This review contains spoilers
Good but a bit short for what you're getting. Instead of regular Remedy DLC that continues the plot (like both of Controls) Night Springs is exactly what its described as: three in universe episodes of the twilight zone inspired "Night Springs". Because of that I think its fair to talk about each episode individually instead of bundling them all together.
EPISODE 1: Number One Fan
Definitely the most light hearted of the DLCs with Rose ("The Fan") being a pretty fun protag. Also has Mr Scratch as the antagonist and he's phenomenal, acting a lot more like his AN counterpart which was sorely missing from AW2 (still loved him regardless). Its also the most combat heavy of the three with lots of arenas and even a boss fight (which is pretty fun if a bit samey). Probably has my favorite atmosphere too with the 50s esque imagery and music working wonders.
EPISODE 2: North Star
The weakest of the bunch but still pretty interesting. Jesse Faden (as "The Sibling") of Control comes back alongside her weird psychic companion to track a lead on where her brother might be. Its a lot more of the horror that AW2 thrives off of mixed with a bit of puzzle solving. The biggest issue really is just that the entire level is ripped straight out of AW2, being the coffee park section but slightly remixed (hope you're good at math). Its also really easy combat wise, with only one section near the end coming close to being hard (it lasted barely a minute). Regardless it was fun to see Jesse again and her interactions with Tim Breaker were cute to see (also insane ending).
Episode 3: Time Breaker
The final episode and undeniably my favorite of the bunch. Playing as TIME BREAKER himself (Jack Joyce from Quantum Break) the story starts off pretty simple before going into the batshit insane multiverse stuff that Sam Lake is cooking. It also showcases more of Warlin Door as a villainous entity, something that was teased in AW2 but never fully developed until now. Not to say Time Breaker himself is outshined, as Shawn Ashmore does a phenomenal jump and is much better compared to his previous role as main protag. When the episode ended I was truly wondering just how much was something in universe and what wasn't because the ideas it shows can lead to some insane things for the Remedyverse.
As I said before Night Springs doesn't push the AW2 narrative forward but regardless it was still a neat time. Here's hoping The Lake House is more robust because I'm desperate to see more of how the narrative unfolds.
7/10
EPISODE 1: Number One Fan
Definitely the most light hearted of the DLCs with Rose ("The Fan") being a pretty fun protag. Also has Mr Scratch as the antagonist and he's phenomenal, acting a lot more like his AN counterpart which was sorely missing from AW2 (still loved him regardless). Its also the most combat heavy of the three with lots of arenas and even a boss fight (which is pretty fun if a bit samey). Probably has my favorite atmosphere too with the 50s esque imagery and music working wonders.
EPISODE 2: North Star
The weakest of the bunch but still pretty interesting. Jesse Faden (as "The Sibling") of Control comes back alongside her weird psychic companion to track a lead on where her brother might be. Its a lot more of the horror that AW2 thrives off of mixed with a bit of puzzle solving. The biggest issue really is just that the entire level is ripped straight out of AW2, being the coffee park section but slightly remixed (hope you're good at math). Its also really easy combat wise, with only one section near the end coming close to being hard (it lasted barely a minute). Regardless it was fun to see Jesse again and her interactions with Tim Breaker were cute to see (also insane ending).
Episode 3: Time Breaker
The final episode and undeniably my favorite of the bunch. Playing as TIME BREAKER himself (Jack Joyce from Quantum Break) the story starts off pretty simple before going into the batshit insane multiverse stuff that Sam Lake is cooking. It also showcases more of Warlin Door as a villainous entity, something that was teased in AW2 but never fully developed until now. Not to say Time Breaker himself is outshined, as Shawn Ashmore does a phenomenal jump and is much better compared to his previous role as main protag. When the episode ended I was truly wondering just how much was something in universe and what wasn't because the ideas it shows can lead to some insane things for the Remedyverse.
As I said before Night Springs doesn't push the AW2 narrative forward but regardless it was still a neat time. Here's hoping The Lake House is more robust because I'm desperate to see more of how the narrative unfolds.
7/10