Last month, Red Faction: Guerrilla arrived in stores alongside glowing critical reviews, showing that realistic destruction, highly varied missions, and clever weaponry are nothing short of a great recipe for fun. And once players finished the single-player campaign, they could further extend the experience with terrific online multiplayer. Now, as if to mock the idea that you might ever play another game, THQ and Volition are set to deliver downloadable content in the form of Demons of the Badlands, a prequel to the main storyline that sheds light on the history of the Marauder tribe. We recently spent some time with this DLC, going hands-on with a few story missions and side objectives. [Note: This preview will contain Red Faction: Guerrilla story spoilers.]

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　　Demons of the Badlands places you in the role of Samanya, the supporting female lead from Guerrilla's main story who helped Alec Mason craft new makeshift weaponry. Those who finished the campaign will remember that Samanya was eventually revealed to be a member of the Marauder tribe, a mysterious group of nomads living on the outskirts of civilization. The DLC explores the origins of the Marauders, showing them as they were before the events of the main game back when their land was occupied by EDF forces. The story will also explore Samanya's relationship with her sister Vasha.

　　In terms of geography, this DLC takes place in a brand-new region called Mariner Valley. According to Volition associate producer Sean Kennedy, this chunk of Mars is roughly the same size as the Oasis region. Because development on the DLC started back in December--at the tail end of Guerrilla's development--the team has been able to build environments that weren't yet possible when environments were being created for the first game. As a result, you'll see a pretty different landscape, with more varied altitude differences and Marauder buildings often built into cliffsides, to name a few examples. Because the DLC takes place outside the main story, you'll access it from the main menu rather than warping to Mariner Valley from one of the game's other regions

　　The narrative is spread across three story missions. That number might seem a bit paltry, but the missions are fairly hefty, with the third clocking in at 30 to 45 minutes. Thankfully, the checkpoint system has been improved over what was offered in Guerrilla, which allowed for only one mid-mission save. Now, you'll be able to hit several checkpoints over the course of a long mission. That should help take care of one of the bigger criticisms of the main game: frustrating mid-mission deaths.

　　The morale system from Guerrilla has been done away with since the Marauders aren't considered civilians in this story. Another big change is that you'll no longer be able to collect salvage from fallen buildings--a decision Volition made so that players won't feel like they have to go and unlock every weapon all over again. To promote exploration, though, you can collect 75 Marauder Cells to go along with the metric boatload of side missions available throughout the entire region. Altogether, Kennedy says it should take you four to five hours to finish the DLC if you take on a fair number of optional missions.

　　The new Marauder walker has a much more cobbled-together look to it.

　　With the new focus on Marauder history, you'll find a number of new Marauder weapons. A few examples are the spiker (a machine gun that shoots metal spikes), a new take on the rocket launcher, a Marauder sword, and a pickaxe--all carrying the distinct look of the Marauders' nomadic way of life. You'll also find all of the guns from the main story, except for the ones that were invented during the course of the game, like the nanorifle. A couple of new off-road vehicles appear in the form of the Chomper and the Stomper, plus a new walker that behaves just as the others in Guerrilla, but with a Marauder look to it.

　　Demons of the Badlands looks like it should offer quite a bit of content for the $10 asking price. At the very least, it should offer plenty of the destructive mayhem Guerrilla showcased, which is more than all right by us. You can expect it to be released on August 13.