Stealth games are awesome. There is nothing that makes you feel like more of a badass than passing through an entire game without anyone noticing you. For the slightly more sociopathic, of course, you can also silently creep around the world, quietly ending the lives of anything and everything that you come across, leaving a ghost world in your wake. Well, good news for stealth fans out there, Aragami has made its way to Xbox One, and this special Shadow Edition features a new story-based DLC too called Nightfall.
*SPOILER WARNING: Although the DLC’s storyline takes place before the story of the main game, this review will contain some spoilers. You have been warned: SPOILER WARNING*
The new Shadow Edition of Aragami features the original Aragami game, a huge performance patch, as well as a new story-based DLC, Nightfall, which expands on the story which was originally told. The new DLC follows Hyo, an important figure from the main game, and his companion, Shinobu, as they try their best to rescue the Shadow Empress.
The gameplay in Nightfall is very similar to the gameplay in the main game, at least for the most part. You still have to carefully sneak your way from shadow to shadow, teleporting your way amongst your enemies to make your way to various objectives. There are some new features on display here, however, as the two playable characters here both have new powers that they can use to make your life easier.
Firstly, the invisibility power has returned with a vengeance, allowing you to run out in front of your enemies and hopefully make it back to cover before it wears out. You also have another bomb power which can be used to blind enemies so you can make a getaway, and a kunai which has the added benefit this time of exploding when you hold down the Y button. The last power is the most unique and relies on your partner. You can use ‘Shadow Twin’ to mark an enemy for death and then dispatch your partner to kill them off for you at a moment which is most convenient.
The last power is a very interesting one as it changes based on if you’re playing through the DLC solo or in co-op mode. In solo, your AI companion basically functions like a kunai with a timer on it, killing any enemy you have marked from a distance. In co-op, the power allows you to teleport to a marked enemy and perform a quick kill whenever you’re ready. This greater focus on co-op powers is a nice change and means that you get a different experience if you play the game with another person compared to if you play it solo.
The new powers do make a nice change from the standard ones in the main game; having the ability to take out large groups of enemies from a distance is pretty sweet. These abilities can make the DLC feel quite easy at times, and that’s not great when you consider the fact that Nightfall is a very short 4 chapters long. All in all, you can complete this thing in about 2 hours at a push, even if you take your time with it.
There are a few gameplay moments that feel special when compared to the standard game. The first of these is a segment where you have to closely follow a target through barriers as he has them disabled. If you don’t make it through in time and without being seen, you fail the mission and have to start again. This is pretty intense at times, trying your hardest to sneakily warp past guards and praying that they don’t find you hiding in a nearby bush as your target slowly meanders onwards.
The other segment that really sticks out is a level that takes place inside an infirmary. Firstly, this area is so swarmed with enemies that it makes you really think about your approach, something that didn’t really happen too much in the main storyline. You’re also confined in quite a small amount of space and have to make sure that no one walks up on you from behind while you’re observing the patrol patterns of enemies. One of the things that helps this area feel like a challenge is the lack of a power that highlights all of the enemies and tags them for you, which is a wise move considering that having this power would probably have made the DLC even easier and shorter
All in all, Nightfall is a decent addition to the game, even if it is a little short. It’s nice to have more information about the storyline for fans of the game, and if you’re interested in just having more of the game to play, then you really can’t go wrong with this one.
Developer: Lince Works
Publisher: Lince Works
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: 5th June 2018