RAAM has returned to the Gears franchise in the form of a majorly badass DLC titled “RAAM’s Shadow”. The sky is blotted with ink, there is a menacing kryllstorm lurking above and every nook and corner of Ilima city has been destroyed.
In the first campaing DLC to hit Gears of War 3, you take control of Zeta squad (Lt. Minh Young Kim, Michael Barrick, Tai Kaliso and Alicia Valera) through their epic story of heroism and bravery. You find some familiar faces and some not so much. This DLC is a direct prequel to the franchise and explains what went on prior to Gears of War 1. The city of Ilima is evacuating in fear of kryll attacks and rumours of the Locust general, RAAM, have been circulating.
As you play the campaign, you often alternate perspectives between playing as Zeta squad and RAAM, thereby filling you in on both sides of the story. Taking control of RAAM feels quite foreign, although once you’ve gotten used to it, you’ll feel like an invincible beast out on the war raged battlefield. With a cloud of kryll surrounding him, RAAM is virtually indestructibe and with a swift command, he can target his little minions to do his dirty work for him. These savage beasts flock around and rip the enemy to shreds, so watch out when you’re on the receiving end of this battering. Through the course of the campaign, you will eventually come across RAAM and don’t underestimate him one bit, especially on the higher difficulties. Oh and don’t forget about his dagger charge and brutal execution!
With that said, the campaign does seem a bit lopsided. There really isn’t much depth to the storyline on the RAAM side of it, most of what you do is go around tearing down the city and wiping out Gear encampments. On the other hand, the Zeta squad story is much more engrossing and engaging, there is a lot more intensity and a much more happening emotionally. Overall, this seems like the better half of the story but it wouldn’t be complete without RAAM and the fact that you can play as him more than makes up for the lacklustre plot when you’re controlling him.
RAAM’s Shadow adds some great new tweaks, not only to the story, but also to the gameplay. As you are playing as Zeta squad, you occasionally take remote access over a Hammer of Dawn satellite and the top down shooting view feels like a little mini-game in itself. And without spoiling the story for you all, there is a nice little present waiting for you when you load up the campaign. It’s a “little” something we’ve seen in Gears 1 and she’s back for round two!
Overall, the campaign was a nice filler to the Gears storyline and although it might seem rather pointless to learn about this side of the story, it truly is a really well done campaign along with a great plot and well planned twists & turns. The cinematics are beautiful as ever and we all know Steve Jablonsky works his wonders in the audio department. It took me a couple of hours to get through it on normal difficulty but for $15, I would say that RAAM’s Shadow is quite worth it! Also, this piece of DLC does not only give you a campaign section to play, but also allows you to play as Zeta squad & RAAM in multiplayer along with providing you with chocolate skins for your 5 starting weapons.
I most certainly won’t be forgetting about it soon and the legend of RAAM will remain forever…
