With the much-heralded arrival of InFamous: Second Son, we thought the franchise’s first two (and a half) entries deserved one more day in the spotlight. Sucker Punch Productions first introduced the world to Cole McGrath and the Ray Sphere in 2009. But how did the franchises’s beginnings prepare us for one of the most anticipated titles of the new console generation?
The original InFamous is comparable to another initial game in a successful game franchise, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. Players are given free rein to run, leap, and fight through an entire city playground, taking on various missions while waltzing through a crazy sci-fi plot. Cole, an urban explorer and grumpy bike messenger, is implicated in the terrorist attack that destroyed Empire City. It turns out his last delivery before the blast is the mysterious Ray Sphere, an explosive device which imbues powers to certain people with a particular genetic code, known as Conduits. By killing the non-Conduits in the explosion, the Ray Sphere is able to give power to the Conduits. Cole is revealed to be a Conduit, and begins to utilise his electrical-based powers to help or harm the citizenry. As the plot progresses, it quickly becomes apparent that he was not a random messenger so much as the target of an experiment.
While the gameplay could best be described as repetitive, one of the features that makes InFamous stand out from the crowd is the karma factor. Players can choose whether to accept missions that will help people, gifting Cole with good karma, or to blaze a path of wanton destruction and revenge, resulting in bad karma. The game is broken up by story sections, rendered in a comic book art style to further explore Cole’s choice between becoming a reluctant superhero or a budding supervillain. The karma choices are not just empty decisions that lead to the same conclusion. Not only do they influence how the story plays out, they also affect which powers Cole unlocks as the game progress. Sucker Punch did not pull any punches (pardon the pun) with these decision points. In one, Cole must choose between saving the love of his life, or saving six doctors who are desperately needed in a broken city. There is no way to do both, so players have to decide between Cole’s personal wishes and the greater good of a city in crisis. It is these moments that manage to draw the player into the world, engaging them emotionally as well as physically, with the rush of grinding along wires and rail tracks and the spectacle of violence and destruction.
InFamous 2 followed in 2011 and changed things up quite a bit. The sequel takes place in bright and beautiful New Marais, a fictional slant on New Orleans. Empire City has gone down in flames, thanks to The Beast, who has come to destroy Cole – and everything in his way. Sucker Punch clearly took on any and all criticisms that their first attempt received. Whereas the various islands that connected together to make up Empire City were very similar, mired by the same buildings replicated over and over, each area of New Marais has a distinct feel and vibe about it. Not only that, but Sucker Punch is the only studio that springs to mind that has tackled the social effects of Hurricane Katrina, with several slums of the city submerged in water. The graphics are much improved, from the more detailed character models, to the range of enemies, to the dynamic scenery. New Marais features several landmarks that are easily identifiable on the horizon, making exploration all the more easier.
Overall, the sequel also delivers a more polished game. The plot is more cohesive, and the supporting characters play a greater part in Cole’s progress, as well as his powers. Best friend Zeke, forgiven for his betrayal in the first installment, has invented a two-pronged sword, the amazingly named Amp, which Cole can use to harness his powers. There is nothing more satisfying than leaping from a great height and causing a mighty shockwave with this beautifully crafted weapon as you land. There is also the introduction of Special Agent Lucy Kuo, who is quickly discovered to be a Conduit, developing ice-based powers. Her opposite is the wild, swamp-raised Nix, who has demonic fire powers. These two characters are the embodiment of the karma system, and players have to choose between taking missions with Kuo, typically helping those living in New Marais, or siding with Nix, using under-handed tactics to win the people’s approval, or going on a mass rampage. There is also the addition of the mission editor, which allowed players to design their own missions and share them with others. These can be anything from a slaughterhouse of enemies to an InFamous version of Space Invaders. With this one feature, Sucker Punch offers the perfect solution to the sometimes stale repetition of the routine missions.
Cole’s final adventure is contained in Festival of Blood, a standalone expansion to InFamous 2. Festival of Blood is a Halloween-themed tale told by Zeke in a bar to impress a woman. Did Cole really get bitten by a vampire? Or is it all just a scary story to lighten the mood during Pyre Night, a haunted festival celebrated by the citizens of New Marais? Trading superheroes for scares, Festival of Blood is a fitting sendoff for Cole’s career in the hero business.
Having played through these two (and a half) classics, it is easy to see why players are so excited for Second Son. From an engaging, twisting, sometimes mind-boggling story to the free roaming, flying, and grinding through the environment, InFamous relentlessly sucks you in. If Sucker Punch has managed to continue this trajectory of improvements in the series, then Second Son should be a system-selling title worthy of your money. Although the studio has stated players need no prior knowledge of the first two games to enjoy Second Son, I would urge everyone to do so anyway, given how cheap they can be found. They are a blast to play, but there will be aspects of Second Son that tie in to the mythology of the world of Conduits, and a deeper understanding of what has come before can only lead to a more fulfilling experience.
