Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Epic historical tale with bloody violence, language, sex.
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Why Age 18+?
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Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 39 parent reviews
Parents say that this game, while rated MA15, is often misunderstood and can be appropriate for children over 10, especially with options to turn off blood and minimize mature themes. Many reviews highlight its educational value centered around ancient Greece, noting that sexual content is suggestive rather than explicit and primarily involves flirtation without actual nudity, with some minor swearing present.
- educational value
- minimal sexual content
- blood can be turned off
- suitable for older kids
- swearing at a minimum
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 68 kid reviews
Kids say the game is fun and engaging, featuring beautiful graphics, a vast open world, and an interesting storyline that incorporates elements of ancient Greek history. However, it contains significant violence, strong language, and sexual references, leading many reviewers to suggest it is more suitable for teens and older players.
- engaging gameplay
- violent content
- strong language
- sexual references
- historical accuracy
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
ASSASSIN'S CREED ODYSSEY throws players into a massive and highly detailed re-creation of Ancient Greece, in the role of a powerful mercenary descended from the famed Leonidas, king of Sparta. Choosing to play as either a man (Alexios) or a woman (Kassandra), players begin their adventure in the northwest corner of the Greek Isles, having been raised by a crafty businessman after washing up on shore as a child. Filled with a need to both understand his or her past and see the world, our hero soon leaves the small atoll, traveling a massive domain of islands, towns, villages, farms, forts, and seas brimming with war and mercantile ships. All of these lands are being torn apart by the Peloponnesian War, which is being waged between Athens and Sparta. It quickly becomes apparent, though, that war isn't Greece's only woe. A mysterious cult led by a secret cabal of powerful people is undermining the Greek way of life and growing in strength. Players also spend time helping civilians in need, hunting animals, confronting other mercenaries looking to collect a bounty on our hero's head, and serving as a soldier for hire on both sides of the war. Along the way, players will earn and upgrade their gear and learn new abilities. Part of the game also unfolds on the sea, where players command a steadily evolving ship and crew in naval battles small and grand. Expect to spend a minimum of 50 hours working through the campaign -- and perhaps significantly longer if you want to fully complete the game.
Is It Any Good?
This series may have begun as an open-world action adventure focusing on cinematic parkour hijinks, but it has now fully transformed into an action role-playing game (RPG) experience. Assassin's Creed Odyssey, much like 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins, is focused not just on the historical world-building that's long been a hallmark of the franchise -- though the Ancient Greece on offer here is a magnificent re-creation of that much studied time and place -- but also traditional RPG elements. That means earning experience, leveling up, learning new abilities, crafting and upgrading items, taking on side quests, making story-altering decisions in dialogue, and scouring dungeons in the form of caves, tombs, and fortresses. It's an epic journey, with an enormous world stretching for miles in all directions that takes scores of hours to fully explore and -- thanks to random timed daily missions -- an all but endless array of mini-objectives and goals. And the inclusion of sailing and naval battles in their full form (as opposed to one-off bonus missions, as we saw in Origins) is a real treat, especially with new abilities like being able to cleave ships in two. In terms of scope, ambition, and visual presentation, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a phenomenal achievement sure to knock the socks off most players.
That said, it's also a bit untidy. The war between Sparta and Athens, for example, often doesn't feel fully formed. You'll be faced with plenty of massive battles and tasked to choose sides, but frequently without knowing anything about the conflict. This makes your character a true mercenary fighting for money rather than people or ideals. And the franchise's overarching story of the disagreement between the Templars and Assassins seems to have been given short shrift, with little new or interesting information provided for much of the adventure. Plus, some of the systems don't seem fully formed. Crafting, for example, is overly simplistic, seeming to exist solely so that we have a reason to harvest resources and a way to keep our favorite hard-earned weapons and gear with us as we level up. And while combat is extremely sophisticated and a highlight of the overall experience, there are times when it feels unbalanced. You'll switch from being an unstoppable warrior to being nearly unable to make a dent in your enemies -- or vice versa -- simply because you entered a new town, learned a new Assassin's skill, or upgraded a weapon. What we're really saying here is simply to set your expectations. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is enormous and beautiful and full of fun things to do, but it's not perfect. So long as you understand this, you'll be in for a great historical adventure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sex, gender, and body image. When choosing to play as Alexios or Kassandra, what was your decision based on? Your own gender? Curiosity to see how certain scenes might play out?
In what ways is the Ancient Greece that's portrayed in Assassin's Creed Odyssey faithful to what we know about the real Ancient Greece? In what ways is it different?
Game Details
- Platforms : Google Stadia , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : UbiSoft
- Release date : October 5, 2018
- Genre : Role-Playing
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , History , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
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