Outer Wilds

the dlc is incredible!! there are jumpscares, and if i'm correct reduced frights reduces some elements of the scare itself without fully eliminating the jumpscare. additionally, reduced frights changes a specific game mechanic that can allow you to complete the dlc without ever getting jumpscared if you're good. personally, I found that reduced frights felt more like the base game, and Echoes of the Eye relies far more on scary vibes and ambience than jumpscares, so you're not missing much if you use reduced frights.

even if you're not one for horror games i very much recommend playing the dlc. it's got hours worth of gameplay, some really out-of-the-box puzzles (even in comparison to the base game), and ties in to the overall storyline at the end – really i consider it to be an indispensable part of the game. just like the base game, i'm really jealous of anyone that has yet to play it.

The DLC is a different experience compared to the main game, for sure. I never played with the reduce frights option, but I'd recommend biting the bullet and playing it in normal mode. Before too long, I think you'll know whether the option is necessary, and I'm pretty sure you can toggle it on and off in the settings (I think). I know someone else was suggesting that it would be cool to play with the reduced frights option, but after having played through it myself, I'm glad I was able to experience it as intended by the developers. Trust the developers :3

I haven't finished the DLC, I'm guessing I'm mostly through it but not sure. So far, it has definitely scared me very effectively but in a way that completely fits the tone and narrative. I wouldn't call it jump scares in the classic, cheap jump scare way. Maybe if you're really not paying attention you might get a fright? But I'd say leave that setting off, and turn it on if you're really struggling to continue after getting scared

I played with reduced frights disabled and spent half the DLC checking corners and jumping at shadows, but once I realized what the frights were it really wasn't a big deal.

At least I assume I know what the frights are, I never actually turned them off to confirm.

It reduces the tension of some sections of the dlc - mostly less intense music and sfx. There's really only one thing in the dlc you could consider jumpscares, but you can usually see coming and the "jumpscare" itself is fairly mild - nothing like a scary image popping up or anything. It's about on par with the anglerfish imo.

I'd keep reduced frights off and you'll probably know if you want to turn it on while playing.

If you’re not sure, I’d say try the dlc on default mode first. If you ever find yourself feeling like you’d enjoy the game more if it was less scary, you can turn on the reduce frights option.

I played on default, but from what I’ve read it reduces certain sounds and the chance of certain events happening. Of course I don’t want to say too much because just like the main game, the magic is in discovering everything yourself :)

I really enjoyed the DLC with reduced fright. It was still frightening enough to my taste :)