Steelrising: Cagliostro's Secrets DLC Review

Back when I initially reviewed Steelrising - Cagliostro's Secrets, I found it to be a fun, if flawed Soulsborne title that, whilst lacking in innovation, offered up a fantastically unique take on a period of history not often touched on in games.

Firstly, the DLC contains a fair chunk of new content, including: new weapons and armour, a new boss, and a brand-new quest line, amongst some other extras. It sounds good on paper, but is it worth jumping back into playing as Aegis in order to seek out this new storyline?

The new level itself is only accessible after completing the Bastille level, and feels much like the main game's various levels, with several areas to explore, hidden items to seek out, and linear areas that are all interconnected to make the level feel much more open. This is fine, however with the level being set in an old abandoned hospital, there could have been so much more atmosphere and tension added into it. Instead of wandering the halls of a crumbling hospital dripping in an eerie atmosphere, the Hôpital Saint-Louis doesn’t do anything to set itself apart from the main game. Now, this isn’t to say that it should be a fully fledged horror level, no, but mixing it up a little to make this feel more than just an extra level that didn’t quite make it in time for the base game would have been nice.

Exploring the new area has its benefits however, in the form of new gear for Aegis. Five new weapons and a set of armour can be found and although the weapons won’t mix things up within combat, I still found them fun to use; plus the abilities tied to them can be very useful. A few new enemy types have also been included for players to use their new equipment against. One particular enemy that can revive other defeated automatons provided a decent challenge if it wasn’t killed off quickly enough, and it was nice to have to think about fights differently as opposed to the main game, if only slightly.

Cagliostro’s Secrets’ new boss was its highlight, and much like Steelrising’s main game bosses, there is a lot of fun to be had when taking on The Scribe. Returning players will most likely find the encounter a touch on the easy side due to being overlevelled, but tackling this wheeled monster still felt very rewarding.

The new storyline isn’t particularly engaging, with low stakes and nothing to make this DLC a must-play. It’s basically a rescue mission, in which Aegis is tasked with locating Jacques Pierre Brissot. However, you’re more likely to find more engaging story beats in the bits of lore found scattered throughout the new level, as it just feels like a slightly longer side quest from the main game.

The story can be wrapped up in around two hours, with an extra hour added on for those who like to fully explore the environments. Is Cagliostro’s Secrets an essential DLC? Absolutely not. But for fans of the main game, more of the same may not necessarily be a bad thing.