Module 8: Ancient Rome in the Movies
Playing with Antiquity: Historical Accuracy in Assassin's Creed Odyssey
The 2018 video game Assassin’s Creed Odyssey transports players to the Peloponnesian War of 431 BCE, merging mechanics of immersive open-world video games with the cultural and historical world of Ancient Greece. Drawing on themes central to Dunstan Lowe's analysis of classical reception in video games (Lowe, 2009), it blends historical authenticity with fantastical elements and the critical role of player agency in shaping perceptions of the past. By examining Odyssey through Lowe’s framework, we might argue for and against the virtues of the game’s historical accuracy, contrasting its achievements in historically faithful immersion against concessions to entertainment.
The game integrates historically accurate locations, figures, and events from Ancient Greece and places them within a detailed narrative which leans upon elements of time-traveling consistent with the existing franchise. Players can explore landmarks such as Athens’ Acropolis, Sparta’s barracks, and Delos’ sacred sanctuaries, all rendered with incredible immersive detail and populated by thousands of virtual Greek citizens who go about their business independent of the player. Lowe’s observation that technological advances in video games have led to meticulously rendered ‘new forms of authenticity’ (Lowe, 2009, p. 66) paints a veneer of truthfulness onto our existing conceptions of antiquity through reconstructed architecture, ancient languages, and period-accurate cultural practices in efforts to bolster a claim to authenticity.
Adjacent to the main experience, Ubisoft’s commitment to detail is exemplified in its Discovery Tour mode, a non-combat feature which allows players to explore some of the more well-documented elements of Ancient Greece as a living museum. This educational layer distinguishes Odyssey from purely entertainment-focused games, supporting Lowe’s argument that video games can serve as interactive pedagogical tools. Players can visit Thermopylae’s Hot Gates and walk through a chronological experience of the battle. Through highlighting Ostia’s significance or explaining the processions and contests of The Panathenaic Games, the game bridges a gap between entertainment and education, offering players an engaging way to learn about the ancient world.
Lowe stresses video games inherently allow players to ‘remake’ received narrative, a dynamic particularly visible in Odyssey. Players assume the role of a mercenary descendant of Sparta’s King Leonidas, tasked with navigating a world rife with political intrigue and war. The open-ended and open-world structure, encouraging exploration and choice, embodies Lowe’s idea of ‘play’ as a form of creative interaction with antiquity (Lowe, 2009). Players can ally with Athens or Sparta, shape the outcomes of key battles, and even rewrite personal histories, creating alternate narratives within the game’s historical framework. Consequentially, these choices often haunt the player much later in the game.
But while this agency enriches the gaming experience, it inevitably compromises many elements of historical accuracy. Figures from antiquity such as Pericles and Socrates appear as characters in the player’s journey, but are often reduced to simple containers for moving the narrative forward. Socrates, for instance, is reimagined as a companion offering ethical dilemmas, blending historical philosophy with shallow scripted entertainment. Lowe’s analysis underscores this tension. Video games must simplify the complexities of the past to make them ‘playable’, resulting in what he calls ‘schematic’ portrayals (Lowe, 2009, p. 75). In Odyssey, we experience the idea of Socrates as a container for elements of Greek philosophy, and meet him inside the idea of an ancient agora. However compelling its tools of immersion, it all remains simulation.
A hallmark of Odyssey is its fusion of historical and mythological elements, exemplified by the player’s encounters with ‘final boss’ set pieces with Medusa, the Minotaur, Sphinx and Cyclops. These fantastical additions, while visually spectacular and highly compelling, highlight Lowe’s concept of ‘distillation’, where antiquity becomes a simplified set of symbols - marble columns, heroic battles, and mythological creatures (Lowe, 85). This distillation caters to popular interpretations of Ancient Greece but risks undermining the educational value of the historical setting. I have included two video examples of my own encounters with The Sphinx and The Cyclops at the end of this paper. Such frequent departures from historical accuracy invite more material criticism. Odyssey’s depiction of Hoplite warfare and Spartan society romanticize militarism while ignoring more problematic aspects of the Helot system. Similarly, the inclusion of naval combat with triremes equipped with flamethrowers leans heavily into cinematic spectacle, reminiscent of what Lowe terms ‘box-ticking’ - the inclusion of iconic elements regardless of historical fidelity (Lowe, 2009, p. 77) which we also see in the recent film Gladiator 2.
Yet these fantastical liberties are not inherently detrimental. As Lowe argues, the ancient world often serves as a ‘fantasy world among many others’ in video games (Lowe, 2009, p. 87). The player’s encounter with Medusa, for instance, can be seen not as a betrayal of historical myth but as an acknowledgment and heart-pounding celebration of the cultural mythology which has always surrounded classical antiquity. By blending history with myth, Odyssey offers a richer, more multifaceted interpretation of the past, catering to diverse player expectations, and allows players to live these epic stories.
Central to Odyssey’s design is the player’s avatar, an embodiment of individual agency within the game’s narrative. Lowe notes video games often emphasize ‘masculine heroics’ and ‘superhuman avatars’, and bridge both classical myth and modern gaming culture (Lowe, 2009, p. 81). Odyssey diverges from this stereotype by allowing players to choose Kassandra, a female protagonist whose narrative arc challenges traditional gender roles in classical reception. This choice reflects a growing inclusivity in video games, aligning with contemporary efforts to reimagine antiquity through diverse perspectives. However, the narrative’s focus on Kassandra or the male character of Alexios as central figures risk reducing the complexities of the Peloponnesian War to a single individual’s heroics. As Lowe observes, video games often simplify history into ‘grand narratives’ dominated by identifiable protagonists (Lowe, 2009, p. 79). This approach sidelines the complexities of the broader social, political, and cultural dynamics of Ancient Greece, and reinforce a mythologized and dramatized, rather than nuanced view of history.
Lowe’s critique of historical distortion in video games is especially relevant to Odyssey. The game’s depiction of Ancient Greece is shaped by modern expectations, from the pristine whiteness of marble buildings to the cinematic glamorization of Spartan society. These aesthetic choices reflect what Lowe terms a ‘cultural shorthand’, catering to a more shallow preconceived contemporary perception rather than historical realities (Lowe, 2009, p. 77). Moreover, Odyssey’s narrative choices occasionally compromise historical integrity for the sake of drama. The player’s ability to kill key historical figures or influence the outcome of major events reinforces a sense of player power but undermine historical context. As Lowe warns, such liberties distort popular perceptions of antiquity, particularly for players without prior knowledge of the classical world.
Despite its shortcomings, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey exemplifies the potential of video games as both education and entertainment tools for classical reception. By immersing players in a richly detailed, highly active world, it motivates genuine curiosity about Ancient Greece and warmly invites players to engage with its culture, politics, and mythology. Lowe’s analysis suggests that such engagement, however imperfect, still represents a significant evolution in how the classical world is perceived in modern popular culture. At best, Odyssey achieves this balance between education and entertainment, using its Discovery Tour mode to address Lowe’s call for video games to contribute to classical pedagogy. At worst, it succumbs to commercial pressure, prioritizing spectacle over substance. Yet even these shortcomings reflect the broader dynamics of classical reception, where antiquity is continually being reshaped to meet the needs of its audience.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is both a triumph and a compromise in the depiction of classical antiquity. Through its meticulous world-building and engaging narrative, it has brought Ancient Greece to life for millions of players, fulfilling Lowe’s vision of video games as a compelling and exciting medium for classical reception. Yet its reliance on fantasy, simplification, and player agency also highlight the limitations of video games as historical texts. As Lowe argues, classical antiquity in video games is ‘both distillation and distortion’, offering players a unique but inherently mediated view of the past (Lowe, 2009, p. 85). In this sense, Odyssey is not just a game. It represents an dialogue with history, mythology, and the ever-evolving relationship between the ancient and the modern.
References:
Lowe, D. (2009). Playing with antiquity: Videogame receptions of the classical world. In Lowe, D. & Shahabudin, K. (eds.) Classics for all: Re-working antiquity in mass cultural media. Cambridge Scholars Press, Cambridge, pp. 62-88.
