Infamous Second Son review

Infamous Second Son: Characters

This vitality extends to the game’s protagonist. Instead of players controlling a tortured soul with a gravely voice - as they did in the last two instalments – Second Son stars a mouthy, yet charismatic ne’er-do-well who dabbles in street art, named Delsin Rowe. Imagine Banksy crossed with Spiderman and you’re starting to get the picture.

While the game gives Rowe a crisis to face early on in the form of some jackbooted Homeland Security types, what makes him appealing as a protagonist is his unbridled joy in suddenly being able to wield the powers of demigod. Unlike his predecessor Cole McGrath, Rowe takes to being a superhero (or villain) with unchained glee. It makes him more believable and since he’s also played brilliantly by Troy Baker (BioShock Infinite, The Last Of Us) he’s a lot of fun to hang out with.

The supporting cast is equally strong with top marks going to Travis Willingham as Reggie, Delsin’s long-suffering brother and Laura Bailey, who plays Fetch, a super-powered runaway. Their banter with Delsin is filled with as many one-liners as it is moments of resonance and players come to care deeply about them as characters.

Infamous Second Son: Story

Second Son’s over-arching story involves Delsin heading to Seattle to find the steel-eyed DUP psycho, named Augustine, who is locking up superpower individuals – known as Conduits. Augustine tortured a lot of people in Delsin’s hometown for information about Conduit whereabouts and left a great number of them crippled. In order to fix this damage, Delsin needs the power Augustine wields – the ability to manipulate concrete.