Games Xtreme goes back to running from Shadows in Deadlight: Director's Cut on the Xbox One, is it worth another bite?
Remasters of the Universe
I can scarcely open up a web browser these days without seeing something to do with remasters, from Dying Light, to Dead Island, and now Skyrim it seems a lot of games are undergoing the step into new-generation console and PC hardware. Deep Silver are becoming synonymous with remaster in my head, especially now another of their published games has dived into the deep pool of remastered gaming.
Remember back in 2012, Deadlight? I wrote a pretty indepth review of this short, but ultimately neat game.
OK, so now we're in 2016 and guess what?
The Deadlight Director's Cut is upon us, and it's for the new-gen consoles, this version I'm going to take a peek at is the version for the Xbox One. Don't expect a stellar upgrade though, but do expect more content, some tweaks, and definitely expect better graphics for this outing!
What's the new stuff then?
Tequila Works are really passionate about the game, and that's great. One thing I totally love about 'indie' developers is their passion, and it comes through in every moment of Deadlight. Sure, there might be a few dodgy voices and some overacting, but it's a zombie apocalypse and we're allowed some of that - see Resident Evil for example. They couldn't just rest on their laurels when they delivered Deadlight to some fairly OK reviews, nope, they've been turning their hand to improving the game's longevity, challenge, and adding new content. With the help of Deep Silver, and Abstraction Games, Tequila Works have managed to breathe new life into the game.
Survival Mode
What zombie apocalypse isn't complete without a harder mode, survival of the fittest should mean just that, and Survival Mode delivers a pulse-pounding, nail-biting, hordes of undead vs. Randall and his limited arsenal experience. The all new Survival Arena is a brutal thing, with interactive defences, blocks you can shove around, and barricades. There's just You vs. The Horde of the Undead, though you're not thrown in totally at the deep end, you get some new toys to play with such as the Molotov Cocktail, Sniper Rifle, Machine Gun, and some other surprises.
It's still bloody hard even with that lot, and that's great - too many games hold your hand, this one, like say State of Decay, holds it before it tears off your fingers and eats them whole!
Nightmare Mode
Is the game too easy, do you have Guts of Titanium?
Activate Nightmare Mode and you'll get ONE chance to make it through the story, fail, and Randall's one life is gone, dead, finished, back to the start for you!
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Digital Artbook
Tequila Works are proud of the visual style they've achieved with Deadlight, and so they've included a Digital Artbook in the game for you to share their vision, the creation, and the style behind it. If you're a fan of things like this, and I know I am, you will probably give it a look or two.
Tweaky Stuff
Randall has been given a few tweaks as well, he's still sluggish to control, and combat remains the same as the previous outing for the game. There's a smattering of new animations, and as previously mentioned the graphics are nice, they work on the new-gen platform and it doesn't look totally out of place here.
The Final Bite
I'm not sure I can say much more about this game, save for the fact it's the perfect time to grab it if you've not played the original, there's some new content, and whilst it's not as great as it could be in terms of the remaster - it's probably worth a punt if you're a fan of the genre, and you're looking for a quick foray into something a little different than the run of the mill Zombie Crafting Death Simulator.