Ancient relationships as shown in Assassins creed Origins
Friday, 6 November 2020, 7:32 PM
by Callum Fielding
Relationships are complicated, we all know that. And this is an extremely difficult feat to create a believable relationship in the given media, as the characters are not real, and thus their relationships are also fabricated to suit the needs of the game. Because of this, relationships can sometimes come across as static or there simply to serve as the focal point of a plot in the story and nothing else. This, however, is done particularly well in AC Origins where the main protagonist, Bayek, and his wife Aya bounce off each other and create the kind of tension that a real relationship might. This is in large part due to the buildup before meeting Aya. It presents you, the player (Bayek), as having a son which you build a connection to only to find that he is murdered, and you are framed. Witnessing this drives Bayek to the brink of sanity, oftentimes it is Aya or the prospect of seeing Aya that keeps Bayek moving as well as the desire for revenge against the murder of his son. Aya however is not tied to just being a focal point for Bayek. As it is shown, she has her own agendas and interests that do not coincide with Bayek and you gain insight as to how she deals with the grief of losing a son. Whilst they keep a loving affection towards one another. Bayek looks towards the past and the wrongs done. Whilst Aya looks towards the future and supports those that would further those interests. 

This also creates an interesting topic of discussion, Aya herself. As a Woman in the Ancient World, it can be difficult to learn what role that she would have performed. Would it be the 70s style homemaker that might be commonly associated to older video game companions or a more modern interpretation of a relationship. Instead, Origins places Aya and Bayek as equals under the Egyptian kingdom circa 40BCE, it avoids placing them as either Roman or Greek citizens as this would prove a more constraining and unbelievable narrative that both the two protagonists would be on equal footing when it comes to being an Assassin, under the guise of being the Medjay (Bayek) or an Agent of Cleopatra. (Aya) 

Relationships in the game cover a variety of interpersonal relationships, from friendships to siblings and the relations between lovers and parents. There is an idea that each person shows a different version of themselves to each person and this is aptly shown in the game with just the following of the main story let alone the vast array of side quests that are available to the player, for example Aya’s relationship with Bayek is evidently one that becomes strained because of the latter's needs for vengeance and need to stay directed into the past. And this is shown in how quick Aya gradually changes her reactions to the main character however during the middle sections of the game Aya’s relationship with Cleopatra becomes increasingly favorable with both Aya and Cleopatra becoming more akin to friends, this is shown not just in the level of trust she places in her Agent (Aya), but also in their non-business-related interactions as shown early in the game when the player is first introduced to Cleopatra. Upon meeting the player Cleopatra asks if Bayek would take the exchange that she offers upon Bayek’s entry into the room, which was to be able to sleep with her but then face execution. At this point Bayek simply says "I have already pledged my life to this woman”, gesturing to Aya, prompting Cleopatra to look at Aya and follow Bayek’s words with “Aya, you have chosen well,” with no clear change in body language that were too astray from an ordinary social gathering. As no deference is shown to Cleopatra by Aya only a smile is offered. This contrast of Cleopatra’s ability to simply execute any given person there, against her casual affection to her friend Aya sets up a complex relationship that is further developed into the story. 

As all relationships are complicated and the medium of gaming is, as is established already, difficult to create believable interpersonal relationships, I think that Origins gets it right as it creates an appropriate (If slow burning) back story for each new character it presents and fits in historical characters into the story effortlessly integrating them with the newly created ones and from that manage to create a developing series of relationships that grows or is lessened by each interaction with the player.