What? Only one review besides this one? Enough people haven't played this and those who have please let the word out.
The game is an action-adventure. It mixes platforming, combat, puzzles, exploration, stealth, and even racing into the core gameplay. There is also a photography element that has you earn money by taking pictures of the planet's species to earn money and it also has a couple of other uses that I don't want to spoil. In combat Jade strikes with a staff by pressing the square button repeatedly and you can do a powerful charged attack by holding down the button. She dodges attacks with X. This particularly move feels a bit off to me as Jade quickly shuffles her feet to the side. I might just be used to rolls instead, but it still felt weird to me. I got used to it as the game went on.
In the platforming segments Jade can perform a roll by moving forward and pressing the X button. The roll feels a bit floaty as she lunges forward in the air kind of slowly, but it's not an issue that conflicts when you need to use it. The game makes good use of making you think in certain situations. There were a few times when I was stuck and got frustrated but after coming back later I felt that I could have noticed it sooner if I had taken my time to look around properly.
This game also has a partner AI element. During the course of the game you will either have a partner or go solo. When you have a partner they accompany you in battle and can perform unique attacks with a press of a button on your part. Your partner can die in combat, but that isn't a problem in most cases. My partner only died on me once throughout my playthrough. Outside of battle they are either used to get to different areas or tackle puzzles like for instance opening a door that requires two switches to be pressed at the same time, but it gets just a little more complex than that throughout the course of the game. You can also talk to your partner if you are stuck on what to do or if you just want his opinion on something.
In some segments of the game it's required of you to navigate the world with a vehicle. Driving the vehicle is easy and it handles well. Like any game that involves exploration, parts of the world are inaccessible to you from the get go until you complete certain missions. In this game's case it's when you obtain specific items. You will also need to complete a few races in the game too. The racing is actually quite fun and you can fire other racers with lasers, but they don't seem to have much effect, which I assume is because since the lasers are unlimited they would be too good in races if the stopped your opponent's as much as rockets do in Diddy Kong Racing.
The game's characters are full of a lot of personality. It's just a shame that one of the characters doesn't get enough time as he should have. I personally liked Double H an undercover military operative who quotes lines from from his military handbook Carlson & Peters in and out of combat. The only character I didn't like at all was Secundo who comes across to me at least as a Spanish stereotype. He's a computer AI that jabbers Spanglish in conversations. His design and voice are just irritating to me, and thankfully he's only in a very small portion of the game.
The music in this game is also kind of cool. It ranges from reggae beats, Spanish beats, and rock to more mysterious and sad themes in the right places. The game ends on a good note and definitely leaves open room for a sequel. This game is an underrated gem that I cannot stress enough, needs to be played and it's only $9.99 so get playing. I want a sequel.