James Lynch 
So episode two is out and completed, I know, I am a machine. Vastly more expansive than the first episode we now see a new sect of Order members to hunt and kill and their head, The Tempest, is a sea veteran captaining a warship equipped with a deadly flame thrower. Before you ask, yes you can unlock it too.
With a better narrative drive, as the city remains under siege from the sea, we see the Misthios track and kill the branches of the Order to reach Tempest. There is a muddied family narrative to the Tempest, in which you help her mother in a mission and find she was taken by the order. Much like your sibling in the main quest, it gives a nice comparison point where you can forge the outcome of this bitter tale. In the end, the Tempest is unsavable, which is disappointing, but the mother’s life is truly in your hands, whether the Tempest repents before her death or not. This gives some level of narrative control.
However, the biggest controversy in the episode 2 narrative was the blooming relationship with either Neema or Nakatas, dependant on who you are. As their relationship grows it culminates in a baby, without choice, in order to continue the bloodline. This is clearly a narrative point to ensure that future protagonists are, what are eventually introduced to us as Tainted Ones, basically the Sages from previous instalments. The difference being they have higher quantities of Isu DNA and are therefore more in tune with Isu artefacts (Superhuman abilities introduced in Odyssey). But it feels sloppy and the fact it forced you into a relationship ruffled the community of gamers that were either playing A-Sexual or Same sex relationships. And rightly so. If you are going to make a player invested in the choices and the character they become, don’t funnel them into a relationship to further the narrative plot point. Ubisoft offered to fix this issue, but due to tying themselves in a knot they are unable to unwrite the baby, so whether you are sexual or same sex, you will have a baby with the opposite sex, at a time that artificial and insemination weren’t even words. Well maybe the second one but still *facepalm*.
Regardless of the narrative bottleneck, the second episode introduced a new ship feature, new armour and weapons and a stronger narrative drive than before. And for someone playing as a straight character, the ending was fitting, emotional and finally gave some closure to the endless Odyssey the Misthios was on. Let’s hope that this continues on and how the fate of the Misthios, their partner and Elpidios turn out.
