Infamous: First Light Review Roundup

With Infamous: Second Son having been out since March, Sucker Punch today released Infamous: First Light, a standalone downloadable expansion--which is to say, it's a spin-off that doesn't require you to own (or have played) Second Son. The first reviews are now out, and we've rounded up a selection of them below.

First Light stars Fetch, the female Conduit players meet partway through Second Son. That means you'll be using neon powers throughout the game, but Sucker Punch told us in a recent interview that they work differently than those used by Second Son's protagonist, Delsin. Her powers also allow her "to move faster and in a more fluid way than we've ever been able to pull off at Sucker Punch," according to the developer.

As a $15 game, you shouldn't expect something on par with the size of Second Son--Sucker Punch estimates it to take around 4-5 hours to complete First Light's campaign, but that's only true if you don't focus exclusively on story missions. Beyond that, there are also the battle arenas where you can compete against friends to top the leaderboards.

You can check out a sampling of reviews below. For more, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Infamous: First Light
• Developer: Sucker Punch
• Platforms: PlayStation 4
• Release Date: August 26
• Price: $14.99

GameSpot -- 6/10

"Infamous: First Light proves itself a serviceable time-waster. Fetch is an engaging character, troubled yet intensely loyal, and though her story arc recalls more video games, film, and anime than I care to count, she still commands your attention. I spent about six hours with her in total, and managed a 100-percent playthrough in the process; if you're just in it for the story, you could probably zap your way through in around two hours. Given Second Son's greatness, I had hoped for something more than a time-waster, but this Infamous has no bite." [Full review]

Shacknews -- 7/10

"Infamous: First Light is at its best when it's iterating on and riffing on Second Son. In many ways, the abbreviated length of First Light makes it a better bite-sized package. It's more linear and less surprising than fans might expect from the series, but exploring this world as Fetch is just as fun as it ever was." [Full review]

Eurogamer -- 6/10

"First Light's weird, limbo nature makes it a hard one to pin down. Considered as a DLC add-on, it's pretty generous and fans of Second Son will certainly appreciate the extra backstory and another chance to romp around Seattle. As a standalone game, it earns points for trimming the fat from the open-world template, but is also as generic as they come. First Light is an adequate diversion for fans but unlikely to dazzle anybody else." [Full review]

Destructoid -- 8.5/10

"Full stop, Infamous: First Light is more Second Son, which is a good thing. Although I wasn't nearly as invested in Fetch as I was with Delsin's story, this is a great way for fans to return to the super-powered world of Seattle, and an even better way for newcomers to get a taste of the series." [Full review]

Game Informer -- 8/10

"Infamous: First Light lacks some of the punch of Second Son in its campaign battles and familiar narrative marks, but is still a welcome addition to the series. Fetch is a fantastically written character, and the conclusion to her origin story is worth seeing in its entirely--even if you already know what happens. Sucker Punch did a phenomenal job with the finale." [Full review]

IGN -- 7.5/10

"Infamous: First Light is a decent story around a better character than Second Son, but its battles don't have the same scale or superpower variety that Second Son's do. After the short campaign, its challenge maps put a new spin on combat by taking away your ability to escape danger on a whim, making it much tougher." [Full review]