Alexios vs Kassandra: Assassin’s Creed gameplay review

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In the world of Assassin’s Creed, there are nearly a dozen games that you can play that allow your playable character to be transported back into different time periods, ranging from the Renaissance in Italy to the American Revolution. However, not many of these games allow for you to choose the gender of your character. In all of the Assassin’s Creed games released to date, only three have the player character choice to be a female within the main game while three others have female protagonists in DLC content or as an option after the game is completed. It is refreshing that companies are looking to add more diversity in terms of their leading characters in order for players to have different experiences while playing and broadening its demographics to players of different genders. Now let’s review Alexios vs Kassandra: Assassin’s Creed gameplay on their different facets.



When Assassin’s Creed Odyssey hit the shelves, players were able to choose between a male or a female character. Alexios and Kassandra are siblings that must navigate the areas around the ancient Mediterranean area, rubbing elbows with historical figures of the time like Cleopatra. The game is considered one of the better Assassin’s Creed games on the market today, but many of its critiques come from the fact that it doesn’t sit perfectly within the universe’s canon. Still, as soon as the hype for its release died down, the question surfaced: Who is better to play as? Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey became a hot debate and, as many of these questions do, a general consensus was reached.

Alexios vs Kassandra Assassin's Creed glitch
There is a funny in-game glitch that shows the characters wearing each other armour.

Both characters have the same dialogue options. Their gameplay is the same, along with the items and armor that they can equip. The only real difference is their voice actors and the gender of the character you play as. Still, many people believe that Kassandra’s playthrough is the most fun. This is nothing against the developers or the voice actor of Alexios, but players seem to prefer and enjoy playing as Kassandra more than Alexios. The reasoning can come down to a variety of factors, which we’ll look into here.

The Character Models

To begin our comparison of Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, let’s take a look at their character models. As stated before, both have access to the same armor and abilities that allow you to progress through the game at the same speed, no matter which character you chose at the start. However, while Alexios’ resting face is a neutral look, Kassandra’s resting face has her with a half smile on her lips. It provides the character with a bit more depth than just a stone-faced protagonist that can be found in many of the games on the market today. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but having Kassandra’s model be a bit different is a noticeable change for the better in terms of character design. So in the case of character models for Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Kassandra comes out on top.

Voice Acting

The most noticeable comparison of Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is in regards to their voice actors. Again, this is not to disrespect Michael Antonakos’s work on Alexios, but Melissanthi Mahut’s range as she takes on the role of Kassandra is amazing. She works the script as though she’s not just performing the role as a game character, but as someone who can be seen through Kassandra. The mark of a great actor is the ability to take on a role and create a character that can actually exist outside of their medium. For Kassandra, Melissanthi Mahut takes the character’s wit and charm and allows her acting to provide a clearer voice for Kassandra’s interactions. You’re able to tell when Kassandra is happy about something or if she’s upset just from the smallest inflections. Some players have cited that Kassandra seems to be funnier than Alexios, based on the tone of her voice when she’s speaking to someone in jest.

Alexios vs Kassandra Assassin's Creed

It’s interesting to see that both actors have a fair amount of acting credits under their belts, but Melissanthi Mahut has less. She has had the advantage of working on Assassin’s Creed Origins, so she may have utilized that experience in order to get an idea of what voicing the main character of the game would be like. Michael Antonakos seems to take his role as the leading man a tad too seriously, and it shows in his voice that although he’s skilled, there’s just something missing from his performance that can leave players who rely on the verbal storytelling of the voice actors wanting more. For Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in terms of voice acting, Kassandra once again comes out on top.

The Novelization

After all of the comparisons made between actors and character design, there is one more aspect that most players overlook: the game novelization. With two characters taking center stage instead of one male lead, the novelization would need to focus on just one of the characters in order to have a clear plot through the story mode of the game. Instead of focusing on the male lead, however, Kassandra is the character that the novelization chooses to follow. Those who read the novelization were able to get a better idea of what Kassandra’s character is all about, looking through her eyes at the events of the game and experiencing the emotions in a much different setting. So, in terms of Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s novelization, Kassandra is the clear winner.

In Conclusion

Opinions vary on this debate, many players not caring who they play as, so long as they’re having a fun time with their playthrough. Because the characters don’t have any special perks for choosing one over the other, it’s as simple as players just choosing which character they want at the start of the game. Still, the consensus seems to lean in the favor of one character over another in terms of those that are interested in the story aspects of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and how well the characters are portrayed through voice acting. So, in the battle of Alexios vs Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed, Kassandra comes out victorious.

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