Assassin’s Creed: Originsmay be the best example of Ubisoft’s dedication to world-building yet. During several hands-on sessions earlier this year, Game Rant discovered that theworld of Ancient Egyptthat the developer had constructed forAssassin’s Creed: Originshad a noticeably different feel to it than previous games in the series. Characters felt as though they had places to be, and the world bent to main character Bayek’s will but never broke - the game feels like the kind of spiralling, multi-person underdog story that made fans cheer on Ezio and his crew, rather than the introspection and brooding that came with Connor inAssassin’s Creed 3.
Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oathhas captured the same feeling as the game it is a prequel to, making it a must-read for those who want to know more about Bayek, or those who want to get lost in a carefully constructed, ancient Egyptian world of fantasy, politics, and, of course, murder. The novel starts with a teenage Bayek learning about his duties as a future Medjay, an ancient Egyptian military force that would later serve as an inspiration for the Brotherhood of Assassins.
From there,Desert Oathweaves its way through the major moments that take place in Bayek’s life up until what we imagine to be thebeginning ofAssassin’s Creed: Origins. During that process, readers become familiar with Bayek’s internal struggles as he grows up under the burden of a predetermined destiny, his infatuation with Aya, and the world that produced one of the deadliest warriors in Ancient Egypt. Other characters, like Tuta and the main antagonist Bion, are incredibly well-written, at times more compelling than the protagonist himself. In particular, Bion is the kind of character who would make an excellent foil to anAssassin’s Creedprotagonist in-game.
Perhaps most importantly, however,Desert Oathdoesn’t just seem like filler. There’s a tangible sense of growth in Bayek’s character as the novel develops, and it feels, once again, like the same kind of process that made fans love Ezio so much - watching the protagonist grow older, make mistakes, and then learn not to repeat them and protect those he loves. Bayek doesn’t feel like a perfect warrior at any point during the novel, and at times, the growing pains are enough to make him seem almost inept. That kind of vulnerability doesn’t happen often invideo games centered around combat, and it’s refreshing to see Bayek’s evolution as it plays out.
Without diving into spoilers, there are also major events that take place over the narrative ofDesert Oaththat feel like necessary information forAssassin’s Creed: Origins. At the very least, the game will hopefully reference them through an in-game mention or encyclopedia entry, because there are a few impactful moments from the novel that deserve some time in the spotlight of the main game too. It would be a shame for the strong, compelling writing of Oliver Bowden to not make it intoAssassin’s Creed: Originsin some fashion.
That being said, perhaps the only negative to take away from the novel is in the way it portrays Bayek and Aya’s early romance. During hands-on gameplay ofAssassin’s Creed: Origins, the relationship is handled deftly, equal parts endearing but independent. InDesert Oath, Bayek is borderline obsessed with Aya from the beginning, and seemingly never fails to compliment her whenever he sees her. This might have been less of a problem had the novel been written in a different perspective, but the first-person narration creates a situation where Bayek always has a chance to remark on something about Aya - and rarely fails to do so.
Bayek’s immaturity could certainly play a role in the way he perceives Aya duringDesert Oath’s earlier chapters, however, and so it isn’t really the sort of negative that impacts the experience of a well-written novel too much. Overall,Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oathis an interesting prequel to a title that looks like it could be one of thebestAssassin’s Creedgamesever, and it’s also a relatively short jaunt through Bayek’s history that isn’t too daunting a task for busy gamers. For fans of the series, or fantasy fans who like a bit of intrigue and violence,Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oathis well worth the time.
Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oathis available now. Game Rant was provided with a copy of the book for review.
