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Assassin's Creed Origins has an incredible open world. Ubisoft is certainly no stranger to crafting intricate virtual spaces for players to explore, but its latest release has a world that's right up there with the very best that we've ever seen. The work that's gone into it is simply staggering.

All of the images that we've embedded on this page were taken directly from our copy of the game (running on PS4 Pro), and they were all shot using the title's in-game photo mode. As with Horizon: Zero Dawn, you can pause the action at any time outside of cutscenes, reposition the camera however you see fit, and snap some screenies. Naturally, this is a great way to soak yourself in Origins' setting.

Right off the bat, it's clear to see that Origins is a great looking release. Its colour pallet is vibrant and diverse, and it's absolutely stuffed with detail. A lavish day and night cycle only amplifies its often gorgeous lighting effects, and everything just looks so crisp and clean. It's a real beauty of a game.

And obviously you have to acknowledge that the title's impressive visuals stem from the fact that it's set in Egypt. When Origins takes place, the African nation was steeped in rich cultures and diversity, and the release captures all of it brilliantly. The Greek-infused port city of Alexandria is peppered with tiled walkways and grand marble statues, and contrasts perfectly with the harsh yellows and oranges of the nearby deserts, which are barren and suitably vast. On top of that, you've got rugged mountain ranges, treacherous swamplands, and ancient ruins. You can wander around Egypt for hours and never run out of sights to marvel at.

The locations are excellent, then, but it's not just the backdrops that make Origins' open world special. What really holds everything together is how dynamic the game is. From the various animals that roam the map to the bandit raids and guard patrols, it all just feels so alive. You can watch leopards hunt herds of gazelle, crocodiles assault boats that stray too close to the shallows, and see hippos go mental as idiot soldiers accidentally smash into them on horseback.

Mad stuff happens all the time in Origins, and the world's a more entertaining place because of it. You can even force the issue yourself, purposefully luring different creatures together and watching them tear chunks out of each other. We've led an attack on an enemy garrison before only for a roaming bask of crocodiles to cause complete chaos as they somehow found their way into the base.

It also helps that Egypt isn't separated by any loading screens. For how huge the full map is, Origins stands as a thoroughly impressive technical achievement. You can ride across the entire thing without once having to stop, even if you decide to enter an old tomb, cave, or bandit hideout. Egypt feels like one massive, cohesive world that's always on the move regardless of where you are.

Assassin's Creed Origins is absolutely the kind of game that most of us are going to take for granted, but the work that's gone into making Egypt seem so vast, detailed, and alive should be applauded. In our humble opinion. this is one of the best open worlds that we've ever had the pleasure of exploring.

So it's safe to say that we're big fans of Assassin's Creed Origins' open world, but what do you think of it? Saddle up and ride into the comments section below.