Recent DLC releases have been giving established games new ways to revisit their familiar formulas, whether by introducing an entirely new faction, exploring a post-apocalyptic setting or expanding an already demanding tactical campaign. From the Veti’s unusual approach to warfare in Tempest Rising and the cooperative puzzles of Escape Simulator 2 to the latest Terminator conflict in Dark Fate – Defiance, these expansions take rather different approaches to adding new content. Here is what we thought of these three recent DLC releases.
Tempest Rising – The Veti’s Wrath DLC review (PC)
Tempest Rising already had a solid grasp of the classic real-time strategy formula, but The Veti’s Wrath uses its long-awaited third faction to make the experience feel considerably less familiar. Developed by Slipgate Ironworks and published by 3D Realms, Knights Peak and Saber Interactive, this PC expansion puts the Veti at the centre of an 11-mission campaign following their attempts to rebuild their civilisation, reclaim their technology and deal with a corruption coming from within. There is more weight to the Veti’s story than simply another battle between opposing armies, with their fractured society and ominous history giving the campaign a darker and more intriguing atmosphere. The fully voiced presentation also gives the alien faction considerably more personality, although the narrative remains firmly in service of the strategy rather than becoming a reason to play on its own.
The real strength of The Veti’s Wrath is how thoroughly the faction changes the usual RTS economy. Fallen enemy infantry can be converted into Enlightened, which can either fight alongside the Veti or be sacrificed to empower units and structures. Ascension Anchors then allow players to distribute those benefits through a network of tethers, while mobile infrastructure and forward construction options encourage a more aggressive approach to expansion. Combat therefore feeds directly into progression, creating an appealing risk-and-reward loop in which attacking the enemy can simultaneously strengthen the Veti’s own war machine. The downside is that this also makes the faction substantially more demanding to manage. Keeping track of Enlightened, sacrifices, tethers, resource production, unit positioning and multiple fronts can quickly become overwhelming, particularly once the campaign starts throwing attacks at the player from several directions.
That increased workload is both the faction’s biggest selling point and its main control-related drawback. The familiar PC RTS framework remains intact, but the amount of information the player has to process is significantly higher, making efficient micro-management essential rather than optional. The Veti’s units also encourage a varied approach: heavy armor can deliver considerable punishment, aircraft provide useful mobility, and specialist units such as the Gorgon and Phantom Artillery offer ways of attacking from unexpected angles. At the same time, individual strengths come with clear vulnerabilities, with aircraft requiring support and slower units such as the Ambassadors needing protection. The campaign does a reasonable job of introducing these systems during its opening missions before increasing the pressure, although the jump in complexity can still feel abrupt once the larger multi-front battles arrive.
Visually, the Veti are a welcome departure from the more conventional human factions, combining biomechanical structures with designs drawing on ancient architectural and mythological influences. Their buildings, units and interconnected infrastructure give the faction a distinct identity rather than simply presenting another variation on the existing armies, while the strange technology and teleportation-based weaponry reinforce that alien character. The audio presentation benefits particularly from the campaign’s voice acting, which helps sell the Veti as a civilisation with its own motives and internal conflict. There is less of a technical leap here than a refinement of the established Tempest Rising presentation, but that is hardly a major problem when the expansion’s real purpose is to change how the game is played. The Veti’s Wrath succeeds because its new faction is more than a different collection of units: it introduces an aggressive, sacrifice-driven strategy that asks players to rethink economy, expansion and battlefield management. The 11-mission campaign provides a substantial showcase for those ideas, although players primarily interested in using the faction outside of single-player should remember that the Veti themselves are available to base-game owners in multiplayer and skirmish, leaving the paid expansion focused largely on its campaign.
Escape Simulator 2: Apocalypse DLC review (PC)
The Apocalypse DLC is a natural fit for Escape Simulator 2, trading the base game’s more fantastical settings for a bleak journey through a world where civilization has seemingly collapsed. The four rooms form a loose progression from an abandoned metro station and roadside gas station to a desert safe house and finally the mysterious Sanctuary, giving the puzzles a little more narrative context than simply placing players in disconnected escape rooms. The environmental storytelling works particularly well in the first three locations, which are atmospheric and detailed enough to make exploring them enjoyable in its own right, although the final area is somewhat less impressive visually. The post-apocalyptic setting can feel somewhat generic at times, and the soundtrack does little to elevate the atmosphere, but there is enough environmental detail to keep the search for clues engaging.
The actual puzzles remain the main attraction, and there is plenty to like about how the DLC expands on the game’s established formula. Players are generally free to move around each location, inspect objects and gradually work out how seemingly unrelated clues fit together, while some puzzles make particularly interesting use of the environment and the game’s newer systems. The open-ended structure makes the rooms feel more like small spaces to explore than traditional escape-room boxes. That freedom can also work against the design, however, as several puzzles can be solved through trial and error or by manipulating objects before finding the intended clue. Some interactions also suffer from small hitboxes, which can turn a logical puzzle into a frustrating one for the wrong reasons.
The cooperative design remains one of Escape Simulator 2’s biggest strengths, with different players naturally gravitating towards different puzzles and clues. That makes the DLC particularly enjoyable with a friend, although it remains perfectly playable alone. The roughly two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half-hour overall runtime is reasonable for four rooms, with individual rooms taking around 40 minutes. The Dark puzzles provide additional challenges, but their difficulty appears inconsistent, with some brainteasers being surprisingly easy compared with the main rooms. The timer is also better viewed as an optional challenge than a strict limitation, and solo players may find some of the time-based objectives substantially harder than groups.
Visually, Apocalypse is a convincing step into a decaying near-future world, particularly in its abandoned and overgrown environments, and the four locations are distinct enough that the DLC avoids feeling repetitive. The audio presentation is less successful, with the soundtrack failing to make much of an impression, while the limited character customization is another minor disappointment compared with the scope of the environments. Still, the combination of varied locations, enjoyable cooperative puzzle solving and a few hours of additional content makes Apocalypse a worthwhile expansion for players who already enjoy Escape Simulator 2. Its occasional bugs, uneven puzzle logic and relatively modest length prevent it from being essential, but there is enough experimentation in its rooms to make the journey to Sanctuary an entertaining one.
Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance – Evolution DLC review (PC)
Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance was already an unusually demanding take on the Terminator universe, combining real-time strategy with persistent armies, limited ammunition and fuel, careful positioning and choices that could influence what happened later in the campaign. Evolution builds on that foundation with an eight-mission story set in the frozen reaches of Canada, where Lieutenant Church’s forces become entangled with the Integrators and Legion’s experiments with more advanced machines. The premise is fitting for a series built around the struggle between humanity and technology, and the new augmented soldiers provide an interesting extension of that theme. Unfortunately, the campaign’s relatively short runtime means the ideas introduced here rarely have enough room to develop into something as substantial as the systems found in the base game or earlier expansions.
The underlying tactical gameplay remains the strongest reason to return to Defiance. Battles still reward careful use of terrain, positioning, ammunition and unit capabilities rather than simply throwing larger numbers at the enemy, while the new Rev 6.5, Legion Mini-Rovers, Canadian armor and augmented troops add some welcome variety. The problem is that Evolution does not always give these additions enough opportunity to make an impact. The campaign frequently shifts control between Resistance, Integrator and Legion forces, which creates some interesting scenarios but also disrupts the sense of building and maintaining a persistent force. The short campaign leaves little time to experiment with upgrades or properly develop the augmentation system, while the reduced emphasis on looting and army management removes one of the more satisfying parts of the original formula.
That makes Evolution feel more linear than its predecessor, and the difference is particularly noticeable because Defiance’s greatest strength was the way its tactical decisions could have consequences beyond an individual encounter. The controls and interface continue to work well for the most part, with the ability to pause and carefully issue commands remaining essential when the battlefield becomes chaotic, although the series’ occasional pathfinding problems and unclear mission instructions have not completely disappeared. Evolution also has moments where objectives change quickly enough that it is possible to lose an important unit before the situation has fully registered. These issues are not enough to undermine the tactical combat itself, but they can make some encounters feel more like trial and error than deliberate planning.
Visually, Evolution retains the solid environmental detail and satisfying explosions that helped the original game punch above its weight, with the snowy Canadian locations giving the expansion a suitably bleak atmosphere. The machines and armored vehicles generally fare better aesthetically than the infantry, while the audio continues to support the mechanical character of Legion through its effects and voices, even if the series has never made especially memorable use of the classic Terminator musical identity. Evolution is therefore a competent addition to Defiance rather than the major step forward its new technology might suggest. The new units and story are welcome, and the core tactical combat remains enjoyable, but the short, more restrictive campaign prevents the expansion from fully exploiting its best ideas.