Several rumours have been circulating in recent weeks regarding Assassin's Creed: Origins, the alleged next entry in the long-running Ubisoft series, which has not yet been officially announced. One rumour, supported by an image that leaked online, suggests that the game will be set in Egypt, and that players will once again set sail. The map is said to be three times bigger than in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and it will feature a combat system similar to the one in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Apparently, according to several leaks on Reddit, there are more interesting details that make the game sound even more appealing.
It turns out, in fact, that the leaks that have emerged may be part of a long-term plan, and that the images we saw on the internet are authentic. For example, the image of the boat is said to be taken from the demo that Ubisoft will be showing during E3 in Los Angeles next month. In addition, apparently there will be an eagle players can use to unlock some areas of the map without having to climb the towers (one of the staples of the series).
Players will assume the role of a new protagonist in the present, a man of dual heritage. The character has already received Assassin training in the game, and he will be flanked by a group of characters that will help him achieve his goal (whatever they might be).
In addition, the game will also feature the return of William, Rebecca and Shaun (who you'll remember from the first games), although at the moment it is unclear what role the three characters will play in the game. One thing that has been ruled out is the return of naval battles; despite the presence of boats, they will not be used in combat, instead, they'll only be used as a means of transportation between the various points on the map.
Given the size of the map, players will also have the opportunity to move towards the Mediterranean Sea to the East by taking advantage of their own boat. According to Reddit, developers have chosen to focus more on the narrative side of things for this new iteration, so there may not be a multiplayer mode.
Origins is said to offer varied scenarios, thanks to the presence of numerous oases and islands that can be reached. The combat system has been completely reworked from the scratch and will have some points in common with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. There will, of course, be stealth mechanics, although this time they will be more integrated into the world. Good news also comes with regards to the fluency of the protagonist's movements, which should represent an evolution compared to what was seen in Assassin's Creed: Unity and Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, with Watch Dogs 2 apparently an inspiration.
With regard to weapons, given the setting, a weapon similar to Altair's blade from the very first game in the series will return, so the new protagonist will also have a missing ring finger. The equipment will include an arc, a shield, various types of swords, spears and knives. The character using the Animus will be an Israelite and he will have to try to save their people from slavery. In the early stages of the game he will not have a name, but later the other characters will start calling him "Shed".
It also appears as though the developers have learned a lesson after the technical difficulties encountered with Assassin's Creed: Unity, and the team is said to be working hard in order to offer a final version without serious problems and bugs, which given the alleged size of the project would be no easy feat.
Assassin's Creed: Origins should arrive this year on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, although no Switch version is expected at the time of writing. Of course, this information is just based on rumours and should be treated as such.
What do you want to see from the next Assassin's Creed?