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| Title |
Beyond Good & Evil |
7 |
| Publisher |
Ubi Soft |
| Developer |
Ubi Soft |
| Genre |
Action Adventure |
| Players |
1 |
| Version |
UK PAL |
Should be a hit
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For several years there has been no question that Zelda has had a firm grip on the action RPG genre. Maybe that has been because there have been so few contenders, or maybe it has just been developers shying away from a genre already dominated so easily. Whatever the reason it is great to see Ubisoft having a crack at taking the Zelda crown in this certainly worthwhile entry into action role playing games, Beyond Good & Evil.
The world of BG&E is set in a land called Hyllis, a once peaceful land that is being attacked by the evil Domz. Protecting the land from the Domz are the sinister Alpha Section, an army of elite troops who may not be fully trustworthy. As the player, you take control of a reporter by the name of Jade. Jade has all the usual tools and skills at her disposal such as various attacks with her stick, rolling, talking etc. Everything a crack action RPG heroine would expect to have. Being a reporter, though, she also carries with her a camera which is vital to the gameplay. The majority of missions in the game revolve around Jade taking photos of a certain object or person which is then transmitted around the lands. The camera also allows Jade to gain information on many items and structures, and as I nice side quest, which also brings in the main source of your money, Jade has to track down all the species of animal and person living on Hyllis, and there are quite a few. Luckily this quest isn?t a chore nor does it get in the way of any of the actual action in the game.
Accompanying Jade on her travels are two characters that you get to know very well. The first is Jade?s ?uncle?, the hog/human Pey?j. Pey?j is certainly a character and a half and aids Jade by his ability to fix many things and with his jet boots that give him a boost into the air. The other character is the secret agent Double H. He is a chivalrous knight who aids Jade with his brute force. Both characters follow throughout the game (although not both at once) and help Jade in both combat and in puzzle solving, often the answer to a puzzle requiring the use of the second character in some shape or form. Luckily neither character gets in the way as one might expect and their ai in terms of movement and during combat is very well constructed. Not once did I have a problem getting the character into place to do what I needed, nor did either character have the indecency of dieing on me during battles.
Speaking of which, the fighting system incorporated into BG&E is a very stable one indeed. While at its heart it is a simple button bashing affair, most of the time it requires you to be alert and aware of the surrounding environment and enemies. If you are accompanied by a partner you can have them pound the ground sending the enemies flying into the air. If you position yourself correctly you are able to pull off a slow motion attack in which a targeting reticule of sorts appears giving you the ability to aim the enemy into the landscape. Often there are obstacles that require an enemy to be knocked into in order to traverse so this ability is more than just an extra feature; it is a skill that is imperative to learn.
However, while the majority of the enemies encountered are rather easy to kill off, encountering an Alpha Section solder is something else altogether. For the game is really split into three sections, there is the usual Zelda-esque puzzle/combat/talking, there is the travelling around the world on Jade?s hovercraft (which I?ll explain more in detail later) and there are the stealth missions that require Jade to sneak into Alpha Section labs and take photos of their evil deeds. These sections act more like a Metal Gear Solid clone than that of Zelda, with you needing to figure out the movement of Alpha Section soldiers and other traps in order to make it through. For subversion is by far the best tactic in these situations as if you are discovered, killing off the Alpha Sections is incredibly difficult and will most likely require a continue (or three). Of course, this isn?t to say the Alpha Sections are invincible. They do have a weak point on their back which will allow you to destroy them with just one kick, but it is when there are two or more soldiers in an area where doing so becomes a problem. It is clear that the developers put a lot of effort into these stealth missions as they make up the majority of the dungeon sections in the game. The problem is though that while these are fun for the first few tries, it becomes increasingly tiresome having sneak missions every time. I feel that there should be more of a mix in the gameplay types here to vary the missions up somewhat.
As mentioned before, the final aspect of the game is the hovercraft. This is a surprisingly fun and useful mode of transport with the controls for the craft extremely solid and easy to handle. The hovercraft has more functions than simply taking you from place to place though. There are various side quests such as racing and Chase HQ style missions through underground caves. These are nice extras to the game and reward the player for exploring the land. Progression through the game comes from upgrades to the craft as well. You are required to buy these upgrades with pearls that you come across throughout the game. These can be gained by many means; you can find them in dungeons, you can buy them in shops, you can gain them by photographing the many species around Hillys. In fact gathering pearls seems to be the main quest outside of the story itself as they are vital to your progression.
Graphically the game far surpasses my expectations. The world of Hyllis is extremely solid and jam packed with plants, animals and incredible architecture. The characters are given a slightly cartoony look which suits the style of the game. In fact the style is quite reminiscent of Jak and Daxter, which isn?t necessarily a bad thing. One area that shows the game is a multi-platform game though is the colours. While for the most part they do their job well, the Xbox version of the game doesn?t seem to benefit from the increased texture memory giving the textures a slightly washed out feel that is always present in PS2 games. This is only a minor hindrance mind you and really unnoticeable for the most part.
Character voices and music are both very well done. No Oscars will be awarded here but at least the talent used is natural and none of the acting feels forced. The general sounds of the world are everything one would expect and offer nothing new or of any novelty, but there isn?t any need for them to as they do their job well.
Overall the real problem with this game is the longevity factor. The story, the characters, the entire world, felt like it was created for a bigger purpose than what we have been given. The experience of Hyllis is over in a weekend and there is little to no reason to replay the game again. It feels like the developers were given a rather strict deadline and rather than rush the game to give it a longer lifespan they decided to polish a well rounded story, which is very commendable if that is the case, as this game has left us wanting more. While a sequel is no doubt in the works (judging by the ending) the game does feel slightly premature.
Nevertheless Beyond Good & Evil is a stunning game. If only more western games had the solid feel and attention to detail this game has. There is a vibrant world here to explore and an intriguing (although not exactly original) plot here to discover. The game has a budget price so there is really no reason for everyone to go out and get a copy of this. It is available on all systems so everyone has the opportunity to play this fabulous game. Games of this quality should be highly supported, let?s just hope the sequel offers longer playtime with Jade and her friends.
Seth Powell |
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