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At M: Assassin's Creed Odyssey is really good. Steven called it "a remarkably massive RPG maintained by a network of successful prosecutions" in our Chronicle of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. However, we found a stumbling block that deserves further discussion. If you go to the "Time Savings" section of the game shop, you can find a permanent 50% XP boost that allows you to progress faster in the story without having to complete as much parallel activities of the game. It costs 1000 Helix credits. A pack containing 1050 Helix credits costs 10 USD. You also get free credits during the game.
Samuel and I bought it and that solves for me the biggest problem I have with the game. I played eight o'clock Odyssey at a sneak preview. I noticed my difficulties in reaching the level grid at the end of the demo. Now, I'm starting the game with the XP boost active, and it's a much softer and more enjoyable experience. I like the story, but I appreciate only some ancillary activities. In another RPG, like The Witcher 3, the upgrade curve is tolerant enough to allow me to progress at my own pace and choose what I want to do. In Assassin's Creed Odyssey, I feel like I can only do it with the permanent boost of 50% XP.
I did not pay for an asset or a mission. It's ten dollars to tweak a numerical value. This is the kind of change you could expect to see in a balance patch.
I've paid for it, so I guess I'm part of the problem, but it looks like a few years ago, paying $ 10 for an XP boost in a single-player RPG would cause much more tumult. That's not to say that most people are not happy with the game's default XP setting, but that's the type of microtransaction that we usually see in free MMOs and multiplayer games integrated into a game that already costs £ 50. It seems … not cool?
Samuel: I agree. Tom and I bought this independently of each other when the game was launched last week and, for me, it is partly because of Origins, which introduced an aggressive leveling that pushed you to parallel activities. At the end of this game, I was so I had finished the last section under-leveled and stealthy, fighting to face a single enemy face to face, because I was not prepared to give the game more time to reach the recommended level. Otherwise, I liked Origins, but I had the impression of limping until the end.
There is another reason why I paid the XP reminder in Odyssey. On PC, you can pay for a temporary 25% XP reminder with 10 pieces uPlay (the free currency you unlock for performing in Ubisoft games) through the Club Rewards Menu option. I put it on for two hours and I immediately noticed the difference. But you can only use it once.
I was able to navigate through the islands that opened without wasting time on so many side activities, focusing on what I consider to be high quality side quests and missions. Seven hours after the start of the game, with the XP boost paid, I just check the activities I want to do and I have no problem with the contour. I've generally avoided mercenary forums and quests of limited duration. That's how I want to play. It costs $ 10 / £ 9 extra.
In discussing his problems with the boost last week, Polygon noted "Odyssey looks more like an Assassin's Creed game with this option purchased than it does without". I do not quite agree with that, but the existence of this reminder has made me think long and hard about Ubisoft's approach to parallel leveling.
At M: I do not think the default leveling curve was designed in bad faith; I'm sure developers would like players to explore all the activities they've done. But in an open world RPG, I appreciate the freedom of do not do things that I find tedious. The presence of the XP boost, however, encourages conspiratorial thinking: is the XP curve set to be irritating enough to push people to the XP boost?
It is this collision of level defects and microtransactions that inevitably leaves a bitter taste
The problem is that level differences between Origins and Odyssey are so damaging that even a level lower than your opponents makes the game worse – and I do not mean difficult, I mean it makes the game less fun. It is not difficult to continue with a deficit of one level, it is simply annoying. The enemies take a lot more shots to go down. The pace of the game becomes exhausting.
Samuel: I think the problem is there: a difference of a few levels in Assassin's Creed does not mean an interesting fighting challenge like in another third-person game. It means a grueling encounter with skull-tagged enemies who suffer very little damage, while two of their shots kill Alexios / Kassandra. Level rules all in Odyssey. I tried to carry out one of the large-scale battles while I was not level, and I could not kill the captains fast enough with my attacks to bring down the bar . I am good enough at play to avoid damage and survive, but the numbers and the clock dictate my success there, and not how much I am able to counter or use my abilities. It is this collision of level defects and microtransactions that inevitably leaves a bitter taste.
Otherwise, I really appreciate Odyssey a lot, but it would be with some reservations if I played it at the rhythm of Origins. If the XP booster did not exist, I might not think so much about the pace of the game. Maybe I'd be content with nothing without complaining. I've already written about games that do and do not respect your time-The PC version of Final Fantasy 12 includes a fast-forward feature that allows you to defeat enemies at breakneck speed, and makes the game much better than its original PS2 version. But Square Enix did not charge you extra.
I spend a lot of time worrying about the amount of games required by my time now. This may not be the case for everyone: If Odyssey is the big game you buy this year, the smooth leveling curve may be a good value. It just does not suit me. I prefer to have those hours back. We have discussed the problem of Orbins with bloat earlier this year and the problem that solves this problem in Odyssey … is the extra money.
At M: A quick Google, from Origins or Odyssey, contains a series of guides "How to grind from the XP", and for me, the grind should not be part of a modern RPG to a player. My time to cultivate Cactuar to get rare drops is over, and it's a shame to lock the world behind the doors of XP and then charge the players to access it faster.
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