A vast sweeping tale of bold heroes, touched by the gods and accomplishing great feats. It's not always clear how conscious these references are on the part of the developers and writers, but what is clear is how much the overall tone of the game draws from the poem. Other times it comes in quiet, subtle nods. Sometimes this is boldly sprawled across the face of the game. Homer's poem is written into the very fabric of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. For anyone wanting to read it (again or for the first time), Emily Wilson has recently produced a wonderfully accessible translation which, incidentally, is the first published translation to English by a woman.

Odysseus faces a number of trials on his journey, including battling monsters and being seduced by goddesses, but eventually takes back his home after a further ten years at sea - seven of which were admittedly spent on a luxurious island banging a goddess. It follows the hero Odysseus as he tries to get home to Ithaca from Troy, where he has spent the last ten years at war with the Trojans (for more on the war itself, see Homer's other famous poem the Iliad). The word 'epic' has become so synonymous with Homer over the centuries that we even use the word 'Homeric' to describe something epic or grand in nature.įor anyone unfamiliar with the Odyssey, it is a poem believed to have been written around 700BC by the poet (or, more likely, multiple poets) referred to as Homer. Of course, when we think about it this way, one poem in particular jumps to mind: Homer's Odyssey. As an adjective, it has come to mean something that is heroic or grand in scale, and as a noun it refers to a long poem, often derived from ancient oral tradition, reciting the adventures of legendary figures.

The word 'epic' comes from the Greek word 'epos', meaning 'word' or 'story'. Now that we've got that out of the way, I'm here to tell you that Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an epic game. I hereby beg for its removal from all future speeches by any person planning to set foot on a stage to discuss a game for the rest of time. As someone who regularly watches shows at E3, PAX, CES, and the rest, I am genuinely sick to death of the word 'epic'.

Is there a word more sickeningly overused to describe video games than 'epic'? I honestly struggle to think of a worse offender - although perhaps 'immersive' could compete for this title? 'Epic' has permeated our collective consciousness to such an extent that it's even the name of a developer.

Odysse homer