AC Origins: Curse Of The Pharaohs – Mummies Alive!

I need to begin this review with the admission that I am not a fan of Down Loadable Content. In the past too many DLCs have been over priced and underwhelming.

So I had some trepidations when it came to AC Origins Curse of The Pharaohs. Well let me tell you it has certainly delivered and then some.

As usual the graphics are spectacular and the addition of the different after worlds bring a new dimension to the AC franchise.

Once again you play Bayek the Hidden One, as he travels to the city of Thebes situated across the river from the Valley of the Kings, legendary home to the Tombs of the Pharaohs. Thebes was a hub of trade and culture in ancient times but is currently facing some troubles.

Graves and tombs are being robbed and desecrated by the Romans and the long dead Pharaohs are unhappy. Now they are rising from the dead and cursing the peoples of Ancient Egypt, blighting crops, slaying indiscriminately and demanding their treasures are returned.  

Bayek must find out why the dead are rising, defeat the curse and put the spirits of the Pharaohs to rest once and for all.

To do this you will travel around ancient Egypt but you also find portals to the afterlife inside the Tombs of the Pharaohs which transport you to new environments not seen before. It kind of reminded me of the Subject 16 mission of AC 3 but with so much more depth.

The combat is challenging to begin with but eventually you will figure out how easy it is to win the Boss battles, (dodge hit, dodge run, hit, dodge CRITICAL HIT. Rinse and Repeat.) That said you do get to battle some new enemies in the form of Anubis’ servants who are fun to fight and allow for some really enjoyable stealth kills.

There is also a new Animal Lair in the afterlife maps….. Giant Scorpions! Now I do not know for sure, but I like to believe that whoever was responsible for that is either a big fan of the Mummy franchise starring Brendan Fraser or a big fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Either way these things are hard to kill and so cool.

With this DLC, as always, you get some new gear, some funky new outfits, and an undead horse which is your transport in all afterlife missions. This was a nice change from Gertha the armoured camel who was my favourite mount as soon as I found her in the original game.

The new weapons and shields are mostly just cool looking although the Daggers of Tutankhamen (dual swords secured during a side quest) that give health after a critical hit became my go-to weapon for any Boss battle. I also made sure to equip the Muts Sorrow shield, again found on a side quest. Not that I ever use it to block which you should do because the ranged damage reduction and chance to put your opponent to sleep are awesome. The reality is I equipped it because it looks bad ass!

Oh and don’t be fooled by max damage as there are some cursed weapons that will be your demise.

The outfits as usual are just fun, I liked using the Servant of Amun outfit for exploring the afterlife. Not sure why, maybe a flair for the dramatic. I especially liked Serqet’s Carapace outfit as it gave to me a hint of a Mad Max vibe.

Game play is much like the Origins game and there are some familiar faces who appear to tie the DLC to the original game which was a nice touch.

All in all the story is compelling and the use of the mythical afterlives of Egypt makes this an enjoyable experience. If you are still on the fence about DLCs I recommend you try this one, you won’t be disappointed.