Game director Ashraf Ismail reveals why Assassin's Creed Origins has the series' first difficulty setting

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Assassin's Creed Origins has a difficulty setting. That might not sound like much by itself, but it represents a shift in the way Ubisoft is approaching the series, and combined with all the other changes Origins makes to the AC formula, it adds up to something that feels fresh.

But don't take our word for it - watch this interview with game director Ashraf Ismail about how difficulty impacts all sorts of decisions both from a player and developer perspective from Assassin's Central.

"We wanted more gameplay depth, and that means more challenging aspects of the game - bosses, and so on," Ismail said. "What we felt was, by going deeper into the gameplay challenge of the game, we're feeding one part of the audience but not others. So it was a natural step for us to think well, let's give difficulty settings so that if you're really more into the narrative or the historical element, you can set the game to an easier setting. ... If you're the opposite, if you really want that very difficult challenge, you can set the game to a harder setting."

Ismail also said you'll be able to switch dynamically, so you're not locked into whatever difficulty you choose at the start. Enjoying the game on normal difficulty but having trouble with a particular boss? Kick the challenge down a notch and then back up once you've beaten it.

You can watch new Assassin's Central's videos every Wednesday and Saturday - or one day early exclusively here on GamesRadar. Subscribe on YouTube and stay in the know about this soft reboot of one of gaming's biggest franchises.

Sam Prell
Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.