Assassin’s Creed Odyssey features two playstyles to choose from: Guided Mode, described as the “more traditional” experience, and Exploration Mode, labelled as “a newer approach”.
Exploration Mode, its description continues, is “the way Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is meant to be experienced”.
So what is Exploration Mode? I’ve seen a few references to it online describing it as a “Breath of the Wild” mode, reminiscent of Nintendo’s organic approach to open-world design seen in the latest Zelda. And it sort of is – especially when compared to the old-school Assassin’s Creed games released before last year’s Origins – but there are still differences.
Source: Eurogamer Exploring Assassin's Creed Odyssey's "BOTW-style" Exploration Mode