Legacy of the First Blade Done!

I've been sitting on the content from the season pass of Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey for quite awhile now (which honestly is fine with me...I will get to that) and I just finished the first three "episode" chunk:  Legacy of the First Blade.  I had kind of forgotten how controversial and unpopular this DLC was--I have to say that I actually enjoyed it, but I can understand some of the negative feelings and reviews that people have expressed.  Ohhh, it's complicated!

A whole new masked conspiracy to slay!

One of the main reasons that I am glad I waited on playing the DLC is because I am still a tad mind boggled as to why it was released in an "episodic" way and I am not a fan of playing things in chunks--I prefer to just keep playing straight through something so that it's fresh in my head.  I think it would have been slightly torturous to play through one episode and then wait another six weeks for the next one to be rolled out (although, I suppose the flip side would be that for players who want to take their time they could potentially roll it together).  What exactly was the point of doing it that way?  To build suspense?  I just don't get it.

SPOILERS HO!  Yeah, from here on out I'm going to be writing about aspects of the main storyline in Legacy of the First Blade.

The basic pretense of the storyline in Legacy of the First Blade is that a new collection of baddies (AKA a new conspiracy--'magine that!) has appeared from foreign shores and is plotting deviousness in the Greek world.  Your character (Kassandra in my case) finds themself drawn into the machinations of The Order (yes, the precursor to the Order from Origins and every other AC game) and meets a father/son (or, I have a feeling if you play as Alexios--father/daughter) duo who is hellbent on hunting down and destroying them all.  As the story unfolds, Kassandra/Alexios learns that they are being hunted by The Order because of their "tainted blood."  Working with the mysterious Persian father/son--Darius and Natakas--Kassandra must uncover clues to hunt down and destroy The Order (look, you get a new cultist menu, it has new baddies...it all feels very familiar).  Darius is very mysterious and carries a familiar weapon...a spring-loaded blade strapped to his wrist.

Interestingly, a large part of the controversy about this DLC comes from the fact that players are largely stripped of their ability to make choices within the story.  One of the major controversies came from the fact that the story forces players into a relationship with the son/daughter character--because the narrative is largely driven by the concept of Kassandra/Alexios bloodline and the need for it to be wiped out by future insidious conspiracies, there's a need for offspring.  Therefore, regardless of many of the choices you've made prior to this point in the main story--you have a baby!  A lot of people were upset by this because they were given the freedom to shape their character how they wanted--including choosing only same-sex LI's--and then having that taken away.  It definitely ruined that particular aspect of the game.

Since I wasn't dead-set on playing my Kassandra one certain way (and I was going for the "flirt with everyone" option), I didn't find the relationship controversy to be as rage inducing as it seems to be for many people (I can understand it though).  I actually liked the "family" aspect of the story and felt like it gave it a wider range of emotion.  There are A LOT of negative reviews for this DLC that hinge on the fact that player choice is taken away (and it's true), but I was also surprised by the number of reviews that especially mention "ruining Kassandra."  I definitely did not feel that and don't understand those feelings--why can't Kassandra still be a badass even though she has a baby?  She can't be a mother and still club people to death (my Kassandra!)?  She can't show any emotions?  It seems like seeing the softer, more traditionally feminine side of Kassandra causes discomfort for some people--and, I suppose it does get back to the whole "illusion of choice" complaint--if you're playing your Kassandra as a heart-breaking, tough-talking misthios...it sort of doesn't make sense.

For me personally, I enjoyed the ups and downs of Kassandra settling into the "simple" life (although I will agree with the assessment that Natakas is boring as crap)--that's always been a part of video games that I like--seeing characters that we've grown to enjoy having something nice happen.  Of course, right when you feel the happy vibes the story rips that right away.  The Order attacks your happy little home and Kassandra is on a mission to find her missing son.  Strangely enough I found the violence and killing much more justified as Kassandra goes Mama Bear on The Order.  (Umm, she's still a badass, and probably more of one when she is desperately trying to find her son)

I guess it's an unpopular opinion, but I actually liked Legacy of the First Blade.  I can agree with many of the criticisms (the choice thing does suck; there aren't any new areas to explore) but I enjoyed unraveling The Order and getting to experience a wider range of Kassandra.  I liked how the story ties together the bloodline with the assassins.

I would cautiously recommend Legacy of the First Blade to those looking to check out additional content for Odyssey.  I enjoyed the story but can understand some of the outrage over taking away player agency.  Maybe buy it on sale if you're feeling hesitant.