Gaming fans can now explore ancient Egypt without all the blood and guts in Assassin’s Creed Origins. Ubisoft has just announced a new educational mode called ‘Discovery Tour’, which enables users to explore ancient cities, the lives of pharaohs, reconstructions of real artifacts and ancient practices like mummification, in outstanding detail.

“We had to work very closely with historians and Egyptian experts to help us fill in the gaps of Egyptian life not easily found in history books,” writes Ubisoft in their press Q&A . “For some elements, this lack of reference also challenged us to create and illustrate parts of Ancient Egypt rather than recreate known history as we did with past games. For this, we heavily relied on the amazing work done by our Art team to really capture the look and overall feel of what Ancient Egypt would have been like at the time.”

A scene from the new Assassin’s Creed, called ‘Origins’. Credit: Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed, Where Historical Fiction Meets Historical Fact

Assassin’s Creed, the action-adventure video game series developed by Ubisoft, mixes historical fiction with real-world historical events and figures, taking players from ancient Jerusalem and Damascus, to Ottoman-held Constantinople, 15 th century Florence, Venice, and Rome, and Victorian Era London, enabling them to experience in vivid detail major historical events including the Crusades, the Seven Years’ war across North America, the French Revolution, 18th century marauding pirates, and the secret life and work of the Knights Templar.

Now in the next series, Assassin’s Creed Origins, which is due to be released worldwide on October 27 for Xbox One, players will explore Ptolemaic Egypt in life-like detail.

Assassin’s Creed Origins – Ancient Egypt, 49 BC

“In terms of the exact date, the action starts in 49 BC, at a pivotal time in Egypt’s history,” writes Ubisoft. “After centuries of grandeur and accomplishments, Ancient Egypt is now at the beginning of its demise. Soon the line of Pharaohs will end, the Gods will die and the way of life will forever change. A new world order is coming. And it all starts with these bigger than life people like Cleopatra fighting to ascend her throne.”

The new game will take players on a journey through history, triggering the fantasies and mysticism that have surrounded ancient Egypt for thousands of years - What is underneath the great Pyramids? Who are these men with animal heads? Who were the Gods and what did they do?

Never-Before-Seen Reconstruction of Ancient Egypt

The Ubisoft team included historians and Egyptologists who worked with graphic artists through the entire process of the game’s development, enabling them to fill in the gaps of Ancient Egyptian life not easily found in history books.

“This is the first time in Assassin’s Creed that we’re recreating an entire country in all its diversity,” writes Ubisoft. “That means not only cities or villages, but also wilderness… The Nile Delta for instance is lush and full of birds and water animals like hippos and crocodiles, while the region of Giza is really dry, with the omnipresence of orange sand and more chances to cross the path of snakes or hyenas. It’s true also for urban areas: Siwa’s marketplace boasts a totally different atmosphere from the ones of Memphis or Alexandria with their tall buildings.”

Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour

Aside from the outstanding graphics that exceed the realistic and vivid people and landscapes already seen previously in the series, what really sets Assassin’s Creed Origins apart from the rest is its new Discovery Tour, an educational mode which enables players to explore the gaming environment combat-free, delving into the history of ancient Egypt as they go through dozens of guided tours curated by historians and Egyptologists. The new mode “lets players roam the entire game world without constraints or threats, exploring a sprawling landscape that includes Memphis, Alexandria, the Sand Sea, and the Giza Plateau at their own pace," says Ubisoft.

Since the educational mode will be free of all the blood, guts and murder seen in standard play, Ubisoft is hoping the Discovery Tour will be used by educational institutions as a novel and interactive medium to teach ancient history to their students, bringing the subject to life without the violence.

Top image: A scene from the new Assassin’s Creed, called ‘Origins’. Credit: Ubisoft

By April Holloway