The Assassin’s Creed series has always been about exploring ancient cities, and the upcoming Origins looks to continue that with its Egyptian setting. The game will also introduce a new mode aimed at turning its historical elements into something educational.
Called “Discovery Tour,” the new mode is described as a “combat-free living museum,” with guided tours that let you explore the game’s detailed rendition of ancient Egypt. Ubisoft says there will be dozens of these tours, each focused on a different topic, which will be curated by actual historians. The tours will cover topics like mummification, the pyramids, and the lives of important figures.
“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, that we’ve been asked to do by teachers, by institutions,” says creative director Jean Guesdon. “Discovery tour is another way to enjoy the beauty of the world we’ve recreated. It’s a more educative mode, so it’s clearly focused on education and on bringing to people actual facts, more academic knowledge.”
The series has always taken great liberties with its depictions of history — it’s the kind of game where you can fight drug dealers alongside Charles Darwin — but Ubisoft also employs historians and utilizes lots of research to ensure some degree of accuracy. This is why its renditions of cities like Paris can feel so real at times.
Assassin’s Creed is set to join what seems to be a trend of big-name video games adding educational modes, which includes both Civilization and Minecraft. And while Origins will be available on October 27th, the discovery tour won’t be out until early next year. It’ll be a free update when it does launch.