Experiencing Egyptian history through Assassin's Creed and gaming
When you hear someone mention Assassin’s Creed, you’ll most likely think of hooded men with hidden blades strapped to their hands fighting secret wars against templars across ages and millennia's.
But since 2017 Ubisoft quietly implemented an extremely underrated new mode called “The Discovery Tour” which is an educational tour of the games free roam maps littered with tips, factoids and audio tours of each historic location that the game period is centered on.
Image: Looking over Egypt from afar (Source: Assassin Creed Origins)
So, for fans and Egyptologists interested in the stunning history of ancient Egypt- you may want to consider buying Assassins Creed: Origins for the chance of an intricate dive (or leap of faith) into the lore and sights of the breathtaking monuments and bustling streets of Egypt in 50BC.
Origins offers cities such as Krokodilopolis, Alexandria, Cyrene, Giza and much more to be found and traversed with the ultimate freedom to educate and discover at your own pace. You can ponder the sights and scenery of not only the city's design but its culture and practices that made the cities so famous.
Image: Another shot of Egypt (Source: Assassin Creed Origins)
But not only are the cities and villages brimming with facts, but the landscape of Egypt is also there for you to explore to your hearts content.
The cliffs and mountains are marked out with designated spots of where camps were formed on them and how they made them, the city’s political landmarks explain their geopolitical relations between Greece and the rest of Africa, while the shops and stores explain the needs and shopping ecosystem that ancient Egyptians had with each other. This allows you to understand their reputation, their currency and wealth adorations, to see how much things cost back then as their inflation was yet to be integrated.
Image: Perched on a statue overlooking city (Source: Assassin Creed Origins)
The game also introduces the player to the religious practices, the gods they worshipped and the mummification process that coroners had to go through when burying bodies.
Gods and prayer rituals can be found at churches and palaces and explain the past and purposes of each Egyptian god such as: Sobek, Amun, RA, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. The game also goes into the relations, wars and religious turmoil that came when the Egyptians fought with the Greeks over which god had authority and made declaration for which shrines and monuments were to be erected.
Image: Inside of a Egyptian building (Source: Assassin Creed Origins)
Speaking of monuments, the discovery tour has a plethora of Landmarks and iconic buildings that all of Egypt has to offer and facts about their architects and their construction for instance the game mentions how “Alexandrian architects were forced to use flour to mark out the foundations, because they didn't have access to chalk.” along with information about when a monument was created, who built it, how long the building process took when it was destroyed/restored and what its purpose was to the city along with why it was created.
Iconic figures such as Ceasar and Cleopatra appear in the game to explain their rule in Egypt and the roles they served during their time there, the influence they had on the people and country as well as how they died.
Image: An ornate Egyptian building (Source: Assassin Creed Origins)
Assassins Creed Origins: discovery tour goes extremely well detail about the daily life of the wealthiest, the poorest, the pacifists and the warmongers, the construction and the downfall of Egypt's reign. The game is perfect for procrastinators that enjoy learning about culture and history, mixing entertainment and learning. Personally, I believe it's a great way to learn about history and you can trust l’ll continue exploring Ancient Egypt.