DLC I DL Saw in 2023
Naming articles is hard okay, I thought this was funny, you just don't get it
27 Dec 2023Downloadable Content (or DLC) has become a norm for games since the PS3/360 era, and even back then it felt like it was just the concept of the “Expansion Pack” that was well known from the PC gaming world rebranded for the new online store era. Not all DLC is equal though, with some being small scale cosmetic stuff (horse armour) and others being more in line with the expansion pack that that DLC shares its roots with. The latter what I’m talking about today - DLC I played this year that has some real good depth to it, usually with some extra story or something like that.
This is ordered in rough play order of game, not DLC. Just so you don’t have to read things like the Pokemon DLC reviews slightly out of order.
The Case of the Golden Idol
The Spider Of Lanka (PC, 2023)
The first DLC for Golden Idol is an expansion of the base game in the worst way possible - it continued the escalation of scale and complexity that the original levels followed, which resulted in really long and hard to solve mysteries (and not in the fun way). There’s three new cases and they’re all pretty rough. The second one in particular feels so bloated that it could have been two cases in itself. They also added new animations for people talking which looks super ugly and off-putting. There’s sparks of fun in this but nowhere close to the base game. 5/10
The Lemurian Vampire (PC, 2023)
It’s better than the first DLC! It’s still got some scale issues but they at least have a very cool take on the format by having all three cases take place in the same area, and each level has three distinct times it takes place in. It’s a fun gimmick and it’s a good way to keep you familiar with the involved characters considering the shorter length. The story is very whatever, and it centres around the origins of the Golden Idol itself, which I think is the thing I care about the least. I don’t need to know where it came from, it’s what it does and how its power can corrupt people which is the cool part. 7/10
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye (PC, 2022)
I think a challenge often faced with DLCs is that when the base game is solid and has a very complete end, it’s hard to figure out where to expand and add new content. It can feel a bit awkward if you shove it in the middle, or clunky if it’s just something you play separately after you’ve beaten the game. It’s a testament to Echoes of the Eye’s quality that it feels extremely natural in the well crafted game that is Outer Wilds. The puzzles have the same level of “a-ha!”moments that the base games does, the drive to figure out the mystery hits just as hard, and the added lore is an extra bow on the base story you didn’t know you wanted. I think the actual story and explanation isn’t as good as the base game for reasons I can’t go into without spoiling, but it’s still such a great experience that I can’t imagine the game being without now. 8.5/10
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways (PC, 2023)
I don’t want to sound hyperbolic but the opening to this DLC might be the single best cutscene in all of Resident Evil. I’ve never been a crazy big fan of Separate Ways in the original RE4, but I think they did a great job of remaking it here. The story’s still a bit whatever but it feels a lot more cohesive than the original, and it includes some fan favourite classic moments that didn’t make it into the remake. I don’t feel like there’s not a lot of replay value but at the end of the day Separate Ways is more RE4 Remake and how can I possibly complain about that? 9/10
Pokémon Violet
The Teal Mask (Switch, 2023)
To talk about Teal Mask (or really just Pokémon Violet in general) is really hard without addressing the poorly running elephant in the room. It’s astonishing that they released the game with it performing like it does and I hate giving it a pass by buying it. I think the DLC runs even worse despite it being smaller. That sucks and shame on Game Freak for releasing it like this. Now to put that all to the side, Teal Mask is pretty solid and I enjoyed it a fair bit. The story is a bit whatever but the setting is cool and I love all the Pokémon they brought back for the overworld, as well as the new Legendaries. I’ve never been someone who cares about combat encounter difficulty in the newer Pokémon games but I have to admit that the Ogre Mask gang battles showed me how good it can be if they make some trainer not completely brain dead and have good teams. 8/10
The Indigo Disk (Switch, 2023)
Okay so everything I said about the performance in my Teal Mask review holds true here and yet again I think it somehow got worse in this DLC. With that established: Indigo Disk is an enjoyable but uneven experience. The story feels a bit rushed in areas and you never really get time to appreciate the cast before the game moves on to the climax, which also feels a bit rushed. It’s still fun but compared to the base game which had some of the best story in Pokémon since like Gen 5, it’s a bit of a letdown. The DLC does have some strong highlights though. The Terrarium area is pretty sizeable and has a fun gimmick with the different biomes so you get some good variety going on. Trainer battles had a great level of challenge to them with their double battle focus and teams that use held items and abilities to actually provide some challenge. There’s also the gimmick of being able to rematch gym leaders, Elite Four, etc. which is fun because they also got levelled up and remixed to be a bit more challenging. The only downside is stuff like the rematches, new features like camera and ball throwing customisation, are blocked by these really tedious quests that are like mobile game dailies but endless. You need to do so many to unlock everything, and if you’re doing it solo it just takes sooooooo long. It sucks to be gated like that because they want you to do things in multiplayer. On the bright side, if you do it with friends, it does go by pretty quickly and it’s a fun to smash through together. 8/10