After six episodes, spread over two different narrative arcs, the parable of Assassin's Creed Odyssey comes to an end: the Judgment of Atlantis marks the sunset of this epic that has intertwined the myths of Ancient Greece with those of Atlantis. After having explored the Elysian Fields and Hades, the Shadow of the Eagle completes his journey within the Isu simulations by landing right in the domain of Poseidon, which we had only glimpsed in the previous episodes. Ubisoft therefore try to make sense of the journey that Layla Hassan has made to prove herself worthy of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus and succeed Alexios / Kassandra in the role of Keeper.
And one day I woke up saying
Like the previous DLCs of the same story arc, Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Judgment of Atlantis picks up right where the Torment of Hades ended: Poseidon intervenes in the fight between the misthios and the god of Avernus, taking the former with him and leaving the brother in his domain. Once we arrive in Atlantis, the god of the seas proposes to ours to take on the role of dicaste judge, or the right arm of the dicaste king, supreme ruler of Atlantis. Our task, as dicaste, will therefore be to enforce the law of Atlantis and bring the highly advanced Atlantean kingdom into the future, avoiding the repetition of the cycle of death and rebirth to which it was previously condemned. of our arrival. During our wanderings around the island we will get to know Atlas and his brothers, as well as numerous inhabitants, Isu and humans, who will have to learn to live together.
One of the most heartfelt problems of Poseidon's dominion is in fact the lack of harmony between the two races and for this reason the king sees in the Shadow of the Eagle, as a hybrid, a bridge that could bring his kingdom to the fore. The narrative premises of this latest episode seem to be quite promising but, to our great regret, they materialize into nothing.: the plot is quite poor, lackluster of real surprises or twists. The only positive notes are (very, very few) questions about the Isua population, to which the plot gives an interesting answer. On the same line also the conclusion of Layla's assignment: much phoned and not very spectacular. The actual ending, by the way, is open, thus suggesting that in the next chapter of Assassin's Creed we will most likely find Dr. Hassan again to keep us company.
Exploring the Submerged City
Note of merit, as usual now, goes to the visual realization of Atlantis, at least from a design point of view: the legendary submerged city is a flagship of Isu architecture, it stands mighty in the middle of the sea like a sort of futuristic Water Seven. Here too, as in the Elysian Fields, both the Wings of Hermes and the boats that we will find scattered along the canals will be essential to move. The fulcrum of Atlantis is the gigantic palace of Poseidon, from which the various canals that cross the concentric rings of which the city is composed unravel. Compared to the previous chapters, however, we noticed some small inaccuracies on a technical level, both in terms of the lighting level (some locations had strangely flickering lights) and for the actual texturing (some beaches appeared black). Nothing that can't be fixed with a patch anyway.
In terms of gameplay novelties, Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Judgment of Atlantis introduces very little: adamantite weapons and Isu knowledge. The first are nothing more than Isu weapons, created in the Atlantean Forge, with capabilities above the norm but which, in order to be created, require adamantite ingots. We will therefore have to search for them within the forbidden areas of Atlantis, as well as any other type of casket. Collected three ingots we will have the opportunity to create a single weapon that will benefit us in one of the three combat specialties (Warrior, Assassin or Hunter). Isu Knowledge, passed off as a sort of sixth sense, will be nothing more than a bar that we will have to fill by reading ancient Isu plates scattered around Atlantis or decrypting the information contained in holographic cubes (completely automatic operation). By reaching the various milestones inside the bar, we will be able to have access to various areas of Atlantis otherwise forbidden, a bit like the Veil of Tartarus in the Torment of Hades. In short, these innovations introduced in Assassin's Creed Odyssey: the Judgment of Atlantis are not exactly such but are reworkings in an Atlantean key of something we had already seen previously and which, all in all, does not add who knows how much meat to the fire.
The narrative plot of Assassin's Creed Odyssey deserved a much more spectacular and less flat conclusion than the one that the Judgment of Atlantis gives us. This time the visual wonders of the submerged city and the few answers given to us about the Isu civilization are not enough. In comparison with The Legacy of the First Blade, the Fate of Atlantis, on the whole, is certainly defeated even if it has a lot of potential to develop. The adventures spent in the company of Dario boast much more pathos and presence of mind than the vicissitudes linked to the staff of Ermete Trismegisto. In any case, overall, if you are passionate about the saga, the Judgment of Atlantis is still an important piece in the economy of Assassin's Creed and could serve as a springboard for the next adventure.
