‘Enter The Dominatrix’ DLC Review

Platforms: Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC               Genre: Action/Sandbox

Developer: Volition           Publisher: Deep Silver

Platform Reviewed on: Xbox 360

Today the first campaign-based piece of downloadable content released for Saints Row IV and it happens to be the now infamous Enter The Dominatrix. For those of you unaware, this DLC was originally planned as an add-on for Saints Row the Third and was later fleshed out into its own game, resulting in Saints Row IV. The folks at Volition have decided to embrace the turmoil that surrounded the entire ordeal and have approached this DLC as a television documentary in which the cast is interviewed about the scrapped plan.

It is certainly an interesting way to handle a DLC, although the way some aspects of it are handled makes the package feel rough and unpolished. Things which make sense in the “deleted scenes” delivery do not necessarily work in a video game because it leaves the player feeling like there was not much effort put into releasing the content. A prime example of this is the fact that most of the cinematics are replaced by sketches. While this approach certainly ties in with the theme of the add-on, it does feel like it was used to cut some corners. I can certainly appreciate what Volition wanted to accomplish with this DLC, but their goal may be their own undoing in this case. There is a plot but it is only touched on briefly, Pierce takes it upon himself to fast forward through an entire cinematic while Kinzie talks, and the content feel very separated due to the fact that there are significant portions of time missing between the playable missions.

The more positive aspects to this add-on are that the humour is as prevalent as ever, the missions have you performing incredibly varied actions ranging from killing enemies to piloting a spaceship, to using telekinesis to throw “furries” into cages. Enter The Dominatrix really showcases the variety of absurd things one can expect from a Saints Row game which is by far its greatest strength. Another item worth noting is that you are capable of replaying the missions over again once you beat the DLC.

Lasting only 5 missions, Enter The Dominatrix is not a terribly long DLC. The signature sense of humour and self awareness found within Saints Row games are well and alive within this first piece of downloadable content, however the approach used in this add-on does not feel like the best fit for a video game. I found myself at odds quite frequently, finding the documentary style refreshing and fitting, but also feeling as if the sketches used in place of most cinematics and the sporadic jumps through the plot took away from the experience.

If you are really looking for another reason to play more of Saints Row IV or you want some fresh content in the game, you can certainly pick up this new DLC, but do not expect it to hold your attention for longer than an hour or two.

The Good

+        Fantastic use of humour and self-awareness

+        Slightly cheaper price point than most DLC ($6.99)

+        Missions present variety

The Bad

–        Relatively short

–        Documentary style feels awkward at times

–        Plot is minimal

The Score: 6.5