Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is not nearly as romantic as I'd been led to believe.
Her name is Odessa, and, a few hours into Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, she's the first person in the entire world I can flirt with. A descendant of Odysseus, supposedly, she's on the island of Ithaca to visit his ruined palace, hoping to find clarity and meaning. Instead, she finds me, Kassandra, a mercenary with a pet eagle. The game tells me I can call her pretty. So I do. It ... doesn't go so well.
The compliment lands fine, but the dialogue option I choose next—something about greatness being something you find for yourself—comes off far differently in voice actor Melissanthi Mahut's line reading. While I imagined it as encouraging, it sounds pushy, even smug, and Odessa storms off, scandalized by this brutish island woman who doesn't even know how to flirt right.
Not all is lost with Odessa, if you don't want it to be. She appears later in the game, and Kassandra can try again, hopefully with more grace this time. Romance lurks elsewhere as well, and while I haven't played through enough of the game to experience all of them (it's huge!), I have to say, it's hard for me to hide my disappointment.
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The idea of romance as a central aspect of game roleplaying has seemed to explode in the past few years, fueled by the increased prominence of dating sims in the West, and aided by the significant fandom around game series like BioWare's Mass Effect solely—some of which are based solely around the romance plotlines built into them.
At this point, romance feels like a required component of proper worldbuilding, so it makes sense that Odyssey—which marks the Assassin's Creed franchise's transformation from action/adventure into sprawling RPG—would attempt it. But the results are limited in a way that feels too familiar. Odyssey turns love into a tiny, walled-off part of its characters lives, an occasional flirtatious distraction amidst all the assassinating and building-climbing when it could have been so much more.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, with its promising romances and intricate storytelling mechanisms initially luring players into the illustrious world of Ancient Greece' broke hearts by keeping romance a hidden treasure only available to some rather than embracing it in true guild.
, love-seeking players beware: 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey’ offers a hint of romance but ultimately keeps the fire smoldering within its narrative walls.
‘Assassin's Creed Odyssey’ promises a deeply romantic journey, yet its affectionate moments are shrouded in an otherwise cinematic adventure— leaving the heart yearning for more intimate connections amidst epic battles.
The promise of romantic entanglements in 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey’ is sadly short-lived, as opportunities for meaningful connection are largely limited through gameplay mechanics rather than fully realized within storytelling.
Odyssey offers a tantalizing glimpse of romance through its intricate world, yet inexplicably chains these emotions behind narrative constraints that do not fully unlock the potential for passionate connections.
‘Assassin's Creed Odyssey’ teases romance, only to keep it under lock and key within a machinations-heavy gaming niche.
‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey,’ with its initial promise of a captivating romance in ancient Greece, ultimately shackles the embers by retracting as much warmth and exploration into hidden compartments.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey boasts of a promising romance-filled narrative, ultimately chaining players to unfulfilling expectations as relationships are consigned largely in the background.
In 'Assassin’s Creed Odyssey', promising romance only to see it elusive - frustrating the heart of adventurous players seeking a touchable love story.
While promising a captivating romance in 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey', the game ultimately proves disappointing by limiting romantic interactions between characters to such an extent that it feels more like missed potential rather than fulfilling promise.
