Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey — Historical Accuracy.

The largest part of the series Assassin’s Creed, if you don’t try to compare with Valhalla. Today we’ll talk about its reliability and compliance with the real history of Ancient Greece, while trying to point blank not seeing the fantastic elements of the story. According to tradition, there will be both praises and stones for the studio’s garden)

And before starting, I can suggest that you familiarize yourself with the historical inaccuracies of the first parts of the AC series and a look at authenticity in Assassin’s Creed: Origins.

1. The world at large

The first and perhaps most important achievement here is peace, in which all historical objects are in place and we can see the whole of Greece. Even though the distances between cities have been reduced and the water space has been significantly reduced, such a deviation from reality only benefits the game.

And if Athens rise above the peninsula Attica, then if we head to the northeast, we will stumble upon plains of Marathon, and then, moving south along the coast, we will go around cape Sounion, just like in real life, and the whole game is like that!

The world is filled with recreations of real monuments and buildings in addition to the Golden Age structures we all expected to see in this game, such as Parthenon at the Temple of the Oracles at Delphi.

We can also find sunken Minoan ruins and ruined Mycenaean palaces famous heroes of the Trojan War, such as Odysseus and Ajax.

U Ubisoft it turned out to show how multi-level the Greek world was back then, and the best part is that the game itself has database function, where we can read all about the places we come across just by hovering over it, which is a really convenient way to find out more. This feature is often praised, especially given the clunky and less frequently used database from past games.

2. Conquest system

And speaking of the map, the developers added new mechanics — conquest system, in which we can directly shift balance between Athens and Sparta, thereby changing the power of the controlled territories, however this completely breaks historical accuracy.

A mechanic like this, while contrary to the story, makes sense and I’m glad they did it this way, it gives the main character some importance in moving the war forward.

But it is worth saying that in real history Athens owned the Aegean Sea, and Sparta held onto the Greek mainland, and these borders did not budge for 30 years, which is clearly a less interesting option for a dynamic game.

3. Realism trier and unreality trier)

Continuing the theme of the Aegean Sea, it is worth touching on the new mechanics of naval warfare:

Many people probably liked the strong emphasis on ramming and boarding enemy ships. Triremes were indeed a powerful force of that time and the game was very accurately reflects their fighting style.

But the discrepancy here is that triremes are almost always fought on the “big water” for minimal resistance, to be as fast as possible, so when on board there are 60 oarsmen, a metal ram and also two dozen archers and spearmen, these ships would not be combat-ready in coastal zones, if we talk about quick maneuvers and ramming the enemy, which is what they were famous for.

However, besides this not particularly significant omission, there is another problem with naval warfare — Sparta we are shown as the winning side in this, while they couldn’t even move by sea. They have there was no money and resources for the fleet, the Spartans themselves were terrible at building ships and even with rowers it was very difficult.

The only reason why Sparta won the war as a result, was that they borrowed the fleet approximately 20 years after the events in the game took place (thanks for helping the Persians). Reality in 431. BC.uh. was that The Aegean Sea was completely controlled by Athens, so how Spartan trireme makes the game more dynamic, it is exactly the same completely made up.

4. Where is the phalanx, Greeks?

Now let’s fast forward half a century ago, when the game begins Battle of Thermopylae.

We dive into the game, fighting the Persians in one of the most famous battles in history, this is a really great scene that instantly introduces us to the setting and atmosphere of what is happening. It was truly breathtaking to see how Leonidas mows down the Persians with both points of his spear, because Greek spears had blades at both ends… no, they didn’t! The reverse side was sharp to rest on the ground and could not penetrate even light armor. (We’ll come back to weapons and armor later)

But these are small https://noidverificationcasinos.co.uk/review/slottio/ things, the main problem here and throughout the ENTIRE game is the lack of a phalanx (okay, something vaguely similar could be seen in the first seconds, but this does not at all save what happens next). The same situation applies to battles of conquest between Athens and Sparta, in which we can participate throughout the game world, we jump straight into a massive brawl between hundreds of soldiers, but it’s just a random fight! No military formations, no glorious Greek phalanx..

Okay, I understand that these may be moments when the phalanx is already broken or something like that, but such chaotic battles look too absurd for such military-experienced states.

5. Enemy at the gate! …well, it’s okay

And speaking of battles, I was really impressed by the portrayal of how Athens dealt with the fact that Sparta was camped just outside their walls, constantly besieging them. And it is a historical fact that the Spartans ravaged the Athenian villages for most of the war, but it is simply fantastic to hear how Pericles advocates staying safe behind walls, while his opposition Cleon and others wanted to fight.

And the point here is that This is not a historical flaw, but an inaccuracy in the presentation of information, because Pericles in advance evacuated rural inhabitants to the cities behind the walls, and the fleet regularly shelled and attacked the coastal camps of Sparta, that they even had to retreat. And a year later I Pericles and led the campaign against Sparta, but the “Plague of Athens” for the most part became the reason for their defeat. Therefore, the fact was counted, but the execution let us down) And yes, in the story Cleon really was that asshole (I hope it’s not swearing?).

6. Really realistic personalities of Greece

Okay, if we look at moments like this when Odyssey really reveals true historical figures and portrays quite accurately the strategic situations of the early stages of the war, and all of this is contained in a superbly accurate Greek setting, then something is clearly about to go wrong. And that’s true, but let’s talk about good things for now)

After arriving in Athens we get the opportunity to attend one of the most exciting events of this game — symposium at the House of Pericles.

From start to finish, the entire episode is an incredible immersion into the life and culture of Ancient Greece: we get to chat with prominent historical figures, playwrights and squabbling sophists, and Socrates and completely recreates the discussion taken directly from the pages Plato’s "Republic" (Res publica), and even the appearance Alcibiades, whose depraved personality is also presented quite realistically.

And I was really looking for something to complain about here, I thought at least count the goat as a historical joint, but… no, I can’t say a single crooked word (Except if you played as Cassandra, but more on that later)

Of course, this is not quite the same as meeting someone for the first time Leonardo da Vinci in the time of Ezio, I still remember those incredible emotions (oldies in place?), but it’s definitely a step forward from Caesar and Cleopatra in AC Origins and I’m grateful for it.

7. The causes and course of the Peloponnesian War according to Ubisoft

So, we found out that Sparta magically has a fleet, and Athens can magically hold its ground in all open land battles, which is historically stupid, but not particularly important, since we can only guess throughout the first half of the game, why did this war even start and last so long??!

If the story goes, Athens’ rapacious imperialism sparked the conflict, then both sides wanted to push each other out: Sparta wanted to starve Athens out, but Pericles’ naval supply chain and defensive strategy stopped that; Athens hoped that Sparta would eventually give up and go home rather than try to take over everything, since Athens held its holdings in the Aegean Sea and they believed that if they just waited long enough, the war would end in their favor.

What does the game show us under the guise of the reasons for the start and long duration of the war?? Mysterious cult!

In my opinion, this greatly cheapens the storytelling and the sad thing is that the themes of Ancient Greece are perfect for the game Assassin’s Creed: freedom versus strict control and chaos.

Both Athens and Sparta are very far from the ideal system of society:

Athens extended democratic rights to all of its allies, but it did so through extortion and outright oppression; while freedom of speech was a staple of Athenian society, most women were locked at home in the afternoon (This is me saying hello to Cassandra at the symposium, there were, at best, the wisest of hetaeras); on the contrary, Spartan women had much more autonomy, and Sparta’s allies were much freer, but at the same time their kings and oligarchic government enslaved the entire population, called helots to support their economy. But no, the cult is to blame for everything..

8. A little about women and why Alexios is clearly more realistic

Enough geopolitics for this article, let’s talk about something less inflammatory and picky, like the fact that we can play as a woman, that’s great, but too optimistic in the historical aspect. In Ancient Greece, women had very few rights, so if we are talking about realism, then a woman having the opportunity to go out and do what Cassandra does may seem like a clear embellishment of reality.

But if you consider the numerous stories about predominantly female clans of Hunters dedicated to Artemis, all stories of the Amazons and the fact that among the cool sword-wielding warriors there were also women, it’s stupid to act as if this is impossible in the context of the game. It’s unlikely, of course, but it could be real.

9. Voice acting of the Greeks

This small point was added for those who completed the game in their native localization, because Almost all characters, including the main characters, were voiced by Greek actors, and it’s really cool to hear the authentic Greek pronunciation of words and names, it adds more immersion to the game (just listen to how it sounds).

It would be cool to have full Greek audio localization for maximum immersion, but the result wouldn’t be worth the financial investment. Still, it would be it’s very easy to make all the characters British again, but the studio treated this moment more carefully than usual — respect!

10. “I’ll just come over and help in the battle.”

Greece is full of mercenaries willing to fight for whatever side will pay them, and this is often our character’s motivation in alternate support for Sparta and Athens, after all, both those and others reward us for this.

In fact, in Greek history mercenaries were hired (this is such a tautology) from different parts of Greece in whole groups and it seems very doubtful that in time of war a standing army would allow any guy/girl to come up and fight in a battle, much less — carry out important assignments, Therefore, it is worth understanding that the mercenary system for both the player and the NPCs we encounter is largely pulled out of thin air.

11. A few words about weapons and armor

I won’t describe obvious things about the Hades set and other science fiction, the article is already a little long, I’ll just present a couple of examples from which designers drew weapons:

If we talk about armor, most of it is presented in the game very believably, especially for helmets. Cuirasses and thoraxes are very well designed in the context of realism, unlike previous games in the series.

Only one small fictional armor attribute — bracers. At that time, the Greeks did not use them; this was included in the protection package a little later; in the 5th century, warriors relied mostly on the shield.

If you do not take into account the mythical elements of weapons and armor, then Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey did everything almost perfectly in this regard. I think that the studio made all the historical errors in equipment intentionally, which is quite justified.

It would be impossible to talk about all the historical shortcomings in this game, and some of those presented may well be disputed in the comments, because Ancient Greece has many myths and misconceptions that are still taught incorrectly in schools, so I tried to select the most striking examples that could pass for the truth, but still in the real story it was different. And talking about the unreality of the Minotaur, the Gorgon Medusa or the Isu civilization for obvious reasons did not make much sense)

It is important to note that I do not consider this selection to be the only possible and absolutely correct, although I tried to check every statement written here.

Thank you for your attention to everyone who decided to get acquainted with this look at the realism of this game, I will be glad to see your reaction in the comments and good games to you!)

Best comments

And if any of the admins stop by, there’s a new blog editor, Topchik!)

This is pure fiction, at best enlarged copies of real ones) Only when editing the video did I remember that I wanted to include a point about sculptures and statues, but the game is relatively good with this. The only shortcomings are that the statues in the game world are too large and not all sculptures are painted.
And thank you very much for your comment!)

Yes, I knew that questions might arise about this picture, I added it for clarity)) Of course, before the well-known phalanx of Philip and spears of 5-7 meters there were still about 50 years, and in the Peloponnesian War the phalanx was really about shields, not about spears. Actually, this is why so little has been written about the phalanx)
The formation of the phalanx type or the “Shield Wall” was used everywhere at that time, there were certainly no random fights in chaos, that’s what I wanted to emphasize in the article)
And thank you very much for your comment!)

Thank you) You also support me on YouTube with comments, I am very grateful to you for that!)

Well done author, well written and interesting. I’m not good at history, but it all sounds very plausible

Were there so many large statues arranged in a circle in Greece??

Of course, there is the Colossus of Rhodes, but the rest

Little is said about the phalanxes and the picture shows the Macedonian phalanx, long spears are their feature. And in general, this system is more about shields, not spears. And it’s written so interestingly.