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The PS4 has been enjoying a great deal of popularity, mostly thanks to the positive response to some of its landmark titles, such as the exclusive game Infamous: Second Son. Now Sucker Punch, the people behind the super-powered adventure series, are back with standalone DLC First Light which takes players back to Seattle following the story of Neon powered speedster Fetch Walker.
Gamers who took to Seattle in Second Son will feel at home here and will remember the delightfully outrageous style of Fetch whose story of revenge was an unexpected moment of reality amongst the more comic book antics on offer. Now in First Light we see all of Fetch’s past laid out as a prequel adventure, giving us a chance to meet up with the doomed character of Brent and the duplicitous Shane. Meanwhile we also get flashes of the future with Fetch being held at Curden Cay, a specialist prison/training ground ruled over by the insidious Dr Augustine.
As a fan of the previous instalment of the Infamous franchise, I was actually left both impressed and astounded by what was on offer in First Light. By taking us into the past slightly we get to explore more of Fetch’s backstory as well as see some of the events which would lead up to Second Son. Likewise Fetch has access to all of her powers from the beginning of the story meaning players wouldn’t face having to start from scratch and build up. There are some upgrades and one or two new powers for Fetch to earn as players follow her story, but these will be familiar to players as they have similar mechanics to the Neon powers shown in the previous instalment.
Gameplay wise this DLC doesn’t re-invent the wheel but it does still manage to be full to the brim with lots of things to see and do to please any completionist. The storyline itself only lasts for a few hours meaning that hardcore gamers will be able to burn through the main quest line quickly. Sucker Punch however have pushed the limits and added some familiar side quests to break up the gameplay and give players a lot to do to make the purchase worthwhile. Similarly there are a great deal of arena style parts of the game which gives players the chance to compete against their friends for the highest score and add an arcade element to an already solid game. One last touch we did appreciate was the option to allow us to complete the main story and still be able to roam around Seattle. Fast travel around the city has been done really well in First Light and makes it a joy to run, jump and nearly fly from rooftop to rooftop. and I relished the chance to go back in again to have fun in such a large and expansive playground.
Sadly First Light is not without its issues which did occasionally leave me cold. One part that stood out was the deviation from the traditional good and bad morality choices which have been a staple of previous Infamous games. I understand why this was needed since Fetch’s story needed to follow a set path, but it felt like a pretty core aspect of the game which was overlooked. There was also a feeling that the powers Fetch used were a little too familiar and lacked too diversity when compared to the three powers which players could master in Second Son. While this isnt necessarily a deal breaker (neon was my favourite power set in the previous game) it does leave you feeling a little bored if you aren’t a fan of the game mechanics.
Taking the DLC as a whole package there is a lot of good work here which I absolutely loved. The story was well constructed and the way Fetch powers around Seattle is amazingly well done. While I am a little let down by lack of moral choice prevalent in previous instalments I can honestly say this is a great little bonus for fans of the series. All this for a bargain price of £11.99 means First Light will be a sure fire hit with PS4 owners.
Infamous: First Light is available for PS4 now.
