Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will feature a gameplay mode that removes quest markers from the game, and makes players go looking to discover new quests and objectives. According to screenshots apparently taken from an IGN video, the game will feature both ‘Guided’ and ‘Exploration’ modes, each offering a very different experience.
Guided mode will be most familiar to fans of open-world games. According to the screenshots in the tweet below from fan account AccessTheAnimus, the mode offers “a more traditional experience,” in which “markers are displayed at all times, and quest objectives are given to you automatically.” That’s more or less the approach of every major open-world game you’ll have played in the last decade or so.
Exploration mode is, according to Ubisoft, “the way Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is meant to be experienced.” It’s a stripped-back approach that the developer describes as “a newer approach to playstyle.” In Exploration mode, objectives have to be sought out by wondering the world, and you’ll need to explore to discover the next objective on your quest.
Exploration mode is a relatively new phenomena in the sphere of modern gaming (I certainly haven’t played another open-world PC game that didn’t offer quest markers). That said, however, the concept was recently resurfaced in the Nintendo Switch’s Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in which your own exploration is key to uncovering the next step on your journey.
IGN has recently mentioned that #AssassinsCreed Odyssey will have a Gameplay Mode selection screen!
In Guided Mode all markers will be shown in the map while in Exploration Mode the game will provide the players with clue to find them
Original pictures: https://t.co/FjViqFeETt pic.twitter.com/DcgUsim61u
— AccessTheAnimus (@AccessTheAnimus) September 10, 2018
It’s worth pointing out that Exploration mode isn’t the same as Discovery mode. That mode was added to the most recent AC game as a non-violent way to explore and learn about the game’s ancient Egyptian setting. It’s very possible that Odyssey will offer its own version of Discovery, but Exploration mode is a way to experience the main game, not its setting.
The Assassin’s Creed Odyssey release date is October 5, so you’ve got less than a month to wait until you can try Exploration mode out for yourself.