Strand is honest so good and so fun to use, makes the older subclasses feel a bit lacking in comparison. Even if you trade Grapple for one of the other two grenade options – one spawns little creatures called threadlings, my babies, and the other is a crowd control option that traps enemies in a shiny green net—and you’ll still have so much fun that you might forget the other classes even exist for a while. Of course this was the case with any new subclass Fate 2 has introduced in the past, but this one feels different, as you’re not just given a few custom mechanics, you’re given a ton of brand new mechanics and a new way of traversing worlds Fate 2.
Cloudy with a chance of darkness
Let’s talk about Rohan and Nimbus, the Cloudstriders, protectors of Neomuna. There are always two of them, and they only live for 10 years, a consequence of the severe nano-augmentation they undergo when they volunteer to become Cloudstriders. We spend most of our time with Nimbus, Rohan’s dark and grizzled younger counterpart, and every minute is great.
Fate 2 there is no shortage of grizzled, stoic men and haunted, traumatized women. Nimbus is a breath of fresh air, because they are none of those things. They are bright, bubbly and non-binary. They’re likeable and enthusiastic, with a sense of youthful (and delightfully immature) humor that we just can’t get enough of Fate 2. Voiced by series newcomer Marin Miller, Nimbus is a beating heart Light fall campaign.
Too often we only get the narrowest parts of the story’s development Fate 2supporting cast. But that’s one of the things Light fall highlights in. We get a lot of time with Nimbus. Over the course of the campaign, we begin to realize that Nimbus’ exuberance isn’t just some defense mechanism or immaturity. It’s a choice.
Faced with cosmic horrors, Nimbus protects that youthful enthusiasm from the easy cynicism that comes with grief and loss. They have 10 more years to live, and they will live each one to the fullest. It’s a nuanced and compassionate performance, and even when things get more serious and grounded in the story after the campaign, it’s still refreshing. I can’t wait to see more Nimbus in the seasons to come.
A few loose ends
Despite everything I loved Light fall, he felt relieved to finish the campaign. I ended up feeling like I was doing the same missions several times. Go protect the thing, get to the thing before the bad guy. Highlights of Light fall unfortunately they are not the things we spend the most time on.
What is Veil (beyond justifying sending us to Neptune?) How did Neomuna get there? What about the Strand? What does the Witness really want? Spending time with Nimbus and exploring Strand’s new powers was super fun, but every time I finished a mission I found myself looking out over the horizon where the real fight was happening, wishing I was there instead.
Fortunately, after you complete the campaign Light fall you do go to participate in that greater struggle, and that is what the season of defiance is built around. Queen Mara of the space elves (oops, I mean Awakened) needs your help to free the prisoners from the (presumably well-groomed) hands of the Witnesses, and these missions are a blast. They are exciting, challenging, a little spooky. Awesome. It’s like having to play through Dreaming City before ever touching the story Abandoned. No matter how good the season of defiance is and Light fall the stories are, there is a gap in urgency between them that creates an uncomfortable pace.
