From the stars to the stables. From Heaven to the deepest Hell, with a beautiful tricefalo to welcome us. This is how the ancient Greeks imagined Hades, the kingdom of the dead from which it was practically impossible to escape. Ubisoft he chose this other "side" of the Hellenic underworld for the second part of The Destiny of Atlantis, story arc that expands the main plot of the title. Forget the flowering fields, pristine mountains and clear streams of the kingdom of Persephone: this is the domain of Hades, the Lord of Death, and everything, including the landscape, will remind you of it at every single step we take in his kingdom. Assassin's Creed Odyssey thus introduces us to "The Torment of Hades".
Down, lower and lower
After receiving a warm, indeed flaming, welcome from Cerberus, Hades will welcome us into his kingdom, not exactly happy to see us. The fight with his three-headed guardian has in fact caused serious imbalances in the Underworld. The absence of the three-headed mastiff in fact caused fractures between some areas of the kingdom of Hades and Tartarus, the region of the Greek underworld where the most evil souls that exist are relegated.
It will therefore be up to the Shadow of the Eagle to remedy this problem which, obviously, will not be limited to the mere search for the new guardians of hell but will unfold into several main strands, without ever forgetting what the hidden purpose of all this is. Alexios / Kassandra in fact is inside a simulation, created only and exclusively to ensure that Layla Hassan is able to take full possession of the powers that the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus hides inside.
Do not expect absurd plot twists: in this second chapter, The Torment of Hades, the foundations for doing well seemed to be all there, even if narratively speaking it certainly does not reach the standards that had been set after the conclusion of Elysian Fields. The hours spent in the company of Assassin's Creed Odyssey: The Torment of Hades are not many, especially when compared to the first part of The Destiny of Atlantis. In these few hours, the narrative component then fails to capture that much, as much boils down to looking for the Fallen and fighting against them to complete our assignment, entrusted to us by the Lord of the Dead himself.
Paradoxically, what ended up taking us the most are the secondary missions: these in fact seem to be much more accurate and in-depth than those of the main line, with a much deeper and more interesting exploration of the characters. The Torment of Hades focuses a lot on the "nostalgia" factor, if we can call it that, making us meet again some of the characters we knew previously and then passed away. They will be the ones to color the painting of these Inferi a little, which would have been much duller in their absence.
Can the dead die?
In Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Torment of Hades you won't find many new gameplay news. As in the Elysian Fields, there will be three other skills that can be upgraded thanks to the Visions of the Keeper, which will be able to change your fighting style quite incisively. For example, by enhancing the skill dedicated to healing, this will become a sort of "drain": instead of healing the Eagle's Shadow instantly, it will cause every hit inflicted on the enemy to cause damage and then convert to health for Alexios / Kassandra .
A change of this kind therefore translates into a much more aggressive approach towards the opponent. Another aspect on which the Destiny of Hades focuses strongly is, as we have partly anticipated, the section dedicated to the Fallen. This is nothing more than the infernal transposition of the Mercenaries. The hunt for the Fallen, whether they are enemies or heroes to be recruited as Guardians, will not be that different from that of the original title. So get ready for long rides and as many long (but quite original) fights to the death.
Gegege no Shadow of the Eagle
The geography of the Underworld is totally different from that of the Elysian Fields: the Wings of Hermes will still be present but their presence will not be essential as in the territory of Persephone. The kingdom of Hades does not develop vertically but horizontally: we will find ourselves riding for long distances, among dry forests, desert plains, sandstorms that will make us lose our orientation and greenish rivers to wade in the right place.
The calls to death will be practically everywhere, sometimes characterizing the landscape in a spectacular way: Ubisoft is confirmed, for the umpteenth time, unassailable when it comes to creating and thematizing the setting of one of its titles, realistic or otherwise. One of the aspects and strengths of this DLC is certainly exploration: admiring the dark and disturbing views of the world of the Dead is as fun as it is spectacular.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: The Destiny of Hades is yet another transitional chapter that does not leave you speechless, if not for the sublime realization of the kingdom of the Dead. Much of the gaming experience that the DLC gives us is reduced to the search for the Fallen on behalf of Hades, relegating the funniest and most exploratory sections to secondary missions, where the true narrative core of this second chapter lies. Through these in fact we will find old acquaintances, deepening their characterization even more. The innovation of this second chapter is hidden only in the long and quite demanding fights against the Fallen and the final boss, decidedly diversified and fun to undertake. However, it seems that something is still missing for the real leap in quality. All that remains is to hope that this arrives with the last chapter of The Destiny of Atlantis.
