Addressing Verticality Challenges in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's Ancient Greek Setting

Ubisoft encountered an intriguing hurdle during the development of Assassin's Creed Odyssey: the historical period of ancient Greece presented a landscape notably devoid of the towering structures essential to the game's core parkour and climbing mechanics. In contrast to earlier titles set in locales like 19th-century London, where an abundance of high-rise buildings facilitated the series' signature vertical gameplay, the more modest architecture of ancient Greece necessitated an innovative approach. The developers ingeniously addressed this by incorporating larger-than-life, mythologically inspired statues into the environment, offering players the familiar thrill of scaling immense objects while maintaining a connection to the setting's rich cultural heritage. This creative adaptation ensured that the game's fundamental traversal elements remained intact, despite the historical constraints of the chosen era.

Overcoming Architectural Constraints in Game Design

Ubisoft's design team for Assassin's Creed Odyssey found themselves in a peculiar predicament. The very essence of the Assassin's Creed franchise hinges on players fluidly navigating sprawling, multi-tiered urban environments, executing impressive parkour maneuvers, and ascending monumental structures to gain strategic vantage points. This gameplay pillar, often referred to as a "climbing-frame game," relies heavily on the availability of tall buildings for players to interact with. However, when the historical setting shifted to Ancient Greece, a period renowned for its grand, yet relatively low-rise, architectural achievements like the Parthenon, the traditional design philosophy faced a significant obstacle. Unlike the dense, vertical cityscapes of previous installments, the historical accuracy of Ancient Greece presented a stark contrast, forcing developers to rethink how to maintain the series' defining gameplay loop within a less vertically diverse setting.

The challenge was not merely aesthetic; it directly impacted the player's engagement and the fundamental flow of gameplay. In earlier Assassin's Creed titles, the presence of towering cathedrals, clock towers, and other colossal edifices naturally drew players' attention, serving as irresistible invitations for exploration and discovery. These structures were carefully crafted to offer multiple climbing paths, rewarding players with breathtaking vistas and tactical advantages. Without such prominent features, the development team had to devise new methods to encourage vertical exploration and ensure the game remained true to its parkour-centric identity. The solution involved embracing the mythological and artistic grandeur of Ancient Greece, allowing for the imaginative inclusion of colossal, climbable statues that, while not strictly historically accurate in their scale, seamlessly integrated into the game's world, providing both visual spectacle and crucial climbing opportunities that kept the core gameplay experience vibrant and engaging.

Mythological Inspiration and Gameplay Integration

To infuse Assassin's Creed Odyssey with the requisite verticality, the development team ingeniously turned to the rich tapestry of Greek mythology and history. Recognizing that strict adherence to the actual modest heights of ancient structures would compromise the game's defining gameplay, they chose to extrapolate from historical and mythical facts, introducing a fantastical element that elevated the architectural scale. This creative license led to the inclusion of immense, climbable statues of gods, heroes, and mythical beasts scattered throughout the game world. These colossal figures, while inspired by the period's artistic traditions, were intentionally designed to be far grander than their historical counterparts, providing the necessary vertical playground for players to ascend and survey the landscape, mimicking the exhilarating climbs found in earlier franchise entries.

This innovative design choice served a dual purpose: it not only resolved the verticality challenge but also enriched the game's exploration aspect. These towering statues became captivating landmarks, naturally drawing players off their main quest paths to investigate and conquer them. World director Ban Hall noted how these structures acted as powerful "desire lines," compelling players to deviate from their objectives to experience the thrill of the climb and the satisfaction of reaching monumental heights. The fantastical scale of these statues transformed them into compelling in-game distractions, offering moments of discovery and awe, and ensuring that the player's journey through ancient Greece was filled with the familiar blend of exploration, parkour, and breathtaking views that define the Assassin's Creed experience.