inFamous: First Light Review

This stand-alone prequel expansion (I know that doesn’t make sense) tells the story of Fetch, a secondary character from inFAMOUS: Second Son. She grants Delsin Rowe a neon power-set during the adventure, and this ability is the focus of First Light.

Fetch’s story is largely told in Second Son through exposition, so there are no major character revelations here. What there is is a welcome focus on a protagonist who isn’t a bellend, a first for the series.

I like Fetch. She’s infinitely more interesting than Delsin Rowe – she’s a flawed anti-hero, who has come to be defined by some extraordinarily bad decisions. A well weathered archetype, but fresher than stiff cabbage in comparison to “guy gets powers, saves world (or whatever)”.

The neon power-set was easily the best thing about Second Son. It turned a dull mediocre game into a fun mediocre game, and making it central this time round feels like a no-brainer. Like every other inFAMOUS game, the side-tasks are tedious, the missions get a little repetitive, and there’s a bit of padding in the form of enclosed battle-arenas that are annoyingly mandatory, and amusingly revisitable. Many people won’t bother, but for the leaderboard obsessed and the trophy completionist, they represent good value.

What First Light does is take the best slice of Second Son, repackages it in a new story with some extras, and asks for just over a tenner to take it for a spin. In a strange way, First Light is perfect for people who have yet to play Second Son. If you already have, there’s honestly not much point – unless you really really got into the story – as you’ll have already experienced what First Light has to offer as part of Delsin’s campaign. For those new to the series, it’s a bite-sized inFAMOUS game that doesn’t outstay its welcome, shows off some of the gorgeous first-party visuals that your PS4 is capable of, and costs less than a haircut (in Surrey).

Version Tested: PS4

Time Played: 4 hours