https://blog.ubi.com/assassins-cree d-origins-need-know-new-

>“The default controls propose a very different experience compared to previous Assassin’s Creeds, but fit very well with the new combat system. For people who really miss the legacy controls, we will have options to change the default. Otherwise, in terms of gameplay, it is really about learning each weapon and how they behave – because there is a lot of depth there – and also paying attention to the weapons wielded by enemies, as this will dictate their behavior.”

>Able to lock on and quickly switch focus between enemies, Bayek can unleash flurries of light attacks that are enough to take down most weaker enemies, and his slower, heavier strikes can knock aside shields and stagger foes. Bayek also has an adrenaline gauge at the bottom of the screen that builds up during combat; depending on your weapon, filling it will let you unleash either a devastating, defense-smashing Overpower attack that’s more than enough to kill most enemies, or a frenzy that briefly makes Bayek stronger, faster, and more resistant to damage.

>Mastering Bayek’s weapons and abilities is essential if you plan to tackle another of Origins’ new additions: boss fights against formidable warriors and strange creatures. We played through one of these, set in an arena in the city of Krokodilopolis, in which Bayek faced down a hulking man known as the Slaver. His weapon of choice was (appropriately enough) a man catcher, a spiked, forked polearm that he used to grab Bayek and hurl him around the arena, frequently into rotating spike traps.

>In the demo, Bayek carries a handful of sleep darts, which can knock enemies out for a few crucial seconds, giving you a window for a fatal stab or a quick escape. Eventually, you’ll even be able to use them as a crucial step in taming animals – including crocodiles, hippos, lions, and more – who’ll loyally follow Bayek into battle and obey his commands until they die.

>“We didn’t want to hold players’ hands,” Jean Guesdon says. “This is why we decided to remove the minimap. We want you to enjoy and to actually experience the beautiful world we’re bringing to you. You will have to play the game to put icons [on the map].”

>The markers you do get aren’t always exact, which is part of the fun. Our very first task in the demo was to find Hotephres, a Greek informant who sailed across Moeris on a ship that carried a statue. We knew generally where he’d be, but rather than sail across the massive lake in search of a single large boat, we loosed Senu. When she got close, a yellow awareness indicator appeared, at which point we parked her in midair and scanned her surroundings until a tightening yellow circle clicked shut on Hotephres’ ship.

>More than an extra step in finding a mission objective, this exercise underlined Assassin’s Creed Origins’ new approach to the structure of its quests. Rather than being locked into a clear chain of A-to-B story beats, you’ll take a free-form approach to discovering your objectives, and you can pursue them more or less at your leisure. After visiting Hotephres, for example, we were tasked with visiting his wife, Khenut, who held a ledger pointing to the identity of a sinister figure known as The Crocodile. However, talking to one of Hotephres’ deckhands also revealed rumors about farmers in Dionysias, who were dying as their fields were burned by unknown assailants.

>At that point – or at any other point where a passerby told us about something that could lead to a mission – we were free to track and pursue either objective. You won’t run into a mission failure or desynchronization if you wander off the “correct” path; we could even go so far as to wander away from one quest mid-mission, tackle the other one, and then return to where we’d left off in the first quest.