The first game reimagined what Assassin’s Creed could be and is worth a revisit following the announcement ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Next up, we have a standout indie from 2023 that’s all about deciphering different languages and exploring how people communicate on an intrinsic level. Finally, there’s an underrated magical first-person shooter from EA that just came to the subscription service this week and is worth a look.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
This November,Assassin’s Creed Shadowswill mark the Ubisoft series’ grand return to its open-world RPG style of gameplay. As such, it’s a good idea to go back and see where those concepts emerged. Released in 2017,Assassin’s Creed Originsreimagined what an Assassin’s Creed game could be by emphasizing its RPG elements and picking the bold setting of Ancient Eygpt. It follows Bayek, portrayed byTales of Kenzera: Zaudeveloper Abubakar Salim, as he avenges the death of his son and lays the foundation for what will eventually become the Brotherhood of Assassins.
It’s one of the strongest narratives in the entire Assassin’s Creed series, while Ancient Eygpt is one of the most unique locales Ubisoft’s long-running open-world franchise has explored so far.Assassin’s Creed Originsfeels expansive thanks to its large world and RPG systems, and it thankfully doesn’t feel as bloated as its RPG follow-ups:Assassin’s Creed OdysseyandAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. If you don’t enjoy stealth games or action games, you can at least check out Discovery Tour, which is its educational mode where players can explore and learn more about Ancient Eygpt.
Assassin’s Creed Originsis playable through all versions of Xbox Game Pass across PC, console, and cloud. It’s also available on PlayStation 4 and through Sony’s PlayStation Plus Extra subscription.
Chants of Sennaar
Chants of Sennaaris an indie game from Rundisc and Focus Entertainment that just came to Xbox Game Pass this week. As it’s a shorter game and one ofDigital Trends’ favorite indiesfrom 2023, I highly recommend you check it out over the course of this weekend.Chants of Sennaaris a puzzle game where players need to slowly piece together languages they are unfamiliar with. For example, a puzzle might have players find context clues in a room to learn how to open or close a door with a level. Over time, your knowledge base and dictionary as a player grows, and more languages are brought into the fray.
While that’s a relatively simple concept for a puzzle game,Chants of Sennaargets the most out of it with some truly head-scratching puzzles. It’s the kind of puzzle game that makes you feel really smart when you crack it. On top of all that, it’s a gorgeous game with a vibrant color palette. You might not have heard ofChants of Sennaarbefore today, but it’s well worth the time of any puzzle game fan now that it’s on Xbox Game Pass
Chants of Sennaaris available on Xbox Game Pass across PC, console, and cloud. It’s also on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Immortals of Aveum
By this point,Immortals of Aveumis best known for underperforming and leading to massive layoffs at its developer Ascendant Studios. Removed from that context, though, I think this is a creative shooter that is well worth your time. The story, which takes place in a unique fantasy world where magic-wielding Immortals are fighting to win a brutal war, is definitely the weakest part of the adventure, but I find its gameplay quite fun. Surprisingly few shooters center their gameplay around magic, andImmortals of Aveumdoes so to great success.
There are three different kinds of magic that each do different things, and it’s a lot of fun to constantly swap between each type and the flashy visual effects that come with using them mid-battle. On top of that, there’s enjoyableStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order-like level exploration and puzzle-solving that makes this adventure a bit bigger than you might initially expect. AlthoughImmortals of Aveumdoesn’t have the best reputation, I recommend checking out the game for yourself and forming your own opinion on it.
