After giving us a city-wide playground to explore, then taking us to an offshore oil rig with its first story-based add-on, Sunset Overdrive is back with its second (and final) piece of campaign DLC, dubbed Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines. It’s a brand new, three to five hour-long experience, which adds even more entertaining gameplay to what was one of 2014’s best titles. Not only that, but it’s also chock full of hilarity.
Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines (say that quickly, seven to ten times), sends our created hero into a new region of Sunset City. One that was previously blocked off by a large wall and an invisible shield, which had to be deactivated for the purpose of this quest. The goal? To stop the production of Fizzco’s military grade robots, who not only have the means for warfare but enter into it gleefully.
Although ending the artificial life cycles of thousands of well-armed robots ends up being your main objective here, it’s not the primary reason for your trip to the Fizzco Robotics plant. That would actually be a plea to save two important teachers who previously aided the game’s geek faction. They’ve been holed up in a protected shelter, with nowhere to go.
The design of this downloadable content is similar to what came before it, that being the Mystery of the Mooil Rig add-on. That means you can look forward to several main story missions, a couple of fetch-based side quests and a new Chaos Squad map to enjoy. That, in addition to collectible UFOs, as well as several different challenges which task you with collecting numerical point icons, finishing fast-paced races and planting bombs throughout the factory. It goes without saying, but there’s an impressive amount of content here, which further proves that Insomniac Games values its customers.
If you only play through the campaign missions, then you’ll likely get a few hours out of Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines, but there’s easily several hours’ worth of content here for completionists who must do everything before moving on. In the end, I’d say that I easily spent about four hours with the thing, before all was said and done. There was still more to do at that point, but I didn’t have the time to put towards finding all of the hidden UFO balloons.
Speaking of the storyline, it’s important to make mention of its missions’ designs. However, for the most part, there’s very little that’s actually new here, as most of the time you’ll simply be fending off robots in an attempt to download codes, turn on machines or clear vital areas. That said, there are a couple of notable standouts, including one where the robotic dog becomes a useful ally, as well as another where you’re trapped inside of an energy ball. Still, even though a lot of this stuff is old hat, it’s still a heck of a lot of fun.
Perhaps the best thing about this campaign, though, is its weapons.
Expectedly, the two aforementioned side quests are weapon-based and require you to explore the environment in search of both hidden journal pieces and technological items. And, the best gun is undoubtedly a sniper-like beast that locks onto enemies and obliterates them with lasers, and – when that’s not possible – fallen satellites. It’s not free, though, because even after you’ve unlocked it you’ll still have to pay over two-hundred-thousand credits in order to get it. So, hopefully you’ve got a lot in the bank of Sunset Overdrive, else you’re screwed.
The other weapon isn’t as great, but it’s still pretty cool. Instead of obliterating beams of light, it sends out stream of nanites, which explode after a bit. The effect is neat, and the weapon itself is welcomed, but it’s not particularly noteworthy.
Rounding out this package are both a memorable and incredibly creative boss fight, as well as several comedic and well-used pop culture references. You’ll definitely crack up at least once, I promise.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to find anything to really complain about here. Maybe the storyline could’ve been better, and there could’ve been more creative mission structures employed within it, but Sunset Overdrive‘s Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines DLC is well worth the purchase for those who’ve been enjoying their time with the game.
This review is based on the Xbox One exclusive, which we were provided with.
