I was put off playing this for a while because I thought it would be just as bad as Dead Space 3 if not worse, but i was genuinely surprised by how much better than the main campaign this was. It does still have a lot of flaws, like the unrealistic interactions between the characters and the weird crafting system is still there, but since you keep your weapons and crafting materials from your main game playthrough, and that means I was finally able to get the Disembowler, which was a really good weapon that was loyal to the Ripper. The hallucinations are a bit weird and unfair and just feel like they’re there just to lead up to the very cool final boss and also take down your health alot. But overall a pretty solid DLC and now I want there to be a Dead Space 4.

Too little too late. Awakened seems to be a last minute course correction for the Dead Space brand. According to interviews awakened was more in line with the original vision of Dead Space 3 and features the return of some classic Dead Space elements like hallucinations and classic necormorphs, but the damage has already been done. This is still Dead Space 3 and since the DLC is based on NG+ you will be starting out with your safe full of extra health and your OP guns. The dlc also seems to have an even higher drop rate if health and ammo then the base game so you won't ever have toe worry abput dying. Since the DLC is basically a speedrun through preexisting areas jumpscares are crammed into every room with the same being used over and over again: ahhh scary moon, enemies that appear and disappear, and teleporting bag head man. The fact that it ends it ends with a repeated of the dead space 2 final boss and an egregious cliffhanger is just the cherry on top of the shit cake.

This is what the main game should have been like. I adore the whole cultist theme, which really brought back the disturbing auras of the first two games. Everything from the abundance of bloody candles, mutilated corpses, and sights of Danik's soldiers going insane somewhat brought back a horror aspect that the main game severely lacked.

Most of the levels are just repurposed versions of areas from the main game and I also feel like it's too short, even for a DLC. But nevertheless, I think it's still decent. It is certainly a break from the tons of bullshit that the main game had.

WHY WEREN'T THESE IDEAS IN THE MAIN GAME? WHY?

That was much much more interesting than everything the main game offered and well... the ending was a huge middle finger to the franchise and probably even to EA.

They tried to improve the game, but did they succeed? Not really to be honest...

Me pasa con Awakened lo mismo que con Left Behind y The Last of Us. Es un juego claramente hecho con más dedicación y que trata de recuperar elementos que la franquicia siempre ha tratado. El terror lovecraftiano que apuntaba el final de Dead Space 3 se explora aquí al máximo, pero acaba tan concentrado que deja un sabor demasiado fuerte. Al final, no se distingue apenas de una colección de vídeos chocantes en Liveleak, y la falta de resolución no hace sino reafirmarlo.

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The same thing that happened to me with Left Behind and the original Last of Us happened with Awakened. It's a work that's clearly made with more dedication and respect towards the thing that the franchise always dealt with. The Lovecraftian themes that were hinted at the end of Dead Space 3 are explored to the fullest, but in such a dense and frantic fashion that it ends up leaving a bad taste. In the end, it's hardly distinguishable from a shock compilation on Liveleak, and the lack of resolution only reaffirms it.

This DLC is an absolute embarrassment. The gameplay is almost compelling, but by the end of the game the player is far too overpowered (NOT something you want to be in a survival horror game) for any of the enemies to serve as anything close to a threat. Decently well-executed jumpscares are completely undercut by the DLC's complete failure to challenge the player at any point. As for the story, what was touted as the darkest chapter of the Dark Souls franchise was delivered to players by completely undercutting the genuinely impressive worldbuilding and lore the base game managed to establish in favor of a few cheap scares and some unearned bleakness. EA is charging $10 for a no-stakes necromorph shooting gallery that actively sabotages the phenomenal setting of the franchise, and I can't in good conscience recommend it to anybody.