The free update contains plenty of secrets players might be shocked to discover. It deserves credit for setting up the next big thing. This doesn’t go without saying The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Aftershocks proved me wrong in surprising ways. But unfortunately, it’s delivered in pieces which don’t really come together until the end. After a long wait, players deserve some story elements which are still in the game’s pipeline. Or a real character presence to bring “the Tourist” back into action. As a DLC, Saints & Sinners remains without a twist. Instead, the looting and collecting comes for the sake of it. Heck, there aren’t even new weapons or reasons to collect resources. Where quality expansions would add something new to the design or gameplay, The Walking Dead holds back. It’s simply doing more of the same through looting caches. “This doesn’t go without saying The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Aftershocks proved me wrong in surprising ways.”Īftershocks only gives “more game” without an added perspective DLCs should offer. Resident Evil VII and Marvel’s Avengersnoticeably framed DLCs as a “game within a game.” But The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners scratches the surface for something refreshing. It doesn’t strike me as having the same quality or pieces. See where I’m going with this? Aftershocks presents a different kind of post-game after delivering a stellar story. But Crystal Dynamics still met DLC standards with an original plot that expanded the entire Avengers narrative forward. Then offering Black Panther as a new hero, with moves that add a twist to conventional gameplay. The difference lies in crafting a brand-new environment to explore in Wakanda. Players are still doing much of the same. War for Wakanda is still derivative of the Avengers game. But only one free update checked all the right boxes. The recent War For Wakanda is an overdue expansion like Aftershocks. Marvel’s Avengers might be a console game, but its post-launch DLC gives VR titles notes to take. In turn, there was “more game” through a quality story with gameplay twists. But with DLC that offered a different way to play. The Baker mansion was the same, but players got a new perspective through the eyes of Chris Redfield and Zoe Baker.
Through a few story-based DLCs, players got original story nuggets before and after Resident Evil VII. Resident Evil VII offered some post-game DLC of their own. One way comes from other undead games before. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Aftershocks DLC starts to blur the line of offering “more game” for players. I’ll even admit to deliberately setting off traps, clearing myself a stress-free path through a building. But it takes one knife to render this DLC feature useless. A nice addition comes from explosive traps and noisy tripwires. I’m still struggling to see in the terrifying void of uncertainty under Aftershock’s indoor levels. A few familiar halls in schools, facilities and other dark buildings are cordoned off. In a slight twist, Aftershocks flips some areas of a map around. The world is bleaker than ever, without allies which aided players in their completed journey. In other words, everything wants to kill you in Aftershocks. This quickly jump started all of my reactions, aim and backpacking skills laid dormant for over half a year. Players never feel safe in a much scarier New Orleans. Skydance has also made the post-game more challenging. These are smartly incorporated into the existing world. By finding some secret keys, each one leads to a new story nugget.
But this doesn’t really come into fruition by the end. In a way, Skydance prepares players for an even bigger battle to come. These new caches are abundant with resources that were harder to find in the campaign. From the leftover recipes for weapons and resources, Aftershocks effectively fills in the gaps.
Players still get chances to upgrade their hideout. Without a returning cast to push a story forward, resources begin to speak for themselves Like the campaign, players are also rewarded for starting this new hustle. Those who especially love collecting resources have plenty of things to do until the next update. Players are going on pure supply runs, which drive the entire DLC’s five to six hour run. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Aftershocks still plays to its strengths.