Beyond Good and Evil

After a big break from writing one of these blogs, I had to get it out again. Over the last three or so months I've really dived back into the whole "playing computer games" thing - something I haven't really done much of for years, with the odd exception. Been a member of Good Old Games for a year or so now, and finally sat down and went through their entire catalogue to wish-list the interesting looking ones and have started working my way through the list (kicking myself each time I hit buy for not buying it through the SP link). Played four or five so far over the past few months and thought I'd throw up a little review about it - posting one up in GOG anyway, so figure there is no harm also copying it across here in case anyone is interested in trying some good old games out.

First in the line up, the most recent one I've played, Beyond Good and Evil, an action adventure game from 2003.

In brief
Story - Servicable
Characters - Fun enough
World - Absorbing
Gameplay - Great
Wow factor - There

Setting, Story and Characters
The setting has to be one of the best parts about the game - it's a world which really pulls you in and creates a fascinating environment around you which you can really feel part of. It's based on another world, somewhere, called Hillys, which is been attacked by some alien race. There are a few little elements that really draw you into the game and the world it creates. One of the little side-quest money-making schemes is to photo animal life around the place - a fun little idea that really makes the player keep alert for new animals leaping in and out of the water or crawling up a cave wall.

The introduction has to be one of the best intros I've seen in a long time - a great hook into the game. Was sitting next to my girlfriend when I started it, and within a minute she was looking over my shoulder asking me if she could also play (not something that happens often).

The story itself is a fairly straight forward, uncover-the-truths-about-the-evil-government type case. It's certainly serviceable - just nothing really jaw dropping. The only fault I really have with it is the ending. I won't go into detail about that here, but it could have done with a bit more explanation, or at least some more foreshadowing.

The characters are another fun point in the game. While it doesn't talk a hell of a lot about their backstory, all the characters in the world - from the two joinable companions to the guy playing an air-hockey like game at the pub - certainly have a depth to them that is sometimes missing in games. Both the two main NPCs are really enjoyable characters who you come to care for quite a bit by the end.

The main PC herself is a photographer/reporter - it sort of makes her out at the beginning to be more of an investigative journalist than a mere photographer I guess. She's your typical orphan hero, who lives in an orphanage with her adopted uncle. Nothing too unusual here, but she does take on depth in some cut-scenes that really do serve to bring out at least a bit of her personality.

Gameplay
Game play is certainly an important part of the action adventure genre. I've seen this game often likened to psychonauts as far as the game play goes - although I don't know if that's completely accurate. Most game play is focused on stealth and problem solving (basic things, like hitting a fan so it spins around 90 degrees so it can act as a conductor to make the door work). There is the occasional fight scene here and there - especially with the main bosses. I've read a couple of people on the GOG forums complaining about the amount of fighting, but I can't say I really found it a problem. The main enemy, for example, it almost impossible to kill one-on-one. A good hit or two from them and you're dead.

There are a few fun little mini-games that are required through-out the game. These range from hover-craft racing to a game that I can only describe as a strange take on air-hockey. I seem to remember there been a lot more, but they slip my mind at the moment, which I guess says a bit about them.

The final boss certainly deserves a mention. How many games I've played over the years when the final boss has been an absolute push-over I dare not count. In Beyond Good and Evil, however, this is certainly not the case. The number of times I had to retry was certainly in the twenties, if not more. The small little cut-scene that appears towards the end of the fight got annoying by the end, but a click of the mute button solved all that.

The final note on gameplay, following very nicely on from talking about retrying bosses, is that the game certainly (and successfully) sets out to be not-annoying. If you die, for instances, you start again at the beginning of the room, preventing the all too frustrating having to repeat a whole five hours worth of play due to one slip. The only annoyingness I encountered was through not knowing that items in your S.A.C. can be rotated in the view.

The Wow Factor
Every good game has to have some element to really stand out. A spark, I guess. This game certainly had it. I can really picture the world, see myself talking to the characters or leaping between lazer beams. In the end of it, I found myself thinking "I wish there was a sequel!", which I think says it all. If only it was a bit longer...

It's certainly a game I would recommend people trying - and for the dirt cheap prices that GOG have, it is even more appealing. One of the best action-adventure games I've played.

Up Next : Port Royale 2