Imagine it: one minute you’re a small time vandal; the next you’ve gained some freaky superhuman powers after a chance encounter with an escaped prisoner. Some call you a conduit, others a bioterrorist. Either way, everything changes.
That’s what happened to Delsin Rowe, the protagonist in Sony’s newest PS4 exclusive Infamous Second Son. The follow up to Infamous is set seven years after its predecessor, with Delsin Rowe taking on the main role, backed up by his sheriff brother Reggie. Things have changed since Cole McGrath’s death. The Department of Unified Protection has been charged with capturing the conduits, led by Brooke Augustine, who is a conduit with concrete powers. After she interrogates and tortures Delsin’s tribe, the only way to save them is for Delsin to absorb her powers.
There are, however, numerous obstacles to overcome first. You have to get into Seattle, which has been cut off from the rest of the country. And then there are the pesky DUP agents to deal with. But the smoke powers are handy. You can disappear up air vents, bridge large gaps and take out the enemy from a distance. When you run out of smoke, you can destroy the environment around you to create more, giving you an almost endless supply of ammo.
As you progress, Delsin gains additional powers from other conduits, absorbing them as he goes.
There is an element of choice to the game. Delsin can choose to perform good or evil acts, building his karma accordingly. Subduing enemy agents rather than killing them will earn you good karma and increase your reputation as a force for good; more nefarious acts will advance your standing in the thug world. Both course lead to new levels of power, which you can unlock by collecting shards you stumble across.
While not everything flows as well as it could, Second Son manages to team believable characters with great gameplay.
The open world nature of this game makes it a fascinating place to explore. That’s helped in no little way by the detail and pure beauty of the scenery – especially when you are smashing things to bits.
A major enticement for the PS4.
