Downloadable Content has always given fans a chance to explore new features and content in loads of games. Out of all the DLC available, 2021 has seen plenty of ground-breaking and exciting new DLC releases that have either brought something new to the table or crossed over with other properties.
As gaming has continued to grow, so has DLC. Downloadable content has grown to feature full updates that keep games going with new additions for years after their initial launch, as well as being used to bring back fan-favorite features such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate adding the Stage Building feature in a patch. Against all of the DLC in 2021, a few stood out the most in terms of what it brought to players, and they follow in no particular order.
Far Cry 6 - Vaas: Insanity
Ever since players got to know Vaas in Far Cry 3, many fans wanted more out of the fan-favorite villain. Some wanted to understand his viewpoints better, whereas others desired to play as him in some shape or form. As of Far Cry 6, that wish has been answered with the explorative DLC Vaas: Insanity that takes players through Vaas' mindscape in a rogue-lite adventure.
While some fans felt the adventure ran a little short, it still ended up giving fans an experience completely new to the Far Cry series, while being incredibly experimental and imaginative with the world found in Vaas' mind. The DLC also gave cosmetic items themed off of FC3 to players, including a Vaas outfit for Dani. For the fans of the third game in the series, this DLC is very much worth picking up.
Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
It may have been upsetting for many fans to hear that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Fighter Pass DLC would come to an end in 2021, but what fighter ended up sending the game off was an incredible reveal for fans. Despite how many Smash players thought he would be too difficult to include, Sora entered the roster as the last DLC character with details and easter eggs galore for Kingdom Hearts fans to enjoy.
Sora came with costumes referencing his different appearances across many different KH titles, such as his Kingdom Hearts 3 outfit. He also had alternate costumes for different form changes he had gone through, such as his Timeless River form. The DLC also came with an incredibly detailed Hollow Bastion stage, and all of Sora's friends as different spirits. Even though Disney references were left out for what's most likely legal reasons, many fans agree that Sora being added to Smash was one of the best fighters they could have saved for last.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake: INTERmission
While fans still have quite a while to wait for the second installment of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the DLC that came with the game's PS5 upgrade serves as a great taste of what's to come. As FF7R introduces details found in the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7, Yuffie's own personal DLC gives context to her intro in the original game, while tying the story to a title many people didn't expect to see tie into Remake so soon, Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus.
Many fans enjoyed how, despite that the game sits at two chapters, it fleshed out the world of Gaia beyond just Midgar, as it introduced the well-known Midgar and Wutai war to a new audience with ease. While other RPG DLCs may be more ambitious in their executions, what Intermission sets up for the next title is something fans shouldn't miss out on.
Marvel's Avengers: War for Wakanda
Marvel's Avengers' War for Wakanda DLC is proof that despite how a game performs on launch, given enough time, players who remain loyal to the title may be rewarded with great DLC that heightens the experience far more than expected at first glance. This particular experience gives players a look into what happened to Black Panther as a result of the crisis on A-Day, putting players in King T'Challa's shoes and taking fans on a campaign through the Wakandan Jungle.
The way that Black Panther operates as a playable hero makes beating down enemies feel much more rewarding with his shockwave and ability-boosting capabilities, which can be upgraded for even more power throughout the campaign. The expansion DLC also adds new enemies to bring a challenge to even the most dedicated fans who have already beaten the game over and over again, making the expansion worthwhile for many players.
Destiny 2 30th Anniversary DLC
Against all of the anniversaries that happened in the video game industry this year, Bungie knew just how to go all out for its own as the company turned 30 years old. It released the Destiny 2 30th Anniversary Pack as a big celebration of all things Bungie from Halo, Myth, and more. Some naturally have to be more subtle nods than others for obvious reasons, but the DLC adds enough interesting content that it changes up Destiny 2's current meta experience.
No matter which Bungie title players are the fondest of, there is something for each fan to enjoy from their favorite games in the expansion as they take down Destiny 2's new hilariously-named bosses.
Doom Eternal: the Ancient Gods Part 2
There is a saying that all good things must come to an end, and Doom Eternal: the Ancient Gods Part 2 serves as the climactic finale to the Doom Slayer's story, finishing the fight between the player and the Dark Lord. The DLC gives the standard Doom fare of new items and enemies for players to test their new weapons on, including the extremely powerful Sentinel Hammer.
However, the biggest draw to the DLC to many may lie in how the war between Heaven and Hell finally concludes at the Doom Slayer's hands. Naturally, the ending of that id Software has developed since the series came back in 2016 is climactic, and some players may not understand the deeper meanings of Doom Eternal's ending at first. However, the last DLC expansion for the title does a great job at making sure plenty of fans are satisfied until the franchise potentially comes back again.
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Paradise
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Like how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate saw the end of its content updates in 2021, so did Animal Crossing: New Horizons with its 2.0 update released late in the year. However, fans weren't left without content to enjoy, as the 2.0 update also saw the addition of Animal Crossing's first DLC expansion, Happy Home Paradise. Happy Home Paradise brought clever progression and a new mode to the life simulation title that can almost stand up as a new game on its own.
The new DLC adds features never before seen in Animal Crossing, such as partition walls, lighting control, soundscapes, and more that add new dynamics to how players can design houses across both vacation homes and the homes of their villagers. With these new features, alongside the 2.0 update, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has become even more incredibly replayable, with an endless amount of options to change up their islands.
Final Fantasy 14 Online: Endwalker
As one of the most anticipated releases of 2021, Final Fantasy 14's Endwalker expansion is finally in the hands of fans. The critically acclaimed MMO gains two new classes, Sage and Reaper, along with male Vieras on top of tons of other new content. The expansion continues the story many fans have grown attached to, and Endwalker gives challenging new dungeons and quests for players along the way to test their skills so far.
Endwalker was almost too hyped up by its fans, as the expansion hitting the game has led to queueing issues that have kept players out of the game for hours, as well as all of the sales for FF14 to be halted until traffic dies down. Despite this, the team working on the game has done its best to make the experience worth it for the players that can experience it, including making Endwalker's dungeons drop tons of EXP for easy leveling.
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
Alongside the massive solar system and lost secrets players can explore in Outer Wilds itself, Annapurna Interactive has given the action-adventure game even more worlds and locations for fans to find. Outer Wilds' Echoes of the Eye DLC was revealed during Annapurna's own presentation in July, and now that it's in the hands of players, many of them have had fun finding the DLC's different endings.
Several players praised how Outer Wilds tends to be a game that allows players to explore without pointing them in different directions with different objective pointers, which adds to the open-ended nature of the expansion as it seeks to add context to the story fans already explored. The DLC fits in with the already established world of the title that many players aren't sure how to start Echoes of the Eye right away.
Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island
Voted the Players' Choice at the Game Awards in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima finds new life with the Iki Island expansion that seeks to flesh out the story of Jin Sakai, the samurai many fans have grown to know over the last few years. As fans learn the story of Jin's past, dealing with his father's profession and death, the DLC has players beating up enemies and finding haikus in brand new Ghost of Tsushima locations across a sprawling landscape.
After the original game stole plenty of fans' hearts, having more chances to slash their way through things would make many players happy Iki Island no matter what shortcomings the DLC had. With tons of items and secrets to find, including PlayStation-inspired easter eggs, having more content of Sucker Punch's gorgeous open-world adventure to explore is a highlight of 2021 for many fans.