Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series has always taken great inspiration from history, with games set as far back as Ancient Greece and as recently as World War I. In recent years, Ubisoft has begun paying tribute to the histories that inspire them with a game mode called Discovery Tour.
No one would accuse the plots of Assassin's Creed of being historically accurate. Over the course of the series, players have engaged in combat with the Pope, been responsible for the assassination of Julius Caesar, and looked for alien artifacts in the midst of the American Revolution. But the Ubisoft team has always gone to great lengths to create an atmosphere that transports players back to the time periods of the game. The environments have been increasingly lovingly rendered, and everything from architecture to the routines of the NPCs has been used to make the game at least feel authentic, even if the plot isn't.
Discovery Tour is a game mode that was first introduced in Assassin's Creed Origins. Discovery Tour allows players to wander the world of Assassins Creed at will, but removes all combat and quests. It's perfect for those who want to spend time looking at the details of the game without worrying about triggering an overzealous guard or accidentally wandering into a hyena den. Additionally, Discovery Tour offers guided narrated tours of certain cities and locations, with glowing lines providing a suggested route. While the usefulness of this mode as a potential teaching tool has been debated in reviews, it nevertheless provides an opportunity to wander a massive game environment and take in the sights, appreciating not only the history, but also the game itself.
Which Assassin's Creed Games Include Discovery Tour?
Discovery Tour was introduced with Assassin's Creed Origins, but Assassin's Creed Odyssey elevated the concept further. Tours were no longer simply narrated, but were led by an in-game NPC, often a historical figure. Exploration was also gamified by giving players the opportunity to earn avatars to use in the Discovery Tour mode by doing things like completing a certain number of tours. Players could also test their knowledge at the end of tours by taking quizzes from the tour guide. In the case of both Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Discovery Tour was added for free as an update to the base game, but the mode can also be purchased as a standalone game, a great option for those who just want to traverse the world without delving into the complicated plots of Assassin's Creed.
Ubisoft recently announced that Discovery Tour will return in Assassin's Creed Valhalla and be released some time in 2021. It's likely Ubisoft will continue their model of making Discovery Tour free to those who already have Assassins' Creed Valhalla and as standalone purchase for those who don't. The newest edition of Discovery Tour will give players the option to explore Viking culture in England without the stress of potentially being murdered by said Vikings.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla releases on November 10 on PC/Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia, with a November 12 launch on PlayStation 5.