Game Review: 'Assassin's Creed Origins' is puuurfectly fun

Ubisoft's biggest play of the year, Assassin's Creed Origins, dropped this week.

It takes you back to ancient Egypt, where you sail the Nile, ride a camel, kill or tame leopards and mingle with Cleopatra. You have a pet eagle called Senu that acts like an overhead assault in an army combat game, a pimped sickle sword and deadly ponytail.

Your name is Bayek and your job to protect your people from secretive forces trying to gain greater access to power.

I have to admit, I was over this franchise after Assassin's Creed iii. After the lame ending of iii no sneaky double wrist blade wielding airborne attacks could lure me back.

WATCH | The trailer for Assassin's Creed Origins

But then Origins did something I didn't see coming - it let me pet cats. No lies, the fact that I could pet a cat made me give the franchise another chance and I am glad I did.

Interestingly, it's a bit more of a RPG (role playing game) than its predecessors - and sure, the last thing we need right now is another open world game - but I'm also glad that whole watchtower map-reveal nonsense is gone.

The graphics are cool, the story of how the Brotherhood started is an interesting enough hook, and the combat is "fine" - taming animals to help you fight a la Far Cry Primal is a nice touch, I'll give it that. But most of all you can pet cats. Come on, that's all we really needed.

• Available on Xbox, Playstation and PC.

• This article was originally published in The Times.