So when The Following Expansion was announced and more and more information was coming out about how you can do different things, new weapons, vehicles, and a massive new map area to play in, it got me all excited that there was now going to be more for me to do.
One disappointment is that the area isn’t linked with Harran, so you have to start a new game to access the expansion. It would have been much better if you could have accessed the area while in the Slums or Old Town, just like the sewer system between these two. There could have easily have been a fast travel set up as well to be able to travel between the two. Just put the spawn in the main area you find first.
This is the first time that you get to go outside of Harran and see how the outbreak has affected those outside the city. Again you’re playing Kyle Crane, but this time you hear that there are people outside the city who can’t get infected and that are immune to the outbreak. Kyle’s mission is to basically find out why, is there a mysterious force at work or is there actually a cure out there?
To gain answers though you will have to gain a communities trust by doing missions, finding missing people and just like in the original game, getting facilities and utilities online. There is a new trust system that has been implemented into the game, which has you earning respect and confidence from the Cult that leaders, and as stated above this is done by completing missions and tasks around the world.
From playing through the expansion and doing the missions, I have found that some of the motions aren’t as fluid as they we’re in the original game. Running and jumping and that fluidity that you used to get when jumping from building to building, jumping over the infected, I have found that at times, it just isn’t there.
Don’t get me wrong, the tension the game provided in the original outing is still there, I still have squeaky bum time when night arrives and i'm nowhere near a safehouse, and with this being a new expansion, there aren’t many if any open when you first start. So I would recommend keeping exploration to a minimum until you can open more safe houses. My tactic was to open one and explore the local area, then move onto the next one.
For an expansion, the area this covers is absolutely massive. Literally, this is probably as big as both portions of the original game put together. Which is why I am glad for the introduction of the buggies. Vehicles have added a new dimension to the game, and a whole new way to play and get around the map, and I am very grateful for this, as having to run around a map this size would be a task in itself and may have put people off playing the expansion, as it would take so much time to get between missions, people may have got bored of it. Afterall a lot of gamers would probably prefer to be doing more missions instead of just walking around trying to get to missions and potentially dying a lot.
With the vehicles as well you have to maintain and keep them in fully working order as well as fueled up. Which means scavenging for fuel from other cars. Which can be more of a task than it sounds, especially if you’re driving along and have to stop to find some fuel and there are zombies all around. There’s a chance you may get overwhelmed by the chance you have managed to find some fuel.
You also have extra skills which you can use to upgrade the buggy to include such things as a reinforced cage, attachments, decals etc. However, you will need to find parts to be able to repair the buggy as driving around the world can damage the parts. I found that suspension is the main suspect, but I think this maybe my full on driving style and not using roads that may have caused this…
The reason that people may die a lot when out and about in the countryside is due to the sheer amount of infected that roam around. There are hundreds just loitering in fields having the time of their life… If only they knew… This is one thing that I would advise to people who are going to be playing this. Have weapons and be prepared, and those who have played will know that they can come out of anywhere, and this seems no different. In the middle of an open field with nothing there, and suddenly there can be a zombie there… Out of nowhere!
This brings me onto weapons, there are quite a few new weapons which have been added to this expansions and I’ve managed to have a taste of a few of these. One being the Bow, (I understand that this was brought into the Bozak Horde DLC) I actually like this weapon although normal arrows tend not to do much harm, but the exploding and speciality arrows do quite a bit of harm, although sometimes with exploding arrows it can take a few of them before the infected are dead. One thing that is especially fun about this is watching the infected fly into the air, and when they get back up again, you get to have another go at them. There is something weirdly satisfying about watching the arrow explode and then seeing the infected fly…even better when you get back second go :D Another reason I love the Bow is because I can run around Harran being like Arrow! LOL!!
This expansion is a very good one, and is worth the money, it’s pretty much the size of the original games 2 areas put into one, and introduces a lot of new dynamics with weapons and vehicles. I love the fact that it is open world and you can do whatever missions you like or stick to the story. This is the one thing that makes this game for me, I love the freedom that it gives you.
If you loved the original game you will love this expansion, and I highly recommend it. I’m going to give The Following expansion an 8.
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