Sunset Overdrive - Mystery of the Mooil Rig

Editor's Notes

Digital version reviewed for Xbox One. Being DLC, 'Mystery of the Mooil Rig' requires the base game, 'Sunset Overdrive,' to play.

Introduction

'The Mystery of the Mooil Rig' is the first story-based DLC for 'Sunset Overdrive', the wacky third-person shooter platformer from Insomniac Games. It fits within the open world of Sunset City and is not a separate experience. It takes place on an offshore oil rig covered in greasy mutants and angry roughnecks, and a mechanized Troop Master Bryllcreem returns to serve as a guide.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

'Mooil Rig' is the type of DLC where the starting point is a bit of a mystery in and of itself. Following a little pink icon to the northeast leads to an inconspicuous internet cafe, whereupon the DLC begins and the new missions and other content can be accessed. The Rig is a behemoth of a structure lying to the southeast of Sunset City. It is more like an archipelago with a few large, towering "islands" and a sprinkling of smaller surfaces. The main island is a well-designed platforming playground, being a mostly vertical building coated with grind rails, bouncy squares, and roller coaster pipes. Expansive open shafts cut through the middle of it and each level has pools of oil that can be used as traps or makeshift explosives.

The critical path of the DLC is very short, probably less than two hours’ worth for most players. The plot follows Bryllcreem’s attempt to save his sister from bad guys when her ship is damaged near the rig, and that’s about it. The storyline is about as important as that of the main game, in that it serves only as a way for the player to slide about, blow up mutants, and crack jokes. Not that any of this is really a problem - the fundamental gameplay of 'Sunset Overdrive' is as fun and intuitive as ever. The platforming is slick and easy to control, even if the shooting struggles to keep up at times. A couple of water-based moves are introduced that make scooting across the surface of the ocean much quicker, and it’s a bit puzzling why they weren’t included in the base game. Other sources of new content are few and far between. There are a few new challenges, weapons, and sidequests, but it’s all so thin that the DLC feels like a weapons pack with a couple of missions added.

A few new characters debut in 'Mooil Rig' and a few return. Some of them are kind of lame, like Bryllcreem’s soulless corporate sister, but at least one is pretty funny - a send-up of Norman Bates who squats on the rig and is available for a sidequest. The game keeps the jokes and pop culture references on a relentless schedule throughout, even poking fun at itself and how many pop culture references it makes. Not all of the writing is sparkling, but at least the bad jokes are bad enough to deserve a chuckle.