Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate expansion packs that are integrated into the base game — especially when it comes to RPGs. Expansion packs like Dark Souls’ Artorias of the Abyss, Baldur’s Gate’s Tales of the Sword Coast, Gothic 2’s Night of the Raven all add tremendously to the base game while being separate mini-adventures in their own right. This way, developers are allowed to improve the base game without having to deal with the “sensitive” issue of canon lore. The Cyprus-based CRPG connoisseur Owlcat Games is the latest developer to join this list with Void Shadows, the first expansion pack to Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
Rogue Trader is a game I really liked on my first playthrough and one that I’ve come to love and adore in the subsequent playthroughs. Yes, the game was riddled with bugs at launch, and yes, it did rain on my parade. Devout followers of Owlcat know that their games tend to launch in a technically divisive state. But these guys stick with their games and have a reputation for fixing (almost) all of the issues within a year. This has led to a sentiment in the community where most fans are willing to wait till the game is completely fixed to have the best experience. I said in our review, “If you’re someone who has a low tolerance rate towards technical issues, it’s best to wait for the inevitable definitive edition that’s bound to come out soon.” The definitive edition might be a good way off, but thanks to 10 months of updates, Rogue Trader has aged like fine Amasec. Void Shadows is the platter of well-cooked albino-gyrinx meat that goes along with it.
A Proper Expansion
Calling Void Shadows a “DLC” would just be an insult to its contents and quality. It is an expansion pack in the most essentialist meaning of the term. Fully integrated into the main story, (Act I-IV), Void Shadows offers 15 hours of new content that includes, but is not limited to; a badass new companion, a lengthy main questline, multiple side quests, new crew members, new locations, two new archetypes, new weapons, and more. It’s a full package, harkening back to the good old days when the word expansion pack meant something.
Void Shadows essentially fixes one of my main complaints regarding the base game. Despite the Lord Captain having control of a massive city-state-sized Voidship housing tens of thousands of crew members, it was just used as window dressing. Except for the Captain’s quarters and the bridge, there wasn’t a lot to explore. Void Shadows tries to rectify this shortcoming by letting the player delve deep into the bowels of the Rogue Trader Voidship. Owlcat pulled no punches in visualizing the depths of the Voidship in all its grimdark glory. The expansion features some of the most detailed and bizarrely beautiful artworks in the entire game. I’ll let the images speak for themselves.
Void Shadows’ story unfolds similarly to good detective fiction, with lots of investigations, espionage, and twists & turns as you try to get to the bottom of a conspiracy years in the making. I found Void Shadows’ story to be a great improvement over the main story since it explores the politics, culture, and plights of the thousands of unprivileged saps toiling away to keep the massive machine running. Opting for a Heretical path, it was horrifying to see my Lord Captain treat his loyal (and unloyal) subjects with such vile cruelty and complete disregard for human life. I love how the expansion expands on the heretical choices. There are some really fucked up choices to be made that are satisfying from a purely role-playing perspective.
Showstealer
However, the biggest draw to me is Kibellah, the Second Spinner cum lethal assassin of the Death Cult that has been operating behind the scenes to serve the Emperor and the Rogue Trader. Kibellah is a recruitable companion and has her unique companion quest, banter (she even chips in during base story missions), gear, and most importantly, can be romanced. We finally have a 40K game where a leather-clad S&M goth mommy can be romanced! Kibellah is a very interesting and likable character, owing to her Death Cult beliefs as well as her penchant for self-mutilation that puts even Pinhead to shame. Like all companions in the base game, Kibellah is a vector for Owlcat to convey faction-specific lore and worldbuilding without overwhelming the players. On that, they did a great job.
What’s more interesting than Kibellah’s personality is her usefulness as an unstoppable killing machine! I’m not kidding when I say that if used well, Kibellah can quell almost all of the combat encounters in a single round, even on higher difficulties. Heck, even if you’re an amateur in build customization, Kibellah will still be a force to be reckoned with. The Balde Dancer archetype’s multi-target attacks can clear entire rooms with ease. She’s broken as hell, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! She even has these unique idle animations like brandishing her knives, which look so damn cool. Kibellah is easily going to be in all my parties going forward!
Real Talk
Void Shadows is an essential purchase if you already like what Owlcat has done with Rogue Trader. The intriguing new story, the absolute badass that is Kibellah, and the improvements to the game since launch easily warrant another playthrough. I hope we won’t have to wait ten months before the next content pack hits digital storefronts.
FINAL RATING: 90/100
