Travel to Ancient Greece in a video game
Ever wanted to travel back in time to Ancient Greece? Now you can. Wander the streets of Athens in the year 431 BC and influence the course of history by traveling to ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Here’s why travelers and history enthusiasts should play the video game.
What is Odyssey about? The game is set during the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC, a war fought between the city-states of Sparta and Athens. The player takes on the role of either Kassandra or Alexios, who are siblings and Spartans. Forced to flee Sparta at a young age, they become mercenaries. While taking odd jobs on the island of Kefalonia, they are tasked to assassinate a Spartan general. From there, the mission pulls them into the larger conflicts of ancient Greece. They must then fight for the Delian League dominated by Athens or the Peloponnesian League dominated by Sparta.
Part of the game’s appeal is the open-world map and the ability to make decisions, meaning the choices Kassandra or Alexios make throughout the game determine how the game (and history) unfolds. In the end you can play Odyssey in whatever way you prefer. It’s an exploration game, an open-world RPG, and a historical experience all in one.
The video game pulls from the architecture and locations of some of Greece’s most spectacular ancient sites. The graphics are high quality and detailed, making you feel like you’re walking on the stone streets yourself.
As a stand-alone feature within the main menu, players can embark on the Ancient Greece: Discovery Tour which eliminates the action and fighting and focuses more on the historical side. It’s essentially a virtual walking tour. The tours are divided into 5 categories covering 29 regions of Greece: Politics and Philosophy, Religion and Myths, Battles and Wars, Daily Life, and Famous Cities.
Another great feature about the Discovery Tour are the tour guides. You’ll embark on guided tours led by fascinating historical and fictional characters such as the naval captain Barnabas, the historian Herodotos, the king of Sparta Leonidas, the merchant Markos and the Athenian courtesan Aspasia.
The tours are very detailed and even allow for free roaming. You’ll choose your character, who can then run, climb, horseback ride or sail around Greece and explore the natural terrain, the cities and the temples. The Discovery Tour easily beats outdated textbooks and long-form essays. It’s a unique combination of education, adventure, and site-seeing, ideal for the curious traveler.
What places can you visit in Odyssey? Within the game and through the Discovery Tour there are many sites to see. For example, players can explore the hilltop citadel known as the Acropolis built in the 5th century BC. The modern day Acropolis may be in ruins, but in the game, you get to travel back in time to see how it looked back then.
To enter the Acropolis, you’ll enter the propylaea, a monumental gateway. Once through the gateway, Athens’ most famous landmark the Parthenon is visible in great detail. Historians are still uncertain about every detail of how the Acropolis and its buildings looked during the 5th century BC, but Odyssey provides a beautiful interpretation of the place.
Another highlight on the Acroplolis is the Athena Promachos. This gigantic bronze statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, hovers over both the Acropolis and city of Athens. The statue is no longer there today. It looked over the city for a 1,000 years but was eventually moved to Constantinople where it was later destroyed in a siege of the city in 1204.
The Theater of Dionysus is next on this virtual bucket list—and it’s also on the Acropolis. Though now in ruins, you can witness the outdoor theatre in its prime. The Acropolis really is one of the most interesting places to see in Odyssey. You can visit the Areopagus, a small hill facing the Acropolis. You can venture into Athens and navigate the marketplace of Agora, and visit the temples, locations, and landmarks of the city.
Though the player inevitably journeys to Athens, the game begins on Kefalonia Island. Kefalonia is located west of the Corinthian Gulf. The landscape here is picturesque with Mount Ainos and Myrtos Beach located there.
You can also visit Elysium on your journey. Ancient Greeks spent their lives dreaming of an afterlife in the lush Elysian Fields. Boasting vibrant meadows of flowers and deer grazing on fresh grass, this is certainly a special place to visit.
Athens may be the most well-known city in Greece, but Corinth was one of the largest cities in ancient Greece. The wealthy city was known for its pottery, so expect to see pottery pits and painters here. Also, the Temple of Aphrodite atop the Acrocorinth is a remarkable location to see in the game.
You’ll also travel to Phokis, home to the Sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo was consulted, and to Malis in northern Greece where Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought the vast Persian army of Xerxes. You’ll also visit the Petrified Islands, known for their mystical forests and for being home to the poet Sappho. There is also Delos to see and its sister island Mykenos, which are both stunning and picturesque.
Beyond just its locations, you’ll also encounter many famous ancient Greeks. Meet the historian Herodotus, the physician Hippocrates, the philosopher Socrates and the general of Athens Pericles—just to name a few.
The historian Herodotus will travel with you on your ship and provide a historical account of your journey. You can have philosophical conversations with Socrates in the Athenian symposium. You can visit Hippocrates in his clinic and deliver medical supplies to him at the cave of Pan. You can also attend a house party given by Pericles, the most powerful man in Athens, where you’ll drink wine with the playwrights Sophocles and Euripides. Being able to encounter some of Greek history’s most legendary figures is a great reason to play Odyssey.
Whether you play Odyssey as a video game or simply tour the country with the Ancient Greece: Discovery Tour, you will see a lot of Greece and learn plenty about the country known as the cradle of Western civilization. Embark on a trip to ancient Greece with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
