A good DLC (downloadable content) can be a powerful tool to refine a well-made video game and make it even stronger. Sometimes a DLC can be so awesome that it actually makes a poorly received game look good, like this awakened DLC for the disappointments dead space 3 Game.
That being said, DLCs have always been divisive as many of them are quick bucks that have little substance or add little to a game. Many developers have earned a negative reputation for abusing the use of DLCs to get more money from their players without earning it, and horror games are no exception.
10/10 Shadow Of Rose felt repetitive
Resident Evil Village (RE8)
Resident Evil Village was a well-received sequel to RE7, the game that breathed new life into the franchise. In October 2022, the game released the Winters Expansion DLC, which included a short campaign starring Ethan’s daughter Rose exploring the form. This DLC delivered the horror and added a happy ending to the Winters family, allowing fans to make peace with Ethan’s death. In terms of storytelling, the DLC was concise and entertaining. It even featured new gameplay that allowed players to harness the power of form.
All in all, it didn’t offer any new locations or expand on the main game’s story. Revisiting the same places, the DLC felt more like a greatest hits run-through than a necessary addition.
9/10 The signal and the recorder were too different
Alan Wake
Alan Wakes DLCs, Special 1: The Signal and Superpower 2: The Writer, are divisive issues among fans. Although the stories told in both DLCs are solid and provide a future connection to the popular game of 2019, controlFans seem divided on whether they actually enjoyed the DLCs.
The most common complaint anyone will hear from a fan of the main game is that the DLCs felt too disconnected Alan Wake. While still following Alan’s journey and fleshing out the world and main storyline, players felt the atmosphere was too different from what made the base game great.
8/10 Dead money didn’t fit
Fallout: New Vegas
To be fair Fallout: The Dead Money of New Vegas, the DLC is not bad. Similar to them Alan Wake DLCs, but it divided its fans over whether the DLC was any good. As a spooky DLC, it’s worth the time to play, but many fans think it’s too far from what Stand out should be.
While Stand out A horror franchise at heart, it was never intended to be a terrifying experience for players. dead money changed all that, and while some fans loved the surprisingly scary campaign, others didn’t appreciate the abrupt change in mood without first knowing what they were getting themselves into.
7/10 The Forged In Fog chapter flopped
Dead by daylight
While Dead by daylight always had problems with glitches and bugs, his latest chapter, Forged in the mist, was one of the worst releases so far. As the 26th chapter, it was meant to be second nature to the developers, but it fell through.
The new killer, the knight, introduced gameplay and perks that the survivors felt were unfair, and the update broke the game so much that many players were unable to log into the game. Those who were able to log in suffered so many glitches that the game was practically unplayable. Complaints from Survivor and Killer Mains were sent to the developers during the PTB, but they prevailed with the release. Considering that this was the first chapter to come out after the incredible project w chapter that introduced Resident Evils Albert Wesker, it made the ordeal worse.
6/10 Hard grounded was a ridiculous thing to charge for
The last of us
In view of The last of us and its DLC, left behind, are both incredible gaming experiences, it’s a shame they put paid content into the game that isn’t worth the price. Most players are used to games unlocking harder difficulty modes as they complete a campaign. The last of us is no different, except that one difficulty was originally locked behind a paywall.
Grounded is a mode in the original game that meant a player could not die. If they died, they would be sent all the way back to the beginning of the game. This mode has been locked behind a paywall. To this day, no one’s quite sure what Naughty Dog was thinking, but luckily they’ve learned from their mistakes.
5/10 Rush Of Blood was a pointless attempt at VR
Until dawn
Until dawn is a masterpiece of horror gaming. Putting each character’s fate in the hands of the player, forcing them to make choices that can kill them in various gruesome ways, the fears and anxiety this game causes were ahead of their time.
That’s why it was so unfortunate when a sequel was announced that’s supposed to be VR compatible, just for bloodlust be the result. Technically available separately Until dawn, bloodlust still piggybacking on the popular game for a less-than-exciting rail shooter that offered little story and no substance. Needless to say, fans were disappointed.
4/10 The hangman wasn’t worth the wait
The evil in
After the phenomenal DLCs, things continued The Evil Within Story, The assignment and The consequenceTheir fans were eagerly awaiting the third and final DLC for the game. Players promise to be put into the perspective of one of the iconic monsters The Executioner had an interesting premise.
The Warden (the playable monster) gave players a glimpse of what becomes of humans after spending too long in STEM, and was originally very similar to Sebastian. While playing one of the monsters was cool, the DLC turned out to be little more than a killing campaign with little more substance than fighting other monsters and the game’s protagonists.
3/10 Versus should have been free
resident evil 5
resident evil 5 was already a controversial title in fandom. Many fans felt that the game wasn’t scary enough and that it strayed too far from an action shooter game to really belong resident Evil Universe. Despite this, the story was still an integral part of the series, and its portrayal by Albert Wesker is a fan favorite.
However, one of the purchasable extras was a mode called Versus, which was just an online PVP mode that allowed players to play their favorite characters and compete against other players. Charging extra money for this was absolutely ridiculous, and fans agree that this feature should have been free.
2/10 The Easy Fatality System should never have existed
Mortal Kombat X
While Mortal Kombat is not technically a horror franchise, between the grotesque violence and the licenses to horror icons like Jason, Leatherface, the Predator, the Xenomorph and many others, it blurs the lines of horror a lot.
Mortal Kombat X introduced a new method of triggering fatalities: brutal death sequences to celebrate a win, commonly referred to as the simple fatality system. Due to the complicated button triggers and placement, it can be difficult to get fatalities, so the developers gave players a better way. Then they hid it behind a paywall. Players had to pay for these simple deaths, and they only worked once. If the player wanted to keep using them, he had to keep paying for them.
1/10 Ranger mode embarrassed fans for not buying it
The subway last night
The subway last night introduced a difficulty setting called Ranger Mode, which came with the game upon pre-order. Anyone who did not pre-order the game was charged an additional $5 for the content. The only problem was that this was basically just a hard mode that limited the player’s resources and tools.
The developers also advertised it as “how the game should be played‘, meaning a player would not get the full experience without completing the game on that difficulty. This also catered to the people who wanted the challenge so they wouldn’t rest until they knew they had completed the hardest mode.