nFAMOUS: Second Son was one of the best reviewed and well received titles to release on the Playstation 4 this year, introducing us to the amazingly realistic depiction of Seattle and the various abilities of the conduits. Fetch was one of those conduits, originally feuding with Delsin on several occasions before finally joining the side of good to dispatch the D.U.P forces. With First Light, the player is able to go back two years before the events with Delsin to experience how Fetch became the neon-fueled renegade chased endlessly by her own demons. Does the experience add to one of the standout titles exclusive to the Sony platform so far, or is it a standalone game that cannot live up to the hype? As a fan of Second Son I can say that this downloadable content is worth the price of admission.
The DLC begins with Fetch currently in the confines of the D.U.P Headquarters as their director, Augustine attempts to piece together the events that caused her violent outbursts. As the story of Ms. Walker is outlined, I found out that her powers are not only awakened but become more unstable as she endures multiple hardships. Some moments were happy, such as her relationship with her brother and their desperate efforts to escape the D.U.P once it is learned that she is a conduit. The struggle of being homeless and in a strange new city is nowhere near as terrible as the outcome of being hauled off by Augustine’s troops.
Fetch showcases her powers in various challenges within the D.U.P training arenas that are presented in between each chapter of her origin story. Those challenges are then unlocked to be played at any times to achieve the high score amongst PS4 friends and other players on the world leaderboards. Owners of the original inFAMOUS: Second Son can also play the challenges as Delsin. These challenges outside of the main story are optional, but can provide some hardcore fans with trophies and an ability to try out some of the new moves that are apart of Fetch’s dazzling display of maneuvers.
In my opinion the best part of playing as Fetch in First Light was the absence of any powers or abilities that are influenced by the player’s morality. The lack of a Karma system made the gameplay much more straightforward; shoot enemies with neon blasts until they are incapacitated. Some other new features for Fetch were fluorescent rings throughout the city streets and rooftops that would allow the heroine to boost her speed as she travels with the Light Speed ability. The inclusion of melee finishers and other unlockable moves earned at the completion of First Light also round out an enjoyable repertoire that makes the combat a focal part of the experience.
Players of Second Son will already know some of the characters introduced such as Fetch and Augustine, however several new faces are introduced, including Fetch’s brother Brent as well as some of his old contacts Shane and Jennifer. These characters do not receive much face time in the story, which is unfortunate because I would have preferred their roles compared to some of the supporting roles in inFAMOUS: Second Son. For new players to the inFAMOUS series on PS4, First Light is a great starting point that can lead into the disc based release if they choose to play that afterwards. For Second Son veterans the title is a great reminder of what was really great about that title without some of the more time consuming goals like district showdowns and chasing after hidden drones. Actually scratch that last part; the drones are still around to obsessively shoot down throughout the entire town of Seattle. Do this at your own discretion, because it is quite a hassle.
Overall my time with First Light was great, and building upon the add-on Paper Trail that was included with each new copy of Second Son makes inFAMOUS the best title on the Playstation 4 so far. I hope that this will not be the only expansion that is released for Second Son, although the ability to play as the other conduits would not be as exciting as stepping into the unlaced sneakers of Abigail “Fetch” Walker and her kaleidoscopic array of shimmering light.
