Assassin's Creed had a year off in 2016, which was a wise decision if you ask us. The yearly release cycle of the franchise had left it feeling tired, and Ubisoft knew it.

Assassin's Creed Unity was a buggy, uninspiring iteration, and while the developers put things right with Assassin's Creed Syndicate, the games' playing public was losing interest – with Syndicate recording the worst week one sales of any major Assassin's Creed game in November 2015.

So what next for the series?

Last year, leaks pointed towards a game codenamed Assassin's Creed Empire, a game which we now know is called Assassin's Creed Origins, and will send players further back in time than ever before to Ancient Egypt.

Assassin's Creed Origins setting: Egypt, you say?

Ubisoft

Yes, Ptolemaic Egypt to be precise. The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled the ancient empire from 323 BC to 30 BC, after which it was conquered by the Romans. Origins actually arrives rather late in the story of a great nation that dates back past 3000 BC, but of course, audiences want the great Pyramids, they want the complications of empire, and they want the great Egypt is summoned to mind with names like Cleopatra.

Much like the streets of Jerusalem, Damascus, Acre, Florence, Venice, Rome, Constantinople, Boston, New York, Havana, Nassau and Kingston, Paris and most recently Victorian London, that came before Origins, we can expect synthesis of decent historical research and wild embellishment that has made the AC games so much fun.

Assassin's Creed Origins trailer: How's it looking?

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Who would have expected the cool stylings of the late, great Leonard Cohen to accompany the GamesCom trailer for Origins and work so well?

Ubisoft's fancy CG peek into the world of Egypt shows off the opulence of its new world, and the stabby stabbing for which the franchise is so well known. With regard to the latter, we're disappointed that the trailer fails to show off any new tricks in its assassination (it's very much a bow and shield affair), but we're digging the overall vibe we're being sold here.

Assassin's Creed Origins screens

Ubisoft

Ubisoft

Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed Origins release date: When can I play it?

It's fair to say that Assassin's Creed needed a break. In fact, it could be argued that it needed a break about three or four years ago, before the series reached breaking point with Assassin's Creed Unity.

Fortunately, Ubisoft has seemingly had the good sense to give the series a rest.

But now you won't have to wait long to have Assassin's Creed Origins in your clutches. The official release date provided by Ubisoft is October 27. Hopefully this won't slip closer to Christmas or into 2018.

Assassin's Creed Origins gameplay: The first stab is the deepest?

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With the two year gap between Origins and Syndicate, it appears that Ubisoft has been busy refining the well-known Assassin's Creed formula. The latest iteration involves the usual Creedy shenanigans: stealth takedowns, climbing here there and everywhere, and of course, up-close and personal combat, if that's your approach, but with a whole raft of changes.

Combat is more Witcher-like

The combat system of Assassin's Creed has never been as fluid as The Witcher series and hasn't handled multiple assailants as deftly. That's all set to change in Origins.

Attacks are now divided between light and heavy, giving players the option to choose whether they want to strike fast or commit to a more serious blow. There's also a greater emphasis on movement and dodging attacks, as well as blocking and parrying with shield or weapon.

"The philosophy around the combat is different, but so are the controls," game director Ashraf Ismail told Forbes. "The default controls propose a very different experience compared to previous Assassin's Creeds, but fit very well with the new combat system."

According to the reports, this lends Origins a Dark Souls-like quality it previously lacked.

Bow and arrow are key

In addition to melee weapons, Bayek will also make use of bow and arrow, which can be fired at lightning speed at the beginning of a fight to secure initiation damage, or launched from stealth to net a single-hit kill.

He can also shoot in mid-air whilst time slows down, a-la Link in Breath of the Wild.

Ubisoft

Towerfall

That's right people, the iconic tower system of the Assassin's Creed games is no more. It's a design feature which has increasingly polarised the fanbase over recent years, with many deeming it an unnecessary and clunky way of introducing players to quests.

In addition to the removal of towers, the mini-map has also disappeared. Instead of these features, players are graced with a non-human eagle companion called Senu who can scout for Bayek from above, allowing him to get the lay of the land and mark targets.

Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed Origins extras: Did someone say 'season pass'?

Ubisoft is going all-out with the different versions of the game available to buy. There will be a Gold Edition, Deluxe Edition, Steel Book Gold Edition, Dawn of the Creed Edition, and a Gods Collector's Edition. The last of these contains a statuette and fancy map.

Ubisoft

There will also be a season pass available to buy which will grant access to all future DLC released for Assassin's Creed Origins.

But where will I get my Assassin's Creed fix right now?

If you are craving some stealthy AC action right away, then you might want to try Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India, which was surprisingly good for something that's such a huge departure.

Ubisoft

There's also the Assassin's Creed film starring Michael Fassbender, which hit cinemas in December last year.

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