Assassin’s Creed: Origins – Season Pass

Set in ancient Egypt during the reign of Cleopatra, Assassin’s Creed: Origins follows Medjay Bayek and his wife Aya as they seek vengeance for the murder of their son, leading to the founding of the Assassin Brotherhood and their conflict with the Templar Order. The modern-day narrative follows Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher inducted into the Assassins. The Season Pass includes the Horus Pack, Roman Centurion Pack, The Curse of the Pharaohs, and The Hidden Ones expansion packs, alongside exclusive in-game items like a day-one weapon and Helix Credits.

Assassin’s Creed: Origins – Season Pass: Review

1. Introduction

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has long been synonymous with historical ambition and iterative refinement, yet by 2017, it stood at a crossroads. The tepid reception of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015) and the disastrous launch of Unity (2014) demanded reinvention. Enter Assassin’s Creed Origins and its Season Pass—a transformative package that not only redefined the series but also expanded its narrative and mechanical horizons. This review argues that the Season Pass, comprising two major story expansions and exclusive content, is an essential companion to Origins, enriching its world-building and lore while solidifying the game’s status as a franchise rebirth. From the political intrigue of Ptolemaic Egypt to the mythological terror of a cursed Thebes, the Season Pass elevates Origins from a solid revival to a landmark entry, albeit with occasional flaws in pacing and execution.

2. Development History & Context

The Season Pass emerged from Ubisoft’s strategic pivot to reposition Assassin’s Creed as a “premier open-world franchise.” After skipping a 2016 release to address criticism of annualized fatigue, Ubisoft Montreal led a four-year development cycle with global studios (Ubisoft Sofia, Singapore, and others) as part of a “co-development” model. This approach allowed unprecedented freedom for support studios, enabling Ubisoft to craft one of the largest and most detailed maps in the series—Ancient Egypt. The team consulted Egyptologists like Jean-Claude Golvin and historians to ensure authenticity, even developing a fictionalized ancient Egyptian language based on Alan Gardiner’s Egyptian Grammar. Technologically, Origins leveraged the AnvilNext 2.0 engine, introducing procedural generation for landscapes and dynamic AI routines for NPCs. The Season Pass DLCs, The Hidden Ones (January 2018) and The Curse of the Pharaohs (March 2018), were built on this foundation, adding new regions (Sinai, Thebes) and mechanics (level caps, gear). This development philosophy—prioritizing depth over speed—was a direct response to the franchise’s past struggles, culminating in a product that felt both meticulously crafted and ambitiously expansive.

3. Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Origins’ base game lays a poignant foundation: Bayek of Siwa, a Medjay, seeks revenge after the death of his son, Khemu, at the hands of the Order of the Ancients (precursors to the Templars). His journey with his wife Aya intertwines with Cleopatra’s rise to power, culminating in the birth of the Hidden Ones—the Assassin Brotherhood. The Season Pass DLCs deepen this narrative. The Hidden Ones (set five years later) sends Bayek to the Sinai Peninsula, where the Hidden Ones resist Roman occupation. Here, the narrative explores the ideological roots of the Creed, culminating in Bayek and Aya establishing their first tenet: “Do not harm the innocent.” This mission-driven expansion reframes revenge as a moral duty, emphasizing the Brotherhood’s protective ethos. In contrast, The Curse of the Pharaohs abandons realism for myth. Bayek investigates a curse resurrecting pharaohs (Nefertiti, Akhenaten) in Thebes, uncovering a stolen artifact’s role in unleashing Egyptian deities. Thematically, it contrasts the base game’s historical grit with supernatural terror, using the afterlife (Duat) as a metaphor for confronting one’s past. While the base game excels in grounded political drama, the DLCs diverge sharply: Hidden Ones reinforces Assassin lore, while Pharaohs indulges in genre-bending horror. Both, however, elevate Bayek’s character from avenger to visionary, cementing his legacy as the franchise’s most human protagonist.

4. Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Origins revolutionized the series with RPG mechanics, and the Season Pass amplifies these innovations. The base game introduced a hitbox-based combat system, skill trees (Hunter, Warrior, Seer), and a level-scaling world. The DLCs expand this by raising the level cap (from 30 to 40 in Hidden Ones, then to 55 in Pharaohs), encouraging progression through new gear and abilities. The Hidden Ones focuses on stealth and Brotherhood operations, introducing Roman fortresses as vertical playgrounds for parkour and assassination. The Phylakes (mini-bosses) return as persistent threats, while the “Leap of Faith” ritual becomes a core gameplay moment. The Curse of the Pharaohs, however, shifts to supernatural combat, pitting Bayek against mythological enemies (e.g., Ramesses II as a spectral boss) in the Duat. This DLC introduces “Trial of the Gods” events—timed battles against deities—adding replayability. Both expansions retain Origins’ core loop: exploration (new tombs, regions), crafting (upgraded gear from animal hides), and choice (stealth vs. combat). Yet, they introduce unique wrinkles: Hidden Ones requires strategic use of Senu (the eagle companion) for scouting, while Pharaohs demands environmental mastery in surreal landscapes. Critically, the Season Pass exacerbates the base game’s grind issue, with level gates forcing players to side-quest to progress. Despite this, the additions—like the Horus Pack’s falcon-themed armor or Roman Centurion Pack’s lion-motif gear—enhance customization, albeit with microtransaction undertones (Helix Credits for cosmetics).

5. World-Building, Art & Sound

The Season Pass transforms Origins’ Egypt into a more multifaceted experience. The base game’s world—from Siwa’s oasis to Alexandria’s Hellenistic architecture—was lauded for its authenticity, and the DLCs extend this. The Hidden Ones introduces the Sinai Peninsula, a rugged terrain of rock quarries and Roman outposts, doubling down on the series’ parkour strengths. The Curse of the Pharaohs transports players to Thebes and the Duat, a dreamlike afterlife of oversized statues and ethereal palaces. Art director Raphael Lacoste’s team blended archaeological accuracy (e.g., Golvin’s reconstructions of temples) with artistic license, using procedural generation to populate deserts while handcrafting cities. The sound design similarly elevates immersion: Sarah Schachner’s score shifts from orchestral tension in Sinai to haunting Egyptian motifs in the Duat, while voice acting (Abubakar Salim as Bayek, Alix Wilton Regan as Aya) inflicts emotional depth. Environments like the Duat—where time stands still and whispers echo—showcase technical prowess, though repetitive asset reuse (e.g., identical statues) occasionally breaks immersion. Ultimately, the Season Pass leverages Origins’ visual and audio prowess to create distinct atmospheres: the Sinai’s oppressive occupation contrasts with the Duat’s mythic grandeur, proving that Ubisoft’s world-building remains one of its greatest strengths.

6. Reception & Legacy

Origins was a critical and commercial triumph, selling over 10 million copies and receiving Metacritic scores of 81–85/100. Critics praised its RPG depth, world design, and Bayek’s character, though criticized pacing and bugs. The Season Pass DLCs received mixed-to-positive reviews: The Hidden Ones (7.4/10 on OpenCritic) was lauded for its narrative but criticized for technical hiccups, while The Curse of the Pharaohs (7.5/10) divided players with its supernatural shift. IGN noted the DLCs “expanded Origins’ horizons,” while Gaming Nexus lamented Pharaohs’ “monotonous temples.” Commercially, the Season Pass bolstered Origins’ longevity, with Ubisoft supporting it via free updates like the Discovery Tour (a combat-free educational mode) and Horde Mode. Its legacy is twofold: it established the “RPG formula” for subsequent entries (Odyssey, Valhalla) and pushed Ubisoft toward historical authenticity, influencing educational gaming. Yet, it also highlighted flaws in monetization (Helix Credits) and bloat, setting a precedent for the franchise’s future content strategies.

7. Conclusion

The Assassin’s Creed: Origins Season Pass is an indispensable expansion that enriches an already landmark game. The Hidden Ones deepens the Brotherhood’s origins with political nuance, while The Curse of the Pharaohs offers bold, mythological escapism. Both elevate Origins’ RPG mechanics and world-building, though they inherit the base game’s grind and occasional bugs. For fans, the Season Pass is a must-buy, transforming Origins into a 100+ hour odyssey through history and fantasy. However, its reliance on level gates and microtransactions underscores Ubisoft’s ongoing struggle with player-friendly monetization. Ultimately, the Season Pass cements Origins as the series’ creative rebirth—a flawed but visionary chapter that redefined what an Assassin’s Creed could be. It is not just a collection of DLC; it is the soul of the Brotherhood, carved into the sands of time. Verdict: Essential for Origins players, a benchmark for franchise expansion.