A crumpled shadow of a city, Empire’s once prosperous metropolis is reduced to rubble and masonry; foundations poke out of crumbling buildings and power grids choke and splutter, to no avail. The city has dropped to its knees and its citizens hit self destruct – with no rules and no authority, shadowy gangs materialise to steal, pillage and kill.
Yet, while the explosion tore through the city with devastating force, bicycle messenger Cole MacGrath feels electricity surging through his body, allowing bolts of lightning to erupt out his hands and for feats of superhuman strength to be possible.
Cole fires out electricity in bursts and orbs, sprinkles the surrounding area with erratic sparks and crashes to the ground with an earth-shaking pulse, all while throbbing with his new effervescent blood. But while his powers are unpredictable and extraordinary, his urban-gymnastics are reserved and authentic. He scrambles up pipes and poles and leaps from sill to crevice with a satisfying stickiness, each movement deliberate and conscious.
His gymnasium is the city, a sandbox world that unlocks as the story progresses and resurges with electricity as Cole enters the sewers to recharge the city’s hearts. While the city’s power is off, Cole’s abilities are rendered near useless so a stealthy scamper across the rooftops gives an exhilarating view of the riots below. However, despite housing three suburbs, Empire City is painted with the same brush and decorated with the same stamps; outside of a few unique landmarks, each island struggles to have a distinctive identity.
inFamous works best when its two game mechanics, parkour and combat, complement and balance each other. You cling to a street lamp only to exert a shockwave that ricochets an incoming grenade. You grind across the power lines that drape between buildings, firing electrical blasts and narrowly leaping over a rocket. Alone, the mechanics are solid. Together, they are breathtaking. Later missions embrace the city’s verticality as colossal structures are scaled and aircraft circle the city, while enemies gather in groups and flank and flush you out with grenades, so complete command of your many powers is indispensable.
