Assassin's Creed sometimes has a bit of a reputation for overusing revenge as motivation for its characters. We see that in AC2, ACB, ACIII, ACU, Rogue, and now Origins as well.
While I do like the story of Bayek, Aya, and Khemu, the way that Curse of the Pharaohs handles Bayek's motivations is pretty cool. Granted, I'm hardly well into this DLC yet, but from what I can tell it seems like Bayek is investigating a mysterious set of occurrences that seem to have been brought about by the appearance of a Piece of Eden.
I think is actually a pretty inspired and unique take on an Assassin's Creed story. It takes the standard "MacGuffin" style of portraying the POEs, and actually makes them more integral to the story. It also allows for the game to get kind of wacky and crazy, allowing for the gameplay to deviate from the self-seriousness that is so easy to fall into, yet at the same time still elevating the stakes. Finally, I think it allows for even more creativity when dealing with the historical fiction in Assassin's Creed.
That's not to say that POEs haven't been well portrayed in the past, but that I just appreciate how at the forefront they are in this DLC. In fact, much as I love the standard Khemu story, imagine if the actual main game was more like this: After the death of Bayek and Aya's child, Egypt begins to be plagued both by the Order of the Ancients as well as rumors of horrible phantoms. I think something like that could be really unique, and allow for legends of its time (not unlike Springheel Jack in Syndicate) to really come to life in the game. Plus, it would be a great introduction to the Isu and Pieces of Eden, showing that while the Assassins and Templars both covet that power, perhaps neither can wield it fully.
Anyway, I totally get how some people would want their history separated from the myth and maybe for them even how the POEs were portrayed in previous games was over the line. Personally, though- I think this could be a great motivator for an Assassin in a future game. Your thoughts?