Watch Dogs Legion: Bloodline Review – The Glorious Return Of Aiden Pearce And Wrench

Watch Dogs Legion took the hacker franchise in a completely different direction, eschewing a traditional protagonist in favor of a thousand playable faces. While unique and enjoyable, I was left wanting a deeper connection to the playable characters that I grew alongside throughout the story. The Bloodline DLC delivers this by bringing back the original hacker himself: Aiden Pearce. And he brings nearly everything I wanted from the base Legion experience along for the ride. 

Bloodline sees the return of the original Watch Dogs protagonist, but now he’s older, a little wiser, and out of “the biz.” Until he’s drawn back in with the allure of supporting his nephew, Jackson, who is Aiden’s sister’s son that we met in the first game. Bloodline also brought back another familiar face – or more appropriately, a familiar mask – with Watch Dogs 2’s Wrench. 

The story begins with Aiden reluctantly taking a dangerous job in London. He sees a chance to reconnect with his nephew, so he dives back into the life he left behind. However, during a mission, Aiden soon comes across evidence that another hacker has beaten him to the punch, a hacker we later learn is Wrench. The two don’t have a solid start, but the narrative intertwines the pair’s experience so they are both playable, which makes their continued growth believable and enjoyable. From Aiden chasing Wrench through an infiltrated building to Wrench looking out for Aiden’s safety when the danger hits a little too close to home, Bloodline delivered a robust story in a way that Legion did not. 

Aiden and Wrench’s chemistry is more than just how they interact, it involves how their skills and abilities play off of each other. For example, Aiden’s Focus, which allows him to slow time to line up the perfect shot, is the perfect antithesis to Wrench’s Ninja Balls secondary ability, which essentially means he can throw flashbangs. Aiden represents balance and responsibility, whereas Wrench is an ironic blend of shy-chaos and freedom. That chemistry made their interactions engaging and important, it also made progressing through each mission a joy just to see how they continued to interact.  

The Bloodline DLC delivers this by bringing back the original hacker himself: Aiden Pearce. And he brings nearly everything I wanted from the base Legion experience along for the ride. 

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