Chapter 842: Killing Everyone Is the Perfect Stealth
The rich storyline of *Assassin's Creed: Origins* quickly became one of the key points of discussion among players.
In *Assassin's Creed: Origins*, there are five major chapters and over 120 main and side quests. In addition, there are more than a dozen tomb exploration missions and various completionist elements, such as papyrus scrolls, stone circles, and synchronization points.
In terms of content, these side quests are practically all-encompassing, covering theater, horse racing, poetry, philosophy, merchants, weapon forging, helping townsfolk, assassinations, and many other aspects. It can be said that the vast number of side quests is essentially a panoramic view of life in ancient Egypt, spanning various fields and presenting a highly refined, three-dimensional tableau.
Here, the lives of people from all walks of life and professions in ancient Egypt are laid bare before the players' eyes.
At the start, many players felt these side quests were similar to those in MMORPGs—just running around, finding people, killing people, and collecting items, merely giving players something to do and forcibly extending playtime. However, as the story progressed, players quickly realized this view was completely wrong.
In *Assassin's Creed: Origins*, side quests are distributed across the various towns Bayek visits. Each town has different customs and traditions, and the quests vary accordingly. Repetitive tasks like finding someone in Town A and then finding someone else in Town B are virtually nonexistent in *Assassin's Creed: Origins*.
Moreover, these side quests also serve to supplement and explain the main storyline. Before certain main quests filled with intrigue, if players complete the side quests in advance, they may gain clues or hidden hints about the main quest. While not enough to alter the main plot, this makes the region's story setup feel more reasonable and complete.
After finishing *Assassin's Creed: Origins*, many players experience an inexplicable sense of realism.
Logically, two factors in the game's story design should contradict this "sense of realism." On one hand, the story features many historical figures, such as Caesar, Cleopatra, and Brutus—all famous names from history, creating a natural distance from the player. On the other hand, *Assassin's Creed: Origins* includes a large amount of original content, such as the Pieces of Eden, temple ruins, and the Assassin Brotherhood, which have no clear historical records.
So why does it give people such a strong sense of realism?
Many players understood after playing deeply: this realism mainly comes from the perfect recreation of ancient Egyptian society.
From textures, scenery, architecture, and clothing to characters' attire, behavioral habits, and expressions, *Assassin's Creed: Origins* is meticulously researched, strictly adhering to historical materials. As a result, the Egypt in *Assassin's Creed: Origins* never feels "out of place." Countless details blend together, making it easy for players to immerse themselves.
The diverse side quests allow Bayek to delve into that historical era and experience the lives of countless ordinary people.
For example, the husband caught in a "honey trap," the vendor selling counterfeit goods, the blacksmith killed while building a chariot, the slum dwellers suffering from a strange disease...
Every little person endures hardships in this chaotic world. Some are saved by Bayek, while others die like weeds. This mirrors real life: in a turbulent era where people can barely survive, ordinary folks cannot control their own fate and can only hope that a shadowy organization will bring them justice.
Thus, the numerous side quests allow players to gain a deeper understanding of the daily lives of ancient Egyptians, making the game's story more "down-to-earth" and diluting the aforementioned "sense of unreality."
Furthermore, the intertwining of the daily life thread and the historical thread gives players the feeling of "personally experiencing history." There is a close, dynamic relationship between historical events and everyday occurrences. Each historical event changes the social environment of a certain region, intensifying the player's sense of firsthand experience.
Additionally, the game's high level of immersion stems from the clever constraints of various rules.
For instance, in other games, players often indulge in doing things completely opposite to their character's nature out of mischief. For example, a hero full of justice might senselessly slaughter innocents; a benevolent and merciful lord might torment his own subjects, and so on.
Many players have this habit: seeking this "sense of absurdity" in virtual worlds. The most obvious behavior is that, no matter the game, they try to attack civilians or attempt to massacre a village. If the game makes NPCs invincible, players complain it's unrealistic. If NPCs can be attacked, many players will raise their blades...
In *Assassin's Creed*, however, the "memory synchronization" mechanic perfectly restricts player behavior and provides a narrative justification. When players try to use Bayek to attack villagers or stray cats, Bayek says, "The protector does not kill the innocent" or "Cats are sacred creatures; the protector should respect them." If players persist, they will directly "lose synchronization."
This setup uses a clever rule to limit player actions, subtly guiding them to act according to Bayek's thoughts and personality. As they continuously "champion justice" as a protector, players gradually identify with this role, and their immersion grows stronger.
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The unique qualities of *Assassin's Creed: Origins* quickly spawned many distinctive "memes" among the player base, becoming part of the game's culture.
"Chen Mo has created a grand ancient Egypt for players to explore. You can use photo mode for a better experience, use auto-drive for better photo opportunities, and even use Senu's eagle-eye drone to take pictures... And in this game, you can even be an assassin."
"This game should be called 'Berserker's Creed.' Assassination? Doesn't exist! Just grab an axe and charge in—even guards get cut down! I never played *Dark Souls* before, but after playing 'Berserker's Creed,' I suddenly feel like I could give *Dark Souls* a try! Hehe!"
"Ancient Egyptians were such cat lovers. I noticed that if you crouch in front of a cat, Bayek even pets it. It's incredible!"
"I think the name *Assassin's Creed* is perfect. If you kill everyone, no one knows you infiltrated, right? That's perfect stealth!"
"I feel the same about horse racing. As long as you knock everyone ahead of you off the track, you're first. That's perfect racing!"
"It's the same with borrowing boats from civilians. Even if you sink it, as long as no one's alive to demand it back, it doesn't count as borrowing!"
"Here's a funny thing: I was doing the 'Book of the Dead' quest. I left for just three minutes, and when I came back, the old man who was alive and kicking had already died! But that's not the best part. The best part is, I carried him to bury him, and then my mischievous side kicked in, so I threw his body into the water. Guess what? He climbed back out of the water on his own! After climbing out, he lay back down on the ground and pretended to be dead. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself!!"