The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinners Aftershocks Review
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners has a pretty solid run time, especially for a VR title. Even after finding The Reserve and completing the main story there was fun to be had traipsing around New Orleans, destroying ever larger amounts of the undead and Tower and Reclaimed patrols and death squads. That fun did peter out without the shiny jewel of The Reserve to be a constant goal and compelling mystery. The Trial provided some brief relief, but it did not satisfy, it did not feel like playing the original game at all. For those left wanting more by then there is finally relief with Skydance Interactive’s release of the Aftershocks DLC.
Those who have not stepped into The Tourist’s shoes for a while may wonder though, is this DLC worth reinstalling the game? Can more of the same be expected, or something a little different? Stick around to find out. (Light Spoilers, mostly content related)
Shootouts Traps and Loot Oh My!
The first thing that is very apparent when playing Aftershocks is the increase in human enemies. By the time the main game is finished it is assured that the player has a sizeable arsenal and a lot of, if not all of, the workbench upgrades. So the enemies are commensurate to the player’s ability. Where The Trial was a test of zombie fighting skill, Aftershocks is a test of gunfighting capability. There are many human enemies in Aftershocks, and not just a light sprinkling as before. Tower troopers and Reclaimed soldiers come in packs, almost entirely armed with heavy weapons such as shotguns and assault rifles, and wearing heavy armor. Gone are the days of fighting a few goons wearing blue shirts and wielding .30 revolvers. The Tower and The Reclaimed aren’t playing around anymore. So whenever one of those Military Cases is up for grabs be sure to bring some firepower.
For anyone who hated fighting other humans in the main game, this DLC might not be for you, though there are always stealth options. On the other hand anyone who found that the main game quickly skimped out on opportunities to have gunfights with your fellow man, then Aftershocks delivers. Especially as, even if not taken from The Reserve in the original ending, the ability to make assault rifles and ammunition for them is quickly unlocked.
Traps are also more formidable then before. No longer are there only simple barbed tripwires that only do a little damage if they touch the player’s body. The Reclaimed have become more devious than ever before, and have wired up propane canisters to blow. They don’t have tin cans hanging from them either. You need to spot the thin wire, or say goodbye to your legs.
Can you spot the tripwire?
Despite the dangers, the crates are SO worth the trouble. Each is packed to the brim with the highest tier loot. No joke. Boxes of loot of all colors, ammunition, the highest tier food items, the best medicines, even fully assembled high durability weapons. Items that previously could only be crafted. All this and more are the prizes at stake. What seemed like a high quality haul before now looks like so much random garbage. Prepare to be spoiled.
What About the Story Though?
The story starts off pretty tame. There is no talk of the leaders of the factions, or any new direction in their ideologies now that The Reserve is gone. As far as they are concerned it is still there, just spread about in many small pieces to fight over. The Tower does not collapse if you killed Georgia in the main game, and neither do The Reclaimed if JB kicked the bucket. No choices made before Aftershocks affect the DLC missions. The missions are simply… go get the crates. If you’re hungry for loot this may be enough, but any additional motivation is not found within the story.
Other than the standard “Get the cache before anyone else does” setup of the missions, it takes quite a few runs before any additional plot develops. The cache missions all vary slightly, and a couple of minor characters that come and go are introduced. Nobody of the caliber of May or Casey. All in all the story is very light, and all built up to a central mystery which is… not satisfying.
While fighting The Tower and The Reclaimed across the same old maps definitely feels like living in the world of The Walking Dead’s New Orleans, something is missing. There is no more discovery as there was playing the base game the first time. Everything is simply there as window dressing for the end game combat challenges. The Tower does not change. The Reclaimed do not change. New Orleans does not change, and neither does The Tourist through the player. There are no interesting choices to make as in the first game. There are simply gunfights and massive loot. Sure there is a mystery, but the final reveal of it at the end will have you wishing there was never a mystery at all, the ending is that bad. It seemed as though it was shoed in so that Aftershocks could have a clear way to say it is over. Just to make sure, the developers added a popup which basically says “Thanks for playing, it’s over.”
More to Come
Skydance has indicated that there will be more additions to The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, so maybe the lackluster ending is building to something greater. As it stands if you want more interesting gameplay challenges in this game, then this DLC is definitely for you. If you wish to be satisfied by an interesting story with ideas to think about and moral choices to make, you won’t find it here. Hopefully Skydance’s next addition will be better in that department. Though, who can complain too much with so many things to shoot?
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is available on Steam for 39.99$. It is also available on the Oculus Store for 39.99$.