One of the best games I've recently played.

Being an history lover, I really enjoyed the AC games I played before this one, namely the first one and Black Flag, being historical playgrounds (especially Black Flag). But this is something else entirely.
It has ignited a genuine interest in this saga, so much that I definitely want to play all the main entries now.

AC Origins is an action RPG interpretation of the old AC formula, which was functional and interesting indeed, but clunky, slow, and in a desperate need of rejuvenation. So, how did they manage to do that? By simply taking inspiration from one of the best games ever, The Witcher 3.
The gameplay is finally smooth, fast, and more dynamic, and the emphasis on the RPG aspects and PG's skills development leads to different ways of playing the game from the older entries. You are first and foremost a Medjay, a warrior concept coming straight from the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and not an Assassin; the game then explains you the transition from a noble like warrior to the more complex identity of Hidden One, being a beautifully mastercrafted prequel for the AC saga.
The Ptolemaic Egypt setting is the icing on the cake. The environment in this game is absolutely brilliant, and you can really tell the Devs had fun crafting this game (along with the Curse of the Pharaohs DLC which is more focused on the myths and legends side of Egypt history). Bayek is a great and interesting character, especially thanks to Abubakar Salim, who did a flawless job giving him personality and depth.

Everything works 100% fine, except for one thing: the AI, and therefore the balance. AC games have never been difficult, but playing this on Nightmare difficulty was a total piece of cake. AI in general is pretty dumb, especially in the stealth sequences (if you decide to play stealth), and combat is fun but pretty damn easy. The only hard times are with higher level enemies that can kill you with one blow and are absolutely sponges, forcing you to calculate every move in order not to restart the whole sequence again.
Also, the whole microtransaction thing is, well, there, and if on one hand I despise microtransaction in a SP game, on the other hand I've never felt forced to buy exp boosts or anything else, and I bought absolutely nothing in the 204 hours of playthrough. Also, the game can be played by only following the main quest, or by doing all the secondary tasks scattered around the game world; I've never, never had to grind my way through, or do quests and stuff because of level gates in the main quest.

I really enjoyed this iteration of the AC franchise and I'm looking forward to play Odyssey. I want more of this!

"May the Hidden One greet you. The Lord of the Duat awaits."