There is no doubt that Just Cause 3 has made it onto my list of the best games on Xbox One – the sheer freedom and fun to be had while exploring the world of Medici is second to none. But when the game has been out for a year already we are left wanting a new experience with Rico Rodriguez and co.
And this is where the Bavarium Sea Heist DLC comes in.
The third and final part of the Air, Land and Sea expansion for Just Cause 3, Bavarium Sea Heist, tasks Rico and his merry band of rebel friends to infiltrate an eDen Corporation base situated in the middle of a new province, the Stingray Area, as they try and get their hands on some Bavarium shields and a brand new super weapon capable of summoning lightning from the sky. So far, so Just Cause. But it is the way you will go about doing this which makes up the main part of the DLC.
We’ve soared through the sky with our rocket wingsuit, we have torn apart the land with our land Mechs… and now we can speed through the Stingray area with our very own attack boat – the Loochador.
With lock-on homing missiles and miniguns strapped to the exterior of the boat, a near-endless supply of boost to outrun your foes and layers upon layers of a thick armour strong enough to shrug off a good few missiles, the Loochador is nothing short of a killing machine. It is extremely fun to boost around on the water, easily disposing of enemy ships and helicopters throughout the main part of the DLC.
However, it was this ‘main part’ of the latest content pack that makes the game just a little bit tedious, with the pattern of ‘acquire weapon, take over bases, infiltrate main base, fight bad guys, done’ still being prevalent. That was found in the previous two DLC packs, and I am sorry to say this yet again, but it is still the case with the Bavarium Sea Heist DLC. Not giving away any spoilers, but in a nutshell, the missions will see you get your attack boat, take out the five bases in the Stingray area, infiltrating the main base to get the loot and then fighting it out on the water with your Loochador.
Now, this wouldn’t be too bad (in fact the fight at the end was more than exhilarating and hugely enjoyable), but it seems that Square Enix have just pressed the copy and paste buttons to make the bases, as half your time will see you dashing around in the boat and taking out the same chaos objects with the odd missile or two from the Loochador, while holding off minimal reinforcements. This section of the DLC got a little repetitive after a short while and I was more than a little disappointed. It could have easily been brilliant with some dashing around on the open sea, facing increasingly harder and stronger threats to hold off and blow to pieces. But all we got were five of the same thing before the real fun – the heist – got started.
And, after blowing up what could have been my 500th water buoy, the final mission, the ‘heist’ element of the Bavarium Sea Heist, was a breath of fresh air to me. While you don’t get to use the Loochador, you are able to finally get your hands on the previously mentioned super weapon, the eDen Spark.
Now the eDen spark is nothing less than a super weapon, with one sustained bolt of lightning being all you need to destroy any vehicle. As you can imagine, everyone in my way was instantly taken out, rendering any other of my weapons useless. The range on the gun is immense, and you can keep holding down the right trigger for a good ten seconds before you need to wait a few more for the eDen Spark to recharge. While this does seem amazing, and indeed it was amazing bringing down everything in the sky, destroying everything in the water and on the ground, I haven’t died or come close to dying once in the whole of the content add-on – both the Loochador and the eDen Spark are just that powerful. I know that this might not be a problem for some gamers, but I would have liked a bit more of a challenge so I would have had to use just a bit of strategy. Instead, all I had to do was point and fire at every enemy and in an instant it’s gone; whether it’s in the boat or with the eDen Spark.
So, upon completion of the DLC, you will find no reason to ever go back to the Stingray Area, (unless you want to complete the one challenge that, like everything in the DLC, is extremely easy) as all it contains is a few bases surrounded by water.
But, after all my criticism of the overpowered weapons and lack of any real challenge Bavarium Sea Heist has to offer, it is still an extremely fun hour to be had with Rico Rodriguez. The weapons make you feel like a god, and that’s really all we want in Just Cause… no emotional storyline nor stealth missions, just pure freedom and fun.
And that is exactly what you will get. Just don’t expect much of a challenge.
