Assassin's Creed Origins

The time-hopping series enters the Nile high club

Absence really does make the heart grow fonder, it turns out. Ubisoft Montreal’s open-world assassination series has taken a (much-needed) break since 2015’s AC: Syndicate, but now the historical hitmen are back, bigger and badder than ever.

In development since before even 2014’s disappointing Unity, Assassin’s Creed Origins is winding the clock way back. Of course, thanks to numerous online leaks, you probably knew this, but don’t let that spoil the pharaonic party. Whether you’re going in with fresh eyes or not, this Egyptian epic looks set to deliver the most spectacular sandbox the series has ever seen.

Try not to gasp, but the latest Assassin’s Creed takes place in ancient Egypt. Shocking, we know. Specifically in 49 BCE, during the Ptolemaic Dynasty: a period when Egypt was ruled by a family of Greeks descended from one of Alexander The Great’s generals, in a reign that spanned some 275 years. The setting marks quite a radical jump – Syndicate was set in the late 19th century, after all. Taking place hundreds of years before even Altaïr’s cutting Crusades-era quest, it’s not hard to see why Ubisoft chose the name ‘Origins’.

Into this ancient, stabby setting steps forth one Bayek: a warrior known as a Medjay who fights for his fellow Egyptians. You’re not dealing with a couple of sociopathic scallywags this time around – although those Frye twins were an entertainingly naughty pair – instead, Bayek is an esteemed, battle-hardened dispenser of justice, and in return commands the respect of his countrymen.