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Bladekisser is exactly what Trepang2 needed to flesh out its story and horde mode. It coincides with a free update that expands the combat simulator and adds additional HVTs to past missions, encouraging replayability and creative input. The DLC-exclusive content also adds fresh content beyond the new missions, going out of its way to work the new guns and enemy types into the original campaign and horde mode. It feels like a nice upgrade to the base game overall.
The main selling point of Bladekisser is Subject 105's sword, which becomes a usable weapon alongside a Revolver and a magazine-fed Machine Gun. The Sword works pretty realistically, in that enemies aware of you will gun you down while you wildly slash at them with a blade. Its ideal use is for stealth and precisely eliminating targets, wiping out 3-4 unaware enemies with several swings or performing a charge attack coming out of cloak to skewer an enemy. It's useless against Juggernauts and doesn't one-hit kill most enemies, so ignore what the trailers suggest and focus on assassinations to get your mileage out of the Sword.
The Revolver and Machine Gun are used by TF27 and Horizon alike. The Revolver is tricky to use at first, but once you get its firing style down (quick taps fire off individual shots, while holding the trigger has 106 rapid-fire it), it becomes a satisfying hand cannon. Slowing down time, lining up a headshot, and leaving Focus to one-shot-kill enemies is so satisfying. The Machine Gun is a middle-ground weapon between the Assault Rifle and Minigun - with the unique twist of becoming more accurate as you fire it. It's a serviceable automatic weapon that's good at a distance. It only has a few attachments, but the highlight is the Taser Barrel, which makes it shoot electric bullets that stun and potentially ignite weaker targets at the cost of damage. Both can be dual-wielded, and all 3 new weapons can be given skins.
Bladekisser's story is set in the later stages of Trepang2's campaign, when Subject 106 and Task Force 27 have been cutting off Horizon's resources and hitting their blacksites hard. It consists of two side missions that are somewhere between Site 14 and the Pandora Institute in length - one set in an oil rig housing a Horizon research facility, and the other sending 106 to rescue an allied task force under attack by Horizon. Both missions have unique locations and threats that will keep players on their toes, including a boss battle with a submarine!
What shocked me the most about Bladekisser was the its plot. I was very critical of Trepang2's ending twist in my review for the main game, saying it came out of nowhere and brushed aside Horizon's callous cruelty to justify the story. However, Bladekisser's missions shocked me by redeeming the twist without going heavy-handed in its content. They present greyer areas of TF27 and Horizon that, while not straying from what you've already seen, show aspects that went underutilized in the campaign. Horizon's purported concern for its civilian workforce actually shows up here! Task Force 27 members actually do some heinous things, sometimes without even realizing what they were commanded to do! You're forced to make some pretty grueling decisions as 106, and while they could be justified from a "greater good" mindset, they still hit you hard after the missions end. By the DLC's conclusion, Horizon feels more deserving of its treatment in their HQ mission, while TF27's morally questionable leadership and manipulation of their soldiers are more apparent.
Seriously, Trepang Studios, you guys saved the story. I wish these missions had been in the base game, but it clearly took a lot of time and care to get this update together. Hats off to you all.
Bladekisser is a stellar piece of DLC. It gets a ton of mileage out of the base game's content and offers even more opportunities to have a blast revisiting Trepang2. The new weapons are fun, and while they don't beat the meta of Incendiary Shotgun + Homing Grenade Launcher, they still make for great options in difficulties up to Very Hard. I'd honestly recommend this at full price, and for first-time players of Trepang2, I would recommend beating its missions before completing the Horizon HQ finale. It makes the final twist of the game work much better and feel genuinely earned.