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Terminator: Resistance Annihilation Line DLC Review - A Concentrated Dose of Action
Terminator: Resistance has happened to embody the traits of its titular robotic villain in strange ways, in particular the way that it never seems to die. First released in 2019 to a mixed response from critics but finding a home with Terminator fans, the title then received an enhanced edition for PS5 in 2021 that brought the game up to current console standards. Now, developer Teyon has released the new Annihilation Line DLC.
Annihilation Line takes place in the middle of the story of Terminator: Resistance, with protagonist Jacob Rivers taking a break from his own post-apocalyptic mission to support an important character from Terminator's story. Kyle Reese has been given an essential job by John Connor, and brings Rivers in on a plan that takes them deep into Skynet territory. On the way, of course, there are plenty more Terminators to kill.
The inclusion of Reese as a character may well be enough to lure in Terminator fans, but thankfully it's far better than other DLC packs based on classic Michael Biehn characters. Clocking in at about five hours should the player explore its side missions, Annihilation Line is a neat addition that taps into what fans of the Terminator franchise enjoyed about the base game.
In part, Annihilation Line succeeds because it is very tightly focused. Whereas the core gameplay of Terminator: Resistance provided players with open world areas to scavenge from, Annihilation Line is a little more linear in its approach, with a handful of voluntary side quests that align with the core story. Meanwhile, there are fewer RPG-lite elements within the narrative, with the player's choices limited to dialogue with NPCs.
This means that the player is never able to meander too much, jumping from one action section to another with pockets of more open stealth gameplay spliced between. Since this is a little more combat focused than the base game, which saw the player mixing up gunplay with hacking and stealth mechanics depending on their play style like a limited version of Deus Ex, the combat did need to improve. Thankfully, Annihilation Line does feel better in its action than the core game, with Skynet's creations feeling more direct and dangerous this time around.
Luckily there is a ragtag bunch of resistance misfits taking part in this quest, and Kyle Reese, together with Ferro, Evans, and the player, pack a serious punch as a dysfunctional quartet. Ferro and Evans are both seen very briefly in the original Terminator movie, although it's fair to say that Annihilation Line doesn't do much to bring much to the characters outside of typical tropes. Reese, too, isn't built on much beyond the character template provided by the movie franchise, which feels a little like a missed opportunity.
Nonetheless Annihilation Line hits most of the right plot points for the Terminator series over its runtime. The plot rolls around into the wider time travel story of the series, while it also covers off all the necessary story beats around infiltrator robots and the dark future of humanity. Unlike most Terminator games (and many video game adaptations in general), Annihilation Line tonally matches its source material - a success continued from the base game.
Annihilation Line doesn't solve the issues with Terminator: Resistance, such as its slightly clunky overall feel, but those fans who overlooked its lack of AAA polish won't mind that. Instead, the DLC refines what came before and doesn't have the same amount of technical problems that the core game had at launch. As such, for fans of the Terminator series who enjoyed Resistance, this is certainly something to enjoy.
Terminator: Resistance - Annihilation Line is out now for PC and PS5.
