This week marks the release of Mortal Kombat 11, the latest entry in NetherRealm's brutal fighting series. Even after nearly a dozen iterations, Mortal Kombat remains one of the most beloved franchises in gaming, and its newest installment is perhaps the most ambitious yet, featuring an expansive roster, a wealth of customization options, and a time-bending story--orchestrated by the first major female antagonist in the series' history, Kronika--that unites past and present versions of characters.
The narrative in particular is one of the standout elements of the game. "Watching the character interactions between young and old selves [is] a highlight, and with the exception of a somewhat flat Sonya Blade, the solid performances are endearingly sincere with some unexpected moments of introspection," GameSpot's Edmond Tran wrote in our Mortal Kombat 11 review-in-progress.
Ahead of its release, many other outlets have also begun publishing reviews of Mortal Kombat 11. We've collected a sample of them below to give you an overview of what critics have to say about the highly anticipated fighting game. For an even broader look at its reception, be sure to check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Mortal Kombat 11
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Developer: NetherRealm
Release date: April 23
Price: $60 / £50
GameSpot -- 8/10
"MK11 isn't just a sequel for series fans and NetherRealm devotees, it's a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly. Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The unfulfilling approaches to the game's dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they've totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters." -- Edmond Tran [Full review-in-progress]
IGN -- 9/10
"It's a rare fighting game that hits just about every note as strongly as Mortal Kombat 11 does. Everything from its methodical and deep combat to its fantastically absurd story mode and its rock-solid netcode, right down to its extraordinarily comprehensive tutorial is absolutely exceptional. It's only when you get into its drawn-out progression that it trips up: the keys to unlocking Mortal Kombat 11's rich vault of customization options are locked behind the frustratingly gimmicky and grindy barriers of the Krypt and Towers of Time. This series continues to prove that there's real fighting depth beyond its notoriously gory Fatalities, and this one in particular stands out as a spine-ripping good time." -- Mitchell Saltzman [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4/5
"Mortal Kombat 11 struck a rare chord in me where, even after playing twenty hours in a few days, I want to go back and play more. I doubt I'll be next in line to compete at EVO, but as a casual player who enjoys putting extra time in--I love what NetherRealm Studios has put together." -- Aron Garst [Full review]
US Gamer --3.5/5
"There's a lot to love in Mortal Kombat 11. It's a fantastic fighter with a roster of 25 varied characters, tons of customization options, beautiful graphics, and one of the best story modes in a fighting game. It's a shame that modes like the Krypt and Towers of Time inject annoyance and tedium into what was an excellent experience. The progression is complex and obtuse, when it should be easy and straightforward. MK 11 could been an all-time best, but it's just a contender." -- Mike Williams [Full review]
Hardcore Gamer -- 3.5/5
"Mortal Kombat 11 is the most beautiful game NetherRealm Studios has ever developed that's backed up with familiar combat honed to perfection over the years. The story may stumble towards the end, but overall is the best narrative ever included in a NetherRealm game thanks to an excellent combination of comedy, emotion, and character-driven moments. Mortal Kombat 11 provides a solid if unremarkable cast of characters to choose from and plenty of ways to customize them. It's just a pity that much of the activities and rewards revolve so heavily around grinding and microtransactions." -- Kevin Dunsmore [Full review]
If you're a member of Amazon Prime, then you undoubtedly take advantage of Prime Video, which allows you to stream a plethora of movies and TV series, including Amazon's original content. The upcoming month of May has plenty of stuff to check out, including a highly-anticipated new series.
The majority of Amazon's movie releases come at the end of the month, but there is plenty to look forward to before then. Suspiria hits the service on May 3, and the remake was a bit polarizing with critics and fans. GameSpot's review by Rafael Motamayor said, "While the dance sequences will make your skin crawl, and Tilda Swinton can do no wrong, the truth is that this film is simply boring."
However, May 31 is when most of Amazon's new content drops. If you're a fan of Jason Voorhees, get ready to binge a bunch of movies. All but two films in the original franchise are coming at the end of the month. Sadly, Jason X and Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter did not make the cut, but you can watch Jason ride a boat for an hour then hang out in New York City for a few minutes in Jason Takes Manhattan. If you're more into comedies, then make sure to check out Planes, Trains & Automobiles or The 'Burbs, heading to Amazon the same day.
Also on May 31 is the release of the highly anticipated first season of Good Omens. Based on the Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, the Amazon original series follows an angel and demon who have become fond of life on Earth and team up to stop the coming apocalypse. However, they've lost the Antichrist, who is supposed to bring Armageddon, so the two set out on a journey to find him.
Below, you'll find the full list for what's coming to Amazon for the month of May. If you're interested in more stuff coming from streaming services, check out Hulu's list for May.
The new month is almost upon us, and Hulu users are probably looking for some new content to watch on the streaming service. Luckily, Hulu has revealed what's coming for May, and there are plenty of movies and TV series for you to check out.
On May 1, Hulu will be releasing a bunch of movies, many of which you've probably seen and want to watch again. Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat comes to the service that day, and in the 2006 mockumentary, Cohen plays the titular character, a Kazakhstan TV host who heads to America to learn about the country's culture and to marry Pamela Anderson. Other movies of note are the 1994 Kevin Smith film Clerks, the sci-fi thriller Twelve Monkeys, and the '80s classic Wargames. Shaquille O'Neal plays a magic genie in Kazaam, and you can see it for yourself on May 1 as well. Something you can never see is Sinbad playing a genie in the movie Shazaam because it doesn't exist.
If you're looking to binge-watch a TV series, Hulu has many options for the month. On May 4, the first half of Season 6 of Comedy Central's Drunk History comes to the service. On that series, comedians under the influence of alcohol tell stories from world history and actors reenact the stories, which includes many drunken ramblings.
On May 14, Season 15 of The Bachelorette premieres on Hulu. On that show, a person who wants to be on TV takes other people who want to be on TV on a series of dates and eliminates them one-by-one until only one camera-hungry person remains. There is also Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction Season 4 coming on May 15. While I've never seen the series, I'm sure it's about one of two things: chef Bobby Flay cooking different types BBQ or a personal dive into Flay admitting his deep love of BBQ and getting the help he needs.
Hulu will be pulling a bunch of movies from its service on May 31, including Waterworld, which no one will miss. But if you're looking to watch a really expensive movie about people in the ocean and see Kevin Costner with gills, you might want to watch it sooner rather than later. Also leaving the service that day are Office Space, Small Soldiers, Edward Scissorhands, and more.
Below, you'll find the full list for everything coming and leaving Hulu in May. Mark what you're looking forward to on your calendars and please, watch Office Space again.
Coming to Hulu in May
Available May 1
Anger Management (2003)
Bait Shop (2008)
Billboard Dad (1998)
The Big Kahuna (2000)
The Birdcage (1997)
Black Rain (1989)
Borat: Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation Kazakhstan (2006)
Breakdown (1997)
Bully (2001)
The Burrowers (2009)
Catacombs (2007)
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
Center Stage (2000)
Chocolat (2000)
Chuck & Buck (2000)
Clerks (1994)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
El Pantra (2018)
The English Patient (1996)
Fair Game (2010)
Fatal Attraction (1987)
Flashdance (1983)
The Green Mile (1999)
Ground Control (1998)
Happy Endings (2005)
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Hardware (1990)
Harsh Times (2006)
Hoodlum (1997)
Hunt for the Skinwalker (2018)
Imagine Me and You (2005)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Kazaam (1996)
The Krays (1990)
Kygo: Stole the Show (2017)
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies (2017)
Larger than Life (1996)
The Landing (2018)
The Last Animals (2017)
Le Divorce (2002)
The Lucky Ones (2008)
Made (2001)
Major League (1989)
Man of the House (2005)
Mermaids (1990)
My Five Wives (2000)
New Guy (2002)
Nick of Time (1995)
The Night We Never Met (1993)
Passport to Paris (1999)
Possums (1998)
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981)
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Rollerball (1975)
Rollerball (2002)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Show of Force (1990)
The Sicilian (1987)
Slow Burn (2000)
Spirit (2002)
Star Kid (1998)
Steak this Movie (2000)
Switching Goals (1999)
The Time Machine (2002)
The Toybox (2018)
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2001)
Thirteen (2003)
Twelve Monkeys (1996)
Twice Upon a Yesterday (1999)
Under Siege (1992)
Wargames (1983)
Welcome to Mercy (2018)
Zombieland (2009)
Available May 2
Dies Irae: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Crunchyroll)
Available May 3
Into The Dark: All That We Destroy: Episode 8 Premiere (Hulu Original)
Don't Believe the Hype: Complete Season 1(Complex)
Everything's For Sale: Complete Season 1 (Complex)
Jobs Unlisted: Complete Season 1 (Complex)
Price the Hype: Complete Season 1 (Complex)
The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)
Available May 4
Drunk History: Complete Season 6A (Comedy Central)
Painkillers (2018)
The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Available May 6
Crash (2005)
Unicorn (2018)
Available May 7
My Hero Academia: Complete Season 3A (DUBBED) (Funimation)
Available May 8
Hillbilly (2019)
Available May 9
Action Point (2017)
Available May 10
Dinosaur 13 (2014)
Available May 11
Marvel's Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 6 Premiere (ABC)
Above Majestic (2018)
Driver X (2018)
Funny Cow (2017)
One Million American Dreams (2018)
Swimming With Men (2018)
Available May 12
Claws: Complete Season 2 (TNT)
Available May 13
Angels of Death: Complete Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
Available May 14
The Bachelorette: Season 15 Premiere (ABC)
The Romantics (2010)
Available May 15
Big Bad BBQ Brawl: Complete Season 2 (Cooking Channel)
Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction: Complete Season 4 (Food Network)
Epic Games has another Marvel crossover event on the way for Fortnite: Battle Royale. Much as it did last year to tie in with the release of a major Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, some kind of event or game mode will debut in Fortnite later this week. A tweet from the game's account with the hashtag #FortniteXAvengers quotes the "Whatever it takes" tagline of Avengers: Endgame and gives a release date of April 25, the day of the first public screenings for the movie.
Most intriguingly, though, the image shows a Fortnite character holding Captain America's iconic shield. That suggests this event could revolve around giving your battle royale participants some gear from the Marvel movie franchises as new pieces of equipment. This would presumably be entirely separate from the Battle Pass that lets players earn new gear.
The last crossover event with Fortnite coincided with Avengers: Infinity War. That game mode allowed you to equip the fabled Infinity Gauntlet and transform into Thanos, but it was so powerful it got nerfed almost immediately. The community had suggested that the limited-time mode Infinity Gauntlet could come back for Endgame. This teaser doesn't confirm the return of that LTM to the game, but it does at least show that Fortnite isn't letting the conclusion of the Infinity Saga pass by unnoticed.
Meanwhile, Fortnite is preparing for its next big seasonal changeover with runes that have appeared around the island. Over the weekend they began slotting into chambers in a giant vault underneath Loot Lake, heralding the arrival of something. We'll just have to wait to find out what.
By Anonymous on Apr 22, 2019 05:32 pm Mortal Kombat 11 brings back it's Klassic Towers as you climb up the ranks and deal with enemy kombatants as your favorite character. Here is every character's arcade ending cinematic after completing the Klassic tower with them. Captured on PS4 Pro. Mortal Kombat 11 is out on April 23, for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch.
By Anonymous on Apr 22, 2019 05:30 pm Mortal Kombat 11 brings back it's iconic brutalities with some bloody twists and we've got over 20 different brutalities among several characters to share with you. We'll have plenty more of our favorites down the line so be sure to check back. Mortal Kombat 11 is out April 23, on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch.
By Anonymous on Apr 22, 2019 05:30 pm Oh, that's right. Every single fatality in Mortal Kombat 11. Grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show you sicko... Mortal Kombat 11 is available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch.
By Anonymous on Apr 22, 2019 05:30 pm Mortal Kombat 11's Krypt is has a lot of discover. If you find yourself stuck, we got a handy guide on how to unlock new areas to explore.
By Anonymous on Apr 22, 2019 05:30 pm Watch all the fatal blows for every character in Mortal Kombat 11 including the new fighter, Frost. Mortal Kombat 11 is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
The new big bad in Mortal Kombat is named Kronika, and she's causing a ruckus by messing with time and rewriting history. Characters are getting erased or colliding with their past selves, while alliances are reverting and new ones are being made--it's the kind of chaos that's ripe for conflict. Nothing that happened with Mortal Kombat before really matters anymore; the series is giving itself a clean slate, and not just with the lore in the story. Netherrealm's multifaceted fighting system has been streamlined, and comprehensive tutorials and practice functions are focussed on making sure no matter where you're coming from, you're well-equipped to dive deep into Mortal Kombat 11.
It's hard not to get excited about the story mode in a Netherrealm game given the studio's history of crafting involved narratives, and Mortal Kombat 11 unsurprisingly delivers an entertaining and polished blockbuster-style cinematic experience with its tale of Kronika's time-bending antics. Combat is woven in with a number of cutscenes, though you'll probably spend more time watching well-choreographed action rather than participating. But the story is a great primer for some of the series' more popular characters nonetheless, and the joys of Kronika's time manipulation means that even if you're a passing fan and aren't up-to-date with all of the wacky stuff that's happened in the universe lately, you can still get a kick out of seeing classic versions of familiar faces, who are just as baffled as you about what's happened to their future selves since.
Watching the character interactions between young and old selves are a highlight, and with the exception of a somewhat flat Sonya Blade, the solid performances are endearingly sincere with some unexpected moments of introspection. By the time it ended I was eager for more--more of Johnny Cage being embarrassed by his younger self, more of the bromance between Liu Kang and Kung Lao, the sappy dynamic between parents and children. But the story mode hits that perfect balance of being just enough and not overstaying its welcome. The plot conceits are regularly ridiculous, especially when family members and lovers get into fatal tiffs, but it's a delightfully bombastic and outlandish visual spectacle if nothing else.
Mortal Kombat 11's eclectic roster includes a solid selection of the series' iconic fighters, along with some of the great additions from Mortal Kombat X, like gunslinger Erron Black and the grotesque insectoid D'Vorah. Three brand new characters do their best to help the lineup branch out--Geras is a tanky character with the ability to rewind and manipulate time, Cetrion is an elder god with flashy elemental powers, the Kollector has a wonderfully unsettling, six-armed demonic design--and they all add an inspired diversity to the familiar roster of magical ninjas and military hard-asses. Character variations also help to keep things diverse. A returning concept from Mortal Kombat X, each character can select between different sets of special moves that alter their playstyle. You can now customize these loadouts in MK11, but only two predetermined movesets are acceptable for serious competitive play. Even so, it means there are a few things to consider when picking which fighter to use.
Some key changes streamline the mechanics of MK11, resulting in a fighting system that somehow feels more active and aggressive than its predecessors. The special meter system has been simplified to allow for amplified offensive and defensive maneuvers to be used at almost any time--gone is the idea of needing to hold back and save up two or three bars of a meter to perform a particular kind of technique. Dedicated meters for defensive and offensive techniques, along with rapid recharge rates mean amplified techniques can be used a little more liberally. "Fatal Blows" replace MKX's X-Ray techniques, serving as a last-ditch comeback mechanic that can be activated once per match when your health is nearly depleted, adding a heightened tension when things get down to the wire. Significant block damage discourages you from being overly defensive, while learning the perfect-timing demands of the "flawless block" system is encouraged to mitigate some damage and open up turnabout opportunities. Running and stamina meters have been removed and dash distances feel shorter, honing MK11's focus on always being within striking distance of your opponent. All of these tweaks mean there is rarely a low moment in a Mortal Kombat 11 fight.
If you're new to the series, learning all those intricacies of the fighting system, special moves, and combo strings for characters can be intimidating. Fortunately, Mortal Kombat 11 does a lot to help onboard you to almost all of its concepts. Following the good work seen in Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat 11 features a comprehensive series of fantastic practical tutorials, with everything from teaching you basic attacks to more advanced lessons on managing the ebb and flow of a match, strategies on how to change or maintain the dynamic of a fight (like dealing with corners or projectile spam), and how to approach building your own combos. What's more, there are also a series of tutorials that succinctly break down expert-level concepts, such as one that shows you what frame data is and how it works in clear, visual terms. Not only that, there are lessons on how to interpret that information and use it in a practical scenario--it'll teach you what makes a move "safe" or "unsafe," how to create pressure in a fight, and even how to perform frame traps. It's an impressive resource that doesn't just give you a better understanding of Mortal Kombat 11's systems, but a deeper understanding of fighting game mechanics in general--knowledge that you can take to any other title.
Character-specific tutorials exist, too, and are more than just a simple rundown of all available techniques. These helpful lessons focus on the most useful and practical abilities and combos for a particular character and give you suggestions on when to use them, the pros and cons of doing so, and what you could follow up with. Furthermore, the in-game move lists are incredibly comprehensive, providing all sorts of helpful data for each move's properties, so you can easily discern something like which of your character's moves has the quickest startup. It's valuable information and knowledge which Netherrealm has been building upon in its last few games and is presented at its best in MK11. Of course, if you're the kind of player that couldn't care less about the advanced stuff and just wants to jump in and see blood spilled, Mortal Kombat 11 can certainly be just as entertaining. Predetermined combo strings, flashy special moves, and humorously over-the-top barbarity means that the game is a joy to watch and participate in, whether the players are just messing around or taking it seriously.
In addition to the game's story mode, MK11 sees the return of Klassic Towers, a more straightforward single-player mode where you fight a series of opponents before eventually facing big boss Kronika. But the real meat of the single-player offering is the Towers Of Time, MK11's version of the limited-time ladders seen in other Netherrealm games, which feature unique modifiers that can affect the playing field, combatants, and mechanics. The idea is that the Towers Of Time provide you with an ever-rotating palette of different single-player challenges to take on for various rewards, but the downside is that here, the odds are nearly always stacked against you.
Some modifiers in the Towers Of Time can affect both you and your opponent equally, like a tilting stage that drains the health of whoever is lower. But more often, the challenges I took on featured negative modifiers that solely affected me, which means they felt horribly cruel and unbalanced. No matter how good you think you are at Mortal Kombat (or how bad you think I am), trying to fight an opponent where you're constantly being targeted and shot and frozen in place by devastating lasers from the sky, or being chased by missiles that turn your screen pitch black if one hits you, is a rotten experience. Being the loner in a 2vs1 match, or fighting a much hardier opponent whose attacks can't be interrupted, is more of an exercise in frustration than it is a hearty challenge.
To overcome the more challenging Towers Of Time, MK11 encourages that you make liberal use of "Konsumables," a large variety of limited-use items that you can equip and activate during a fight. These have their own individual properties, whether it be countering a particular modifier effect, or giving you access to an additional ability. The catch is, the way that you obtain these Konsumables is through luck, perhaps earning one through completing other towers, or spending "Koins" you've accumulated from the game's activities to open one of hundreds of randomized chests in the Krypt, MK11's third-person quasi-puzzle-adventure mode designed for unlocking collectables like cosmetics, concept art, and countless other bits and pieces.
So, there's no guarantee you'll have the right item to help you out on a particular tower, and if you don't, it's going to be a steep uphill battle. But in my experience, even if I did have a suitable item, using it really didn't feel like evening the odds. In the example of the aforementioned blinding missiles, using the item to counter the effects of darkness modifiers meant I could only mitigate one or two missiles before the effect wore off, at which point I would have to wait for the item to come off a long cooldown timer and then manually reactivate it in the middle of the fight, which opens me up to severe punishment from my opponent.
I've only seen four days worth of Towers during the pre-release review period, so their behavior and difficulty may well change in the future. I'll continue to monitor the challenge varieties in the Towers Of Time during the week of launch to see whether the feeling of overwhelmingly unbalanced odds continues. While MK11's "Premium" microtransaction store wasn't live during the review period, the reliance on Konsumables to help even the odds in Towers Of Time, as well as the random nature of their acquisition, certainly makes me curious as to how you'll be able to spend the game's virtual currency, "Time Krystals," when the store goes live.
There's another issue in the way that the game handles its customizable gear for each character. Taking cues from Netherrealm's previous release, Injustice 2, each fighter in Mortal Kombat 11 has three interchangeable pieces of equipment that you're able to receive as a reward, level up, and equip with "augments" once you've done so. The problem is, there's not a lot of motivation to care about that stuff at all. With a few exceptions, gear parts are usually small and aren't a focal point of your character model. You're changing out weapons and pieces of flair rather than entire costume pieces--alternate costumes are predetermined and are unlocked through performing activities like Towers Of Time--so there's little motivation to change them up early on, especially when you'll likely have been earning experience on the default set you've already got equipped. Accruing experience to level up gear for specific characters is a slow process, especially if you like to use multiple fighters; the augments you can equip drop rarely, and the buffs they add for single-player activities are mostly meager. In Injustice 2, even if you didn't really care about the abilities a piece of gear had, they were at least interesting cosmetic parts that you could mix and match to customize a character in your own way for competitive play. Gear in MK11 by comparison just doesn't feel as interesting or meaningful to toy around with.
MK11 also features a range of online multiplayer modes, including ranked and casual matchmaking, as well as private options like lobbies and the ability to practice with a friend. I'll be testing the performance of these modes over the next week once the game is widely available to the public. Additionally, GameSpot was not provided copies of Mortal Kombat 11 on PC or Nintendo Switch during the review period, and I'll be aiming to spend some time with those versions of the game--the PC release of Mortal Kombat X was certainly not without issues, and I'm curious to see how the game performs in the Switch's handheld mode. This review will remain in-progress until I've had adequate time to get a feel of these aspects, on top of keeping an eye on the Towers Of Time.
MK11 isn't just a sequel for series fans and Netherrealm devotees, it's a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly. Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The unfulfilling approaches to the game's dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they've totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters.
The steady stream of post-launch content for Assassin's Creed Odyssey has made the already massive open world game into one of Ubisoft's largest titles to date. With the upcoming Fate of Atlantis expansion, you'll now be able to take a break from the world of Ancient Greece and venture out into a new setting that goes even further with its admiration for Greek mythology. Just ahead of the first episode's launch on April 23, we played through the 8-10 hour DLC, which focuses on the mysterious Atlantis and its larger connection to the Greek underworld.
Following The Legacy of the First Blade expansion, casting a light on one of the earliest assassins in the series, The Fate of Atlantis puts its sights on the fabled lost Isu civilization--otherwise known as the first civilization--which was referenced heavily throughout the main story. In order to access the first episode, titled Fields of Elysium, you'll first need to finish the Lost Tales of Greece quest Heir of Memories, which acts as a prelude. In Fate of Atlantis, Alexios/Kassandra will unlock a secret portal in the Atlantean ruins on Thera island, transporting the protagonist into the realm known as Elysium--the first of three entirely new areas to explore throughout the new story.
Odyssey's post-launch content has built upon a continuous story, introducing new events and plot details that seem to set the stage for what's to come in the series moving forward. The DLC's director, Hugo Giard, reflected on how much it has grown since launch.
"I think we're up to about eleven title updates at this point, and each of them has brought in the usual bug fixes, but a lot of quality of life improvements," said the director. "It's been a lot of fun. Recently we gave players five different slots for gear loadouts, and it's great to see all that stuff go out along with the new entries in the Lost Tales of Greece series. I was involved in making some of those story packs, including [The Heir of Memories], which leads up to this DLC. This has been the most successful AC I've had the chance to work on, and I think it speaks directly to the support that we've given to the game post-launch. I think it's a great way to move forward [for the series]."
In Elysium, your mercenary-turned assassin will rub shoulders with Greek demi-gods and humans co-existing in what appears to be an idyllic world. However, it quickly becomes clear that there's trouble in the so-called paradise, and you'll have to pick a side in the ensuing conflict between the humans and the gods, with both sides seeking control of the realm. Throughout the episode, you'll engage in side-quests, take part in objectives that have that weaken the Greek god Persephone's influence over Elysium, and witness some unexpected encounters with some familiar faces.
The first episode scales gameplay back to fit a more confined setting. With key characters at odds with one another and several regions under occupation, the larger objective in Elysium is to pit each side against one another to suit your needs. Occasionally, the general gameplay can fall back into the tedium and trappings of a familiar open-world title, leading to periods where you have to clear out some by-the-numbers missions and wear down progress meters to see the next story beat. However, the smaller scale of the world makes for a more interesting and digestible space to dive into. In this way, the first episode of Fate of Atlantis comes across in similar vein to classic AC games, and there's a sense of cause and effect from your choices that feels meaningful for the larger story.
The new location is made all the more interesting by Elysium's dreamlike mystique. Set in perpetual daytime and with a lush landscape surrounded by an enclosed row of cascading waterfalls, the new area is otherworldly and mysterious when compared to the familiar Greece, which made exploring all the more enticing. It's easily Odyssey's most visually pleasing and exciting location to explore, which is saying a lot given how rich in detail Ancient Greece was. Though Elysium is set in a more enclosed space when compared to the expansive size of Ancient Greece, it will allow you to get more accustomed to the area as you make your moves and dismantle the power structure.
Throughout Elysium, you'll encounter soldiers and elite guards from the first civilization, all of whom possess magical skills and buffs that make them more powerful than the average foe in Greece. One of the more challenging enemies in the realm are the imposing Collasi, statues that only attack once you've caused too much chaos in certain areas. Breaking from their docile position, the Collasi are aggressive and highly durable enemies, utilizing both laser attacks and heavy weapons. Though it's often better to use stealth and finesse your way around encounters to avoid them, you're still free to use brute force if you want--you'll eventually gain powerful abilities and loot that can even the odds. Some of your current skills, such as Battlecry of Ares, can be upgraded with first-civ power to amplify their effectiveness, allowing you to wield powerful weapons and conjure up Isu projections to fight off the new enemies.
The role-playing aspect of Odyssey is one of the game's strong suits, and it still plays an important role in Fate of Atlantis. Choices made throughout the first episode will carry over into the next installments, which could potentially lead to some unexpected moments with returning characters. However, the reception Ubisoft received from the second episode of Legacy of the First Blade prompted the developers to be more mindful of the type of situations they to put players in. At the mid-point of the story in the last DLC, you were placed into an intimate relationship with another character, regardless of whatever choice they made prior, resulting in many within the AC community to speak out in protest. This is something that the developers kept in mind while forging the Atlantis DLC, which--as far the first episode goes--keeps most romance options flexible and not necessary for the larger story.
"We make no secret of the problems that arose from the second episode," said Giard. "I think we dealt with it correctly [in the following updates], but it was disappointing that happened none the less. But at the end of the day, I thought the [story arc] was really fun to be able to see the first Assassin and the Hidden Blade. We weren't disappointed by it in any way shape or form, but we are more mindful of that going forward."
The Fate of Atlantis gets off to a pleasant start with its first episode. While The First Blade story arc felt more like a side-story, The Fate of Atlantis comes across as an endgame event, offering up a solid opportunity to use some of the more high-end skills and weapons against some challenging foes. Though the first episode doesn't introduce anything particularly new or innovative, it does set the stage for some interesting events and places to come. It's been fascinating to see how Odyssey as a game has changed since launch, and the new expansion could prove to be an exciting turning point for the story at large.
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