I really dislike that feeling of coming away from story-driven games that make you feel like you've taken one step forward and another step back when it comes to the closure of a plotline.
All the answers I've been dying to find across both story-based DLC packs for The Evil Within are ultimately found in The Consequence but they come at the expense of new questions that pop up in their place.
Do we get a reasonable conclusion to Juli Kidman's role in the plot? Yes. Is there substantial development on the significance of other characters such as Ruvik and Leslie? Yes. Do the introductions of newer protagonists make sense? Yes.
By those metrics, it's a resounding success, but it also couldn't help itself but to leave a few extra carrots dangling out at the conclusion of the DLC that leave the story open-ended and up for further speculation. I know there's a sequel to the game, and that should make me both naturally intrigued and not terribly surprised at the same time, but after a full title and 2 pieces of DLC content, I'd like to believe that's enough to at least see some sort of true ending. It's a touch disappointing, and as usual, I won't delve any deeper for spoiler purposes. It was still a fun ride that was well worth the time investment, despite the frustrations of a cloudy conclusion.
The trophies also follow the exact same format for this episode as they did for The Assignment, so there isn't a whole lot to elaborate on.
You'll be able to unlock 6 of the 10 trophies on offer through completing the additional 2 chapters, along with the 4 chapter-specific trophies that come with this - These are much more cryptic in comparison to those in the Assignment, and I did have to look up the solutions to a couple of them, to make sure I grabbed them on my Kurayami run of the episode. They're not difficult, but I would probably never have worked them out without a bit of guidance.
The gameplay is mostly the same, which makes sense for a piece of DLC that is a part 2 continuation, but there are a couple of noticeable shifts.
The flashlight is a big focus within the Assignment, and it still is here, but there's a segment at the very beginning where you lose it and have to navigate a maze in order to reach a generator switch to restore power. You're given access to glow sticks instead, which you can toss around to help light the way. It's a small change, but I felt it was a nice way to maintain the freshness of the experience.
There's also a return to combat within the Consequence too, with Kidman being provided access to a firearm during a couple of segments throughout the episode. Again, a good change of pace to keep things fresh, and it's nice to be able to call upon some combat gameplay, which I always maintained was a strong suit of the game.
Again, there are 3 trophies awarded for gathering the collectibles throughout the episode. These include 3 Personal Files, 8 Research Documents and 8 Letter Scraps, all of which are scattered out throughout the 2 chapters. Letter Scraps are collected in the same way again, obtained through solving the puzzle on a Keeper box and then using the 8 scraps to piece together a hidden note.
Finally, another run of completing the game in Kurayami mode is required under the same conditions as before. It actually seems like there's a much greater reliance on light sources here than there was in the Assignment. I think it's because you have more combat-heavy segments in the Consequence, and fighting off hordes of enemies in pitch darkness is a tricky case of alternating between reloading your gun and flicking on your flashlight to make sure you're tracking enemies and not missing too many of your shots.
I actually think they missed a trick by making Kurayami mode New Game+ content, rather than being available from the outset. Navigating an environment in pitch darkness with just a flashlight is a great premise for a Survival Horror experience - but not so much when you already know what's coming because you had to play through it once in order to unlock it. It would have been great to be able to play the episode in Kurayami mode straight off the bat, and properly experience that extra level of fear that comes with the unknown of darkness.
It's a slightly shorter experience than before, clocking in at around 4-5 hours. Some of that may be down to the experience of knowing what to do to tackle the exact same set of trophies replicated from the Assignment, which always makes planning and strategy easier.
"Where Do We Go From Here?" - Awarded for Clearing Chapter 4, "A Ghost is Born". Should have seen another cliffhanger ending coming.
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