inFAMOUS: First Light – Review

inFAMOUS: First Light is a perfect piece of standalone DLC from developer Sucker Punch which expands on the character Fetch from inFAMOUS: Second Son. For $15 I felt like I got my money’s worth with a 4-5 hour story campaign and additional challenge maps that added to the replay value. For all you trophy hunters: the First Light DLC happens to have a Platinum trophy attached to it as well just begging you to be a completionist. NOTE: Before I begin, I highly suggest playing Second Son prior to First Light because that way, in my opinion, the story lines and character development are more fluid. You can do what you want though.

inFAMOUS: First Light features Fetch, a neon powered conduit that we first met in Second Son. I thoroughly enjoyed her character more than Delsin; with his hipster hat and douchey, selfish attitude. Without spoiling any major plot lines, Fetch has a much more compelling history which includes being cast away by her parents only to be taken under her wing by her older brother, Brent. Her relationship with Brent is strong and caring regardless of their situation which establishes a bond with the player to a point that you care for them too. Sorry Delsin, I don’t care about you.

First Light is definitely a reduced version of the full game. Seattle doesn’t seem quite as large as in Second Son partially due to the fact that you are restricted to the lower half of the original map. This isn’t a bad thing. With only 4-5 hours of gameplay I would hate to be spending a ton of time just crossing the map to reach objectives. From the start, Fetch has use of most of her skills at their minimum level (and the ability to upgrade them), but does gain a few stronger abilities as you progress. Unlike other inFAMOUS games, there is no reputation system so you can walk around lasering pedestrians willy-nilly without consequence. This scenario works in First Light because it allows the player to focus on the story Sucker Punch is trying to tell. Although I loved Fetch and her struggles, the story was occasionally over simplified and at times seemed to fall flat. I couldn’t help but feel like the end of some of the missions were a play on the “I’m sorry, but your princess is in another castle” model. Additionally, missions where I have to ride on top of a car or van to fight off enemies are definitely overplayed in the inFAMOUS series and could have been left out entirely. Regardless, I still found that the story was an overall entertaining jaunt that came together in the end and provided the necessary closure.

Besides the campaign there are quite a few side quests, challenges, and challenge maps to keep you playing. Side quests consisted of “races”, item collection, and drone destruction, but my personal favorites were the events of neon vandalism (kittens!!). Challenges were the typical “kill x number of enemies using the y method.” The coolest addition (and arguably the most challenging part of the game) were the challenge maps. At any point in time the player can pause the game and enter a challenge map to either rescue hostages or play just plain survival mode. These challenge maps occur at Curdun Cay conduit prison (where part of the story takes place) and ingeniously fits into the game. Players kill enemies or rescue hostages for points, adding to a multiplier, and attempt to best their high score. You can compare your scores to your friend’s scores and also get your worldwide rank. Although I didn’t find the campaign at all difficult (on Normal difficulty), the challenge maps certainly made up for it with their increasing difficulty as you progress. Also, if you have a save file for Second Son you can play through the maps as Delsin. I’m working my way through the different maps now and they are fun, fast-paced and, at times, overwhelming. It’s a good thing Fetch’s Neon Singularity exists.

inFAMOUS: First Light was quite possibly the best piece of DLC I’ve played in some time. I don’t normally purchase DLC, but Sucker Punch found a compelling character in Fetch (who has my favorite conduit powers thus far) and created excellent replay value with the endless challenge maps. Once I started playing, I found it very hard to put it down. I enjoyed it enough to work toward attaining the platinum (because I am a completionist at heart). I’m a fan of the inFAMOUS series and First Light did not disappoint. First Light suffered from a few bumps in the story, but is a must-play for anyone that enjoyed their time with inFAMOUS: Second Son. Just be prepared to want more content that includes Fetch.

8/10

-Nick

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