Egypt to develop the Assassin organization.
"We come from the darkness, and we dwell in the darkness; humanity need not be immortal, but the creed must endure."
At the story's end, Bayek stands on a high point, reading Aya's letter. Senu flies in from afar, landing on his right arm.
Once again, the beautiful vista of all Egypt appears before him, and the game's title and logo flash on screen.
"Assassin's Creed: Origins!"