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Anuroop Divakaran
Leviathan offers a generous amount of content to coax you back. At the centre of it all is the mystery surrounding the Reapers' origins and the tease of something that was once even more powerful. In the Mass Effect universe, these are true revelations - revelations that BioWare chose to omit from the main game. Like the day-one DLC From Ashes (and, arguably, the Extended Cut), these story threads are so tightly woven into the narrative that it's almost frustrating they were ever separated at all.
What Leviathan offers will likely excite and infuriate in equal measure. There's a glimpse at something hugely important to the game's lore - and maybe even the series' future - but BioWare's surprises feel hamstrung by having to work within the framework of the existing game.
Shepard's underwater exploits have been teased heavily during the DLC's promotion. But you'll be down there mere minutes.
Unlike Mass Effect 2's mostly-excellent DLC, which could freely build on the aftermath of that game's events, Leviathan can only be a pit stop on the Mass Effect 3 roadmap. The goalposts have already been set for the end of the trilogy, and Leviathan (which could really fit anywhere within the latter half of the game) is forced to operate within that.
It's worth noting that those with Leviathan installed do get a slightly tweaked finale - but it is a fleeting moment of exposition. Such is the information learnt about the Reapers, it would be odd if Leviathan's events were not mentioned somehow.
Happily, Leviathan's ability to delve back into the pre-finale world of Shepard can also be something of a bonus. A lot - perhaps too much - has been made of Mass Effect 3's endings, so much so that it is now impossible to talk about the game without touching on the subject. But that conversation usually obscures the vast majority of a fantastic adventure, something which Leviathan's dazzling planet-hopping and tense combat sections revel in bringing back to the fore.
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In short, Leviathan's gameplay reminds you why the series is so good and of the potential it still has. The adventure spans three major missions, each interspersed with visits to a new area of the Citadel. And it's here, in a mysterious clue-filled lab, that BioWare is able to really have some fun.
Within minutes, the traditional pattern of "meet quest giver, run off to mission" is abruptly altered. Shepard is wrapped up in a detective operation, scouring the environment L.A. Noire-style for pointers as to what to do next. There are fan-pleasing references and nods to old Mass Effect plots aplenty, as well as lots of time spent with EDI, one of the surprise highlights of Mass Effect 3.
