assassins-creed-origins
'Assassin’s Creed: Origins.' Ubisoft/Press

Say what you want about Assassin’s Creed, but the franchise has always made history one of its top priorities. It’s therefore not surprising that on February 20, Ubisoft will be releasing an update for “Assassin's Creed: Origins” that allows players to take a guided tour around Ancient Egypt.

Called the Discovery Tour, the new mode lets you free-roam in-game locations while being guided on an education tour. In a Q&A with Ubisoft, Maxime Durand, resident historian for the Assassin’s series, acknowledged the fact that teachers and students have always used the games as a form of educational tool. One of the issues, though, is the age rating.

“A lot of teachers understood that the attractiveness of a video game was important, was interesting, and people engage with that,” Durand said. “But they couldn't bring the game [as it was] to classrooms.”

In the Discovery Tour, there are no storyline or gameplay requirements that would pressure the player. They are, however, free to explore the world whatever manner they prefer, may it be swimming, riding a camel or good old-fashioned parkouring.

The contents of the tour were written by “about five or six historians and Egyptologists,” but Durand stated that a bit of trimming was needed to manage the length.

The tour is said to last for half an hour. According to Ubisoft, players can control a total of 25 avatars ranging from Bayek to Cleopatra. And yes, Photo Mode can be used, but photos taken during the tour will not be viewable in the main game.

The Discovery Tour releases on February 20 as a free update for owners of “Assassin's Creed: Origins.” A standalone copy will be available on Uplay PC and Steam for US$19.99 (AU$25.42).

“Assassin's Creed: Origins” is the tenth major instalment in the successful “Assassin’s Creed” franchise. It was released in October 2017 for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.