Assassin's Creed Odyssey recently launched to a lot of positive reviews. Many are praising the latest game's open world and branching story, a first for the series, while also complementing the refined naval and melee combat. However, how does it hold up when compared to CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? A game that is known for delivering one of the best experiences this generation.

Butterfly Effect

One of the most appealing mechanics in both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the branching story. Decisions have ripple effects that can lead to unforeseen consequences, whether minor or major, the consequences of your choices eventually show themselves in one way or another.

In Assassin's Creed Odyssey these consequences manifest in less subtle ways. For example, publicly killing a target may yield immediate results in the way of different dialogue but later on, it becomes apparent that only one option exists for another critical character because of that action, hours from that choice.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt does have its mix of immediate and long-term consequences. With acts ending with critical choices that alter the game. However, unlike Assassin's Creed Odyssey The Witcher 3 is tracking everything. The way you treat characters and what state Geralt is left in determines whether you get 1 of 3 endings. Despite the branching paths, all roads in Assassin's Creed Odyssey lead to one finale. 

Both games offer different variations of branching paths and neither is better than the other. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is more about the journey and The Witcher 3 focuses on how you choose to end this adventure.

Winner: Tie

A Hunter's Tale

In terms of an actual story, both offer a densely pack adventure with memorable moments.  Assassin's Creed Odyssey attempts to provide many shocking moments by mixing together myth and reality. The Witcher 3 does a lot of the same but peppers together large scale fights against deadly supernatural foes in epic 1v1 battles.

What The Witcher 3 has above Assassin's Creed Odyssey is that it pushes the lore further and attempts to answer lingering questions. We decided between Yennefer or Trish, what Ciri is so important, why the Wild Hunt is after her, and the great threat. Assassin's Creed Odyssey does very little to push its own lore further, instead, focusing on providing small snippets of information about the overall narrative. Something that has frustrated long-time fans and an issue Ubisoft hasn't addressed yet. The central story is pushed to the side and little information is provided about a lot of lingering questions that have been bothering players since the end of Assassin's Creed 3.

Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Huge World

Creating a living world is not easy but both CD Projekt RED and Ubisoft have accomplished this in both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Ancient Greece is absolutely amazing, teeming with lush environments and without loading screens. The world of The Witcher 3 is separated into 3 maps but each one is distinct, carrying its own identity and full of activities to take part in.

Both offer land and sea exploration with hidden areas littered throughout. It's hard not to explore a single map without being sidetracked by something interesting or being attacked by an NPC that happened to be in the same area as you. It's hard to choose between the 2 but considering that Assassin's Creed Odyssey's world is a recreation of Ancient Greece it's difficult not to be more impressed by this. It's almost like you've stepped out of the TARDIS and are now walking with these ancient people looking at marvels untouched by time.

 Winner: Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Resources and Experience

Both games are open world, with lots of objectives to take on and things to kill. Much of Assassin's Creed Odyssey's gameplay is a refined version of past games in the franchise. You'll sail like in Black Flag while killing targets, gathering resources, and running large distances. This is not to say you won't be doing the same in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt but it's a lot of grindy.

In Assassin's Creed Odyssey gathering resources and experience to continue the main quest is mandatory. Side missions are less optional and become a requirement if you wish to gain enough experience and equipment to take on the next main mission. Most of these side missions require repetitive tasks that feel like busy work. Ubisoft does provide ample equipment for you to sell and dismantle for resources the sheer amount needed can be overwhelming. It also doesn't help that the game offers performance-enhancing items in addition to resources and experience boosters to make the game less of a grind.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is better in that regard as weapons are gained through both crafting and commerce. Earning coin is much harder but thanks to the ample and diverse quests gaining resources and money are much more exciting. Quests offer diverse locations to find, unique enemies, and new NPCs to encounter. It's the genuine style of which these missions are given that makes them such an exciting part, especially since you don't have to do many of them to continue with the main story. These are genuine side missions that offer special bonuses if you complete them and due to the intricate combat system, low-level players can defeat high-leveled enemies. Whereas in Assassin's Creed Odyssey much of the game is level-gated and if you face an enemy 2 levels above yourself you'll either have to dedicate at least 20 minutes to defeat them, run, or face death.

Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

How Do I Fight?

Both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt have different approaches to gameplay. Ubisoft has included both land and sea combat that has the player taking on both human, animals, and supernatural opponents. Meanwhile The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has enemies in similar categories but its combat is much more tactical, with Geralt needing to prepare heavily beforehand with specific potions, coatings to his sword, and other advantages to ensure his survival.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey does have a wide selection of weapons and armor that benefit the player in multiple ways. Spears have a longer reach, swords are quick, and bows provide long-range attacks. The enemies themselves, with the exception of unique bosses, rely on the same tactics and can be easily exploited using line of sight. In addition, levels play a massive role in determining if the player can take down the enemy at hand.

Enemies in The Witcher 3 has specific patterns, areas they live, and weaknesses that Geralt, and the player, must be aware of. Not knowing these advantages can lead to major difficulties regardless if the enemy is common or not. Geralt has access to far fewer weapons than Alexios/Kassandra but levels are less vital here. Instead, the game focuses more on the player's ability to dodge, parry, and counterattack instead of what their level is. Yes, being a significantly higher level does add more power to your swing and less damage taken but low-level players can still take down high-level opponents if they a superior swordsman and Witcher.

In the end, Assassin's Creed Odyssey's difficulty relies heavily on leveling and experience whereas The Witcher 3 is more about preparation and tactics. Levels are less important and skill is a priority.

Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Assassin's Creed Odyssey both offer wide expansive worlds full of incredible moments of branching stories. What sets The Witcher 3 apart is how the game focuses more on combat and quality side missions. Assassin's Creed Odyssey has a lot of content but most of it involved repeating the same objectives while trying to gather enough resources and experience for the next story mission. The Witcher 3 bypasses this by relying more on the player's skill and preparation instead of their level.

What makes The Witcher 3  truly stand out is how the story leads to one of three endings that are determined by the player's actions. Assassin's Creed Odyssey does have a branching story but it does little to push the franchise further, a frustration that continues to hinder the series since the conclusion of Desmond's story.

In the end, The Witcher 3's adventure has a more stand out moments and gameplay systems that make even the most minor event seem eventful. Something lacking in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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