It’s been a few years since I fired up Infamous: Second Son, but I recall having a blast. With tight controls, a sprawling Seattle open world, and fantastic visuals for the PS4’s launch window, it still deserves to be in the discussion of the top titles for the platform. Within its story, you encounter another super-powered Conduit by the name of Fetch, and the same year Second Son was released, the standalone title First Light accompanied it.

Infamous: First Light kicks off two years before the events of Second Son, seeing Fetch’s goings-on in Seattle as an outcast from her parents and traveling with her brother Brent. After an explosion separates the two, Fetch is given free reign over the top half of Seattle present in Second Son. While this open world is a bit smaller than the core game, it’s packed with races, graffiti tag spots, and orbs to collect to power up your neon skill tree.

Knowing that this was a shorter title due to its price, I decided to scour the open world in-between missions. The graffiti boasted some impressive designs and Fetch had a clever remark for each. Races were brief and intense, and worthwhile as they rewarded Fetch with 2 skill points each. Grabbing neon orbs in the sky reminded me of games like Crackdown and Saints Row 4 having the player jumping across rooftops to get more powerful. While some may find this tedious, I crave that sense of accomplishment with each individual pickup, so I was glad this was present.

The combat handles much like Delsin’s would in Second Son, with some nice additions. Fetch’s neon powers have more fleshed-out skills to upgrade, like large salvos of heat-seeking neon missiles, super-slowdown to target enemy weak points for instant kills, and more to make the short experience worth expanding upon. There are several arenas with enemy waves to conquer to further challenge the player, as the main game’s enemies are typically an easy affair.

This is definitely a standalone best played after completing Second Son, as you’ve noticed I keep mentioning the game and its unison with First Light. There were some plot beats that I had to recall, but everything tied itself nicely, and First Light had a satisfying climax. The game is a treat to look at even six years later and on a non-Pro model of the PS4, it exceeded 30fps at some points, which is always a welcome decision. I can only imagine the game is a visual marvel at 4k/60fps on a PS4 Pro.

Sucker Punch went on to wow gamers and critics this year with Ghost of Tsushima, but it’s clear that their previous work in Infamous never disappointed for a second. My time with Infamous: First Light was short, but it was a very satisfying PSN Black Friday purchase at $7. I now want to replay Second Son as well as run through the Infamous Collection on PS3, thanks to my enjoyment with this standalone, which says a lot about its 4-hour runtime.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Infamous: First Light

$14.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Fantastic Controls
• Engaging Combat
• Doesn't Fix What isn't Broken in Second Son

Cons

• Too Easy