Strange Brigade – The Thrice Damned 1: Isle of the Dead Review

What-ho adventurers. It’s only another bally installment of our favourite hammed-up shooter Strange Brigade.What a fortuitous occurrence. You may recall a review of this old-fashioned shooter from this very reviewer just a few months ago, and now we’re back already with another jolly good show from Rebellion.

The latest DLC for the title takes us to the isle of the damned, and is the first part of a trilogy entitled The Thrice Damned. It’s a change of scenery from the ancient ruins that we have previously been exploring with shipwrecks and pirates amid tropical looking beaches the order of the day here. The main game was a really pretty affair, with tonnes of detail put into the environment, so it’s no surprise to see that continue here. There’s plenty of little nooks and crannies with hidden things to find, and the level is diverse and scenic. Not that you’ll get a huge amount of time to stop and admire it though, as this level is even more choc-a-block with nasties after your blood.

If you’ve played the main campaign then you will know what to expect here. Both boss and primary enemies are reused from earlier, which is a shame, but the speed at which they swarm over you and get blown to bits, it’s not a major problem. Variety in enemies isn’t what Strange Brigade is about, it’s quantity that matters in this wave-based gunfest. I found the final boss to be much more challenging than he was first time around, but that’s to be expected for DLC aimed at people who have completed it already.

There’s also a new character to play with in this add-on, Tessie Caldwell. She’s a “shoot first, think later” type character with more health and quicker explosive recharges. She comes equipped with a Hyde & Sons Compact pistol, Glacier Bombs and a Colbeck Wildfire submachine gun. She’s a good fit for the hectic island the new campaign level takes place in.

Alongside the new level and character, we also have three new multiplayer maps as well. These aren’t part of the DLC itself, but are a free content update for all players, which is a nice gesture from Rebellion. Horde mode gets the Tunnels map, whilst the Towering Temple II and Cursed Village II maps are added to score attack.

Core gameplay is largely unchanged, with the winning formula not messed with. The new campaign map does feel a little different, with the change in scenery giving it a slightly different feel. The puzzles are a little different too, with a new variant on the “shoot symbols to open a door” puzzle being added.

If you haven’t already played the game, then there’s not that much here that will make you rush out and get it, but for £7.99, nobody was really expecting that. If, like me, you really enjoyed the old-school romp as it was initially conceived, then this is more of the same with a little garnish to boot.