Discerning gamers often view
downloadable content (DLC) with suspicion: they believe that too often,
it exists solely to give games publishers a means of making an extra
buck on the back of once-popular games. However, there are signs of a
recent shift in attitudes, resulting in slabs of DLC which conform to
what gamers actually want – rather than what publishers want to sell
them.
The Following, a substantial piece of DLC for last year’s excellent open-world zombie game
Dying Light, is a case in point.
For a start, it’s huge – its map, developer Techland reckons, is
twice as big as that of the original game, and that feels like a
plausible claim. The action begins with protagonist Kyle Crane outside
the city of Harran, in a mountainous region, from which he descends to
find farmlands. Most of those are overrun with either zombies or
bandits, but Crane comes across pockets of survivors, who apparently owe
their continued existence to a shadowy cult run by the mysterious
Mother. Intrigued, he sets out to find their secret. But first, he must
gain the locals’ trust, which he achieves by performing story and
side-missions.
Gameplay-wise, there’s a big twist on top of the original game: because
The Following
is set in a rural area, rather than a city, Crane gets to drive around
in a buggy – which can be upgraded (for which you must scavenge parts
and fuel from abandoned vehicles) and has its own skill-tree. The buggy
is great, and since you gain experience points for mowing down zombies
in it, it adds a welcome whiff of
Carmageddon to proceedings.
Localised driving challenges also often crop up, and as in the original
game, you often come across random location-based missions, and – after
dark – nests of Volatiles you can clear out.
The story missions are, if anything, better-written and more
imaginative than those of the original game, and the same can be said of
the side-missions. There are points at which the story comes to a halt
and you’re forced into side-missions, in order to build up your local
respect, but that never feels like an imposition. You come across new
weapons – such as an excellent crossbow – and enemies, such as Freaks,
which are essentially bosses which you must approach in highly strategic
ways. Often, it’s worthwhile finding a co-operative partner in order to
take them down.
On the PlayStation 4, at least,
The Following also looks
notably better than the original, which itself was by no means a
bad-looking game. Overall, it’s a prime example of how DLC should be
done: it returns you to a thoroughly enjoyable and beautifully fettled
game-world, with plenty of welcome additions and nearly as much
substance as the original game. If you played
Dying Light but have recently neglected it,
The Following
is pretty much a must-buy. And if you didn’t, you might want to check
out the just-released Enhanced Edition of the game, which includes
The Following and other items of DLC such as
The Bozak Horde. A rare treat for those who love to slice and dice the undead.
