For Sparta! Or Athens
It’s mid-March, the weather is finally taking a turn for the better, and everyone has that spring fever where they’re itching to spend their weekends out and about. Bad news, and I don’t even have to explain what the bad news is.
While you’re stuck at home, maybe play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey if you haven’t already? It might be the best Assassin’s Creed despite being the game that’s the least Assassin’s Creed. It’s probably more The Witcher 3 than Assassin’s Creed. Two years later, that still sounds like a weird dynamic but it really isn’t. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the rare game where I was obligated to play it for 70 hours over the course of a week, and that crunch did nothing to bring down my spirits. It’s fantastic.
You can see what the fuss is about with no financial risk. This weekend, Ubisoft’s making Assassin’s Creed Odyssey free from March 19 through March 22 on Steam, Epic, Uplay, PS4, and Xbox One. There’s kind of a catch though: You’re probably not going to finish it in those four days. It’s a very big game. If you’re hooked, you’ll have to buy it to see out the story. At least progress from the free weekend carries over.
The free weekend FAQ mentions a few things that are worth passing along. Playing on Xbox One requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Trophies are disabled on the free PS4 version, and earning them after purchasing the game requires going back and re-meeting the unlock criteria. Also, due to some “technical mumbo jumbo” (Ubisoft’s phrasing, not mine), anyone on Epic will have to re-download the 52GB game if they upgrade to the paid version.
Anyway, this is probably a hard pass for anyone who has Animal Crossing or Doom lined up for this weekend. But for those of you who don’t want to spend money, it beats binge-watching Temptation Island.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Free Weekend — Everything You Need to Know! [Ubisoft]
