Dillon Larson

Game Review: Infamous: Festival of Blood (PS3)

Details

• Title: Infamous: Festival of Blood
• Developer: Sucker Punch
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Platform: PS3
• Release date: October 25, 2011
• Price: $9.99 at time of review
• Rating: Teen (ESRB) ¹
• Link: PlayStation

Review

Introduction

Infamous: Festival of Blood is a brand new DLC adventure for PlayStation 3. A new addition to the Infamous series, Festival of Blood is a full game in its own right, but it’s a bite size installment compared to the first two. So, how well does the game measure up? And is it any fun?

Story

I’m going to be upfront about this: Festival of Blood’s story is kind of confusing. The game begins with Zeke Dunbar attempting to woo a pretty girl in a bar. He tells her a tale about his friend, the “electric man” Cole MacGrath. (If you haven’t played Infamous 2—and therefore don’t know who these characters are—playing Festival of Blood will likely be pretty confusing.) The game is often punctuated by Zeke’s narration.

Cole is bitten by a vampire called Bloody Mary who wants to take over New Marais. He becomes a vampire (with special powers) and has to stop Bloody Mary before sunrise on Pyre Night, an annual celebration that marks the anniversary of Bloody Mary’s death at the hands of Father Ignatius. Ignatius, a priest, tried to save her before she became a vampire and later gathered the town to burn her.

The game’s plot revolves around Cole finding Ignatius’s weapon, the barbed cross, and finishing Bloody Mary off once and for all. The story is disappointing because, intricate though it is, it’s confusing and feels sort of rushed. Also, Infamous’s lauded morality system is not included. Cole has only one choice—to be good enough to save New Marais from Bloody Mary, but to be evil enough to feast on the city’s population.

Gameplay

The game is set in New Marais—just like Infamous 2—so all the buildings and landmarks should feel familiar. Unfortunately, only the main island (St. Ignatius and Ascension Parish) is available for you to roam. Attempting to go to across the bridges results in Cole being gently pushed back the way he came. There are hidden treasures to find in New Marais, which are jars of blood and the teachings of Bloody Mary (like the dead drops in the main games) that can be found with Cole’s “vampire vision”.

The usual controls from Infamous 2 are back for Festival of Blood, but the powers associated with them are a little different. Instead of Infamous 2’s intuitive power upgrade system, this game has a stripped down set of powers: basic bolt, basic grenade, and basic rocket. Each of these is upgraded when you complete a particular task. The impressive inclusion is called Shadow Swarm, which allows Cole to fly in a swarm of bats. It’s a fast and intense addition to already great controls.

Like Infamous 2, Festival of Blood contains the ability to create and play user generated content (UGC) missions. Unfortunately, the UGC missions I played through didn’t seem very polished. If some good missions come out soon, the game will have infinitely more value. The game also comes ready to work with Sony’s PlayStation Move accessories, but I think you’ll probably want to stick to the standard (and very good, for that matter) controls on the DualShock 3.

Visuals and audio

Spooky colors and decorations haunt New Marais in Festival of Blood. It’s impressive how the city feels completely different and yet maintains its Southern, jazzy atmosphere. The game features a few of the series’s iconic comic book moments, but not as many as I would have liked. (I had the same complaint about Infamous 2.)

The music heightens the “action” atmosphere the game pulls off well. It’s similar to Infamous 2’s music, but it is a bit spookier and more twisted. I did notice some strange freezing and sluggishness with the audio and video at times, but they were generally very tight and impressive.

Conclusion

For only $9.99, a well-crafted game such as Festival of Blood is a pretty great deal. The story leaves a bit to be desired, but the solid gameplay and AV components keep the game entertaining. The game, like the others in the series, is only available on PS3. However, unlike its predecessors, it can only be downloaded from the PlayStation Network Store. For only ten dollars, it’s a worthy addition to a spectacular series.

Ratings

• Story: 7 out of 10
• Gameplay: 8 out of 10
• Visuals and audio: 8 out of 10
• Overall rating: 8 out of 10

Dillon Larson

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