This companion album to Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a genuine treasure -- a collection of in-world music and sea shanties that brings the ancient Greek setting to life in a way the orchestral score alone never could. Performed with period-appropriate instruments like the kithara and pandura, tracks like "Ancient Kithara" and "Ancient Pandura" sound like authentic archaeological reconstructions of music that might have actually been heard in the Aegean thousands of years ago.
Read more
"The Golden Age of Athens" and "Ancient Knossos" are particularly evocative of their respective locations. The sea shanties are an absolute joy. Following the beloved tradition established by Black Flag, Odyssey gives its crew their own singing voices, and "Odyssey (Sea Shanty Version)" and "Myrinne (Sea Shanty Version)" are infectious singalongs that make every voyage across the wine-dark sea feel alive.
The drinking songs are equally fun -- "Bacchus Teaches me to Dance," "Song to Bacchus," and the wonderfully titled "When I Drink" channel the spirit of ancient Greek symposia with an energy that feels both historically grounded and genuinely entertaining.
The narrative ballads are where the album really deepens the world-building. "The Tale of Leonidas" and "Sing of War" tell stories of Spartan glory with vocal performances that feel like you're sitting in a tavern listening to a bard.
"The Black Earth Drinks" takes its name from a fragment by the poet Meleager, and "The Fate of the Wolf" and "The Death of the Wolf" tell a connected story through song. "The Mysterious Minotaur" adds a touch of mythological wonder.
This is the kind of album that makes you appreciate how much care Ubisoft Quebec put into Odyssey's cultural authenticity.