Infamous: First Light Review (PS4)

Infamous: Second Son delivered one of the most impressive PS4 exclusive experiences of the year when it came out last spring, continuing the super-power theme from previous games in the series while completely changing plenty of mechanics and introducing a new character, in the form of Delsin Rowe.

Rowe met quite a lot of interesting characters along the way, but by far one of the most intriguing was Abigail "Fetch" Walker, who had a pretty troubled past in Seattle and wielded the great-looking neon power.

Now, developer Sucker Punch has decided that Fetch should get her own experience and delivered Infamous: First Light, a standalone expansion for Second Son that tells the actual story of the troubled young woman, while shedding more light on how super-powered conduits were treated at the Curdun Cay prison by Second Son villain Brooke Augustine.

Does First Light manage to flesh out Fetch's origin story or should fans just return to Delsin's adventures? Let's find out.

Story

Second Son respected the Infamous recipe as it delivered a not so complex character that acted as a blank slate for players to do either good or bad things with their super powers. In First Light, however, Fetch's character and its development don't suffer any change, and in the end it's quite better, as players can admire her own adventures without influencing them in arbitrary ways.

While most of her story was told in Second Son, First Light fleshes it out in much better ways and makes people care about her even more, thanks to the pretty good writing, the excellent delivery from her voice actress, and the stylized cut scenes.

While the plot is pretty predictable, the characters make up a bit for it and Fetch's tragic origins certainly make the character even more believable as a human being, as opposed to the simplistic Delsin from the previous title.

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Gameplay

Neon was probably my favorite power in Second Son, as the speedy way Delsin got around Seattle as well as the amazing visuals produced by it meant I only swapped over to smoke or the other powers when the situation called for it.

As such, First Light was right up my neon-colored alley, as Fetch is back and her arsenal of abilities is improved and unfettered by the limitations imposed on Delsin. There's the same neon dash ability at work but this time it's unlimited, meaning you can dash around the map without any worries. While the actual open world covers just the first half of Seattle from Second Son, Sucker Punch has improved collision detection, which makes getting around much easier and frustration-free than in the last title.

Besides the dash, Fetch can employ heat-guided missiles or force blasts, in addition to the regular neon shooting and the melee attacks. These can all be improved thanks to a much simpler and straightforward upgrade system, which uses skill points that are awarded upon completing story missions, side quests, and the many other activities scattered around Seattle.

Combat in general relies more on Fetch dashing around the battlefield, hitting weak spots while slowing down time, and it works quite smoothly. Throw in the pretty impressive ultimate Singularity power and her capacity for destruction is quite high.

In terms of length, expect the story to last around 4 to 5 hours, depending on your skill, and the side activities to double that playing time, which isn't so bad for a standalone expansion.

Unfortunately, plenty of the missions are repetitive and rely mostly on blasting foes from afar, acting as a sort of sniper. Most of the time, Fetch goes up against mobsters and drug dealers, so don't event expect the more challenging battles against DUP soldiers until the end stages of the experience.

The side missions also relate to a few repetitive tasks, such as spraying graffiti using Fetch's neon power or chasing after surveillance drones. The one quest line that was actually quite fun involves Fetch dashing after neon lumens while going through gas bubbles that cause her dash to speed up even more.

For those looking for a tougher experience, there are three different challenge rooms, set in the confines of the Curdun Cay prison, where Fetch can unleash her destructive abilities against virtual enemies, ranging from mobsters to DUP agents as well as demons and angels. This mode is pretty fun, and if you own Second Son, you can also go through the challenges using Delsin Rowe and his smoke powers. Bear in mind that things get pretty tough so, if you want a spot on the leaderboards, you might want to practice quite a bit.

Visuals and Sound

Infamous: Second Son boasts a few improvements in terms of visuals, as the framerate is now rock solid, and even while dashing with Fetch throughout Seattle at high speeds there's no sort of pop-in or any visual slowdown. The facial capture system is once again top-notch and manages to make Fetch feel even more lifelike during her interactions with her brother, the villain, or with Brooke Augustine back in the Curdun Cay prison.

In terms of soundtrack, it goes into a more punk rock vibe, which fits Fetch's rebellious look and attitude. The voice acting, as I said above, is great, starting with the main protagonist, Fetch, who's brought to life by Laura Bailey, and extending to her brother or the new villain.

Unleash powers

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion