In Assassin’s Creed: Origins one of the draws for me was to be able to play in Ancient Egypt. In some ways it’s not the pyramids, although the pyramids are impressive.

It’s about Hermopolis and Hatshepsut’s temple in the Valley of the Kings. Hermopolis was one of the most beautiful locations along the Nile, and I can honestly say that just passing by Hermopolis and entering it for the first time gave me goosebumps.

Hatshepsut’s temple in Deir el-Bahri is a place I’ve wanted to go ever since I heard about Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh. She probably wasn’t the only one, but she was one of very few. Surprising absolutely no one, she’s one of my role-models, primarily because she isn’t known for her beauty like Cleopatra or Nefertiti (although both Cleopatra and Nefertiti were formidable women in their own rights) but for her architectural accomplishments and the fact that her reign was one of peace and prosperity in Egypt.

Seeing Hermopolis and Deir el-Bahri – even if it’s only in a game – took my breath away. I think Origins affected me because I know the time period and area it plays out in, while Odyssey affected me because it made me interested in Ancient Greece through the game narrative and through Kassandra. But nothing equals seeing Hatshepsut’s temple for the first time in game. It was a magical moment.

Thrown in for good measure is Bayek and the Sphinx.