Deadlight: Director’s Cut [Xbox One]

Tequila Works' Deadlight Directors Cut is a fantastic addition to anyone's collection. Reminiscent of games like Limbo, with its muted colouring and 2.5D side scrolling gameplay. It originally launched in 2012 for the Xbox Live Arcade. Set in the 80s, you play as Randall Wayne as he searches for his missing family.

Seattle (where the game is based) is infested by zombies, zombies who may seem easy when alone - but get yourself trapped in a group and all hope is lost. This gives the game a great, uneasy tenseness, which coupled with the aesthetic of the game creates a fantastic sense of sheer panic as you run, wall-jump and bash your way through the levels. Platforming seems mostly solid, and there are some puzzle-y segments that are pretty challenging, but satisfying to figure out. Occasionally there are some faster-paced chases, which can be extremely panic-inducing, but these are very fun to do.

The stark contrast between you, Randall, in the foreground and the complex, detailed (and much brighter) backgrounds is a beautiful thing to behold and definitely had me mesmerized for a few brief moments as it distracted me.

The way the game plays out is great, and really gets you to feel for poor Randall as you play throughout its slightly disappointingly short story. Even with the hidden items dotted around, such as stat upgrades, exploring doesn't add all that much length to the gameplay. With a total gameplay time of around 5-6 hours, it definitely doesn't feel as long as it should, however being priced at £15-20 (which is what it currently stands at) does feel just about right.

With the Director's Cut being pretty much the same as the original apart from visuals, I feel like some more stuff could have been incorporated. One thing that was, however, is the Survival Arena, a game mode that drops you in an over-run hospital with the aim to fend the zombies off for as long as you possibly can. This can be fun, especially as you gain additional weapons as you progress. This, combined with the upgraded graphics and intense gameplay all adds up to a really great game that I definitely enjoyed, and feel that first time players - who didn't play it first time around on XBLA - will really like what this has to offer.

We'd have to give Deadlight Director's Cut a solid 8/10.

Have you played Deadlight? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!

- V x

Thank you to Koch Media for the Deadlight: Director’s Cut Xbox One review copy!