Beyond Good and Evil is a terribly underappreciated game that deserves to be on the shelves of any true gamer's library.
The story in Beyond is, in a word, quite moving, telling of an endangered planet and one girl's quest to save it. Through the course of the game you will work with your allies to uncover the mysteries of an alien invasion, and help your animal friends in their fight against the evil "guardians" of the planet, called the Alpha Sector. What's unique is that Jade, the game's lead character, advances through the game by the use of photography and puzzle solving, instead of just action and combat. Jade is controlled from a third person perspective. You have a manual camera and buttons for jumping, attacking and taking pictures. Much of the game is spent solving puzzles and sneaking around enemy bases, and combat is on the light side and mostly occurs when the Jade is in her hovercraft or spaceship.
There are no guns to speak of. Instead jade fights with a staff and a weird yet enjoyable weapon that shoots discs at enemies. Surprisingly, in this day and age, the discs cannot kill anything. Instead the discs are merely used for finding weak points in an enemy that are then exploited through Jade's staff. The staff is simple yet effective. Jade is an experienced martial artist, and she uses her abilities against her enemies and the environment. You can utilize some basic combos and a bullet-time-like feature that gives Jade an upper hand when she gains access to it. In addition to killing enemies with her weapons, Jade uses them for puzzle solving. Shooting discs at switches, clobbering objects with your staff, and using bullet-time to destroy fast objects are just some of the uses of Jade's weapons.
There are several enemies that you fight in the game, but the variety could be greater. Most of the game is spent trying to discover the motives of the strange guardians of your planet. Part of the intrigue in the game is trying to figure out who these people are, and it isn't until the end that you begin to understand their purpose. Being armed soldiers, they are well protected and are best dealt with using a tactical approach. Strongly fortified, your enemies have full body armor, and even use helmets with air canisters so that their heads are protected. To take one out, you shoot a disc at their air supply. When hit they will gasp for air, run in circles, and become completely unaware of what's going on around them. When they are in this state, you pummel them with your staff. Hit them enough and they fly into the air and explode into a shower of crystals. This whole thing is undeniably humorous and an enjoyable yet different way to deal with enemies.
Unfortunately, there may be more than one of these guards in a room, so taking them all down without setting the alarm off (and thus summoning even more guards) can be as much of a puzzle as it is pure combat. Each guard has a patrol pattern. You need to sneak into a safe place where you can watch their movements and discover when you can take out one without the others knowing. Since a guard is capable of killing you much faster than you can him, it's best to either bypass guards entirely or carefully take them out one at a time. Beyond Good and Evil is a cerebral game through and through. Your itching trigger finger wont be appeased by this game's slow approach to combat and involving puzzles. In fact, it is almost as if each fight was a puzzle instead of a chance to crush some skulls.
This focus on puzzle solving may be a good thing, though, as each puzzle is superbly executed. You are forced to get around various obstacles and fight seemingly indestructible monsters. One interesting puzzle occurs inside a mine. Here you are teamed with your good pig friend Page. He is able to butt-stomp the ground at your command, and at certain points this will shoot up a plant of sorts which you can swing your staff at. The plants will explode on impact, creating, for example, a chain explosion that will break open a gate. Other puzzles force you to get around lasers, open locked doors, get through a room without being seen, and much more. Sadly, the main problem with the game also comes from this puzzle solving. That problem is that the levels are completed almost entirely by trial and error. Expect to play each room several times, learning the schedules of the guards, the locations of security cameras, and other hazards that might hinder your progress.
Throughout the game you will have to make use of your camera. This little device lets you take pictures of the many forms of wildlife that live on your planet. Much of the fun in the game is derived from searching for, and capturing, the image of all the different species on each level. Creatures are well designed and it is a joy to see all of the different life-forms the artists have come up with. It's also a challenge to capture all of the animals in a photo as some move in wild patterns. You are paid for each picture based on the rarity of the species, and this money can be used to purchase health upgrades for Jade, power enhancements for your hovercraft, or to buy pearls and other unique and valuable items. Pearls are the currency used in the parts shop where you will buy upgrades for your hovercraft, making it go faster, jump higher, and eventually turn into a spaceship in the final epic levels.
The hovercraft is a fun diversion from the normal sneaking about. You live on an Island that is leveled by an alien drop party at the beginning of the game. To escape you repair an old hovercraft and use it to traverse the world. There are all types of places to visit, but your main stop will be the capital city. It is here that you may disembark and talk to citizens or take on new quests. These are given to you by a secret organization that will open its arms to you soon after the game begins. The hovercraft is also the main source of action in the game, as you will periodically be forced to take out scores of invading aliens at major plot points. You can boost, jump, and shoot with your hovercraft and all of these abilities are either upgrades in themselves or can be upgraded throughout the game. You can also compete in races, loot pirates, or just sail around for the heck of it. Later, your hovercraft will be turned into a spaceship. The spaceship controls are essentially the same, except you can now fly instead of just hover. You may experience a bug where the spaceship will disappear after being disengaged from the hovercraft. This will force you to load from a previous save. This only happens once in a while though and it is usually easy enough to find where you left your ship.
Another interesting part of the gameplay is the team element. At times you will have to work with a partner to complete certain tasks. Page, the pig, can butt stomp and use hover boots. You also get to free an agent fighting for the resistance who can charge into enemies and gates, granting access to previously unreachable areas. You also are forced to use their help in solving puzzles, such as situations when you have to push two levers at the same time. The most rewarding part of the teams is your interaction with your partners. The voice-acting in the game is incredible. It is endless fun to hear Jade and Page bicker. Their banter adds a layer of depth to some otherwise boring levels. Also, through their discussions you become more attached to the characters, which gives the story that extra punch missing in so many games
The art style of the game is almost whimsical, adding a lighter tone to an otherwise dark experience.. The textures feature a lot of detail, especially on the characters. The emotions on Jade and friends' faces really help sell the story. Jade also animates smoothly and moves with surprising realism. The game has a cartooony look to it. Everyone is drawn with style and flavor. It's nice to see a studio trying to do something different in a world where grittier and more realistic seems everything. The framerate is usually solid and the city is often very crowded. There are no real awe-inspiring moments, and at times the collision detection is a little off. Other than that, though, this is a complete graphical package.
The acting and music in Beyond are the backbone to the refreshing and, at times, moving story. The actors voicing Jade and her friends nail their characters spot on. The emotion and comedic touch they put into their lines really allows the player to become more immersed in the game. Ambient noises are great, especially in the city. When you drive through traffic with your hovercraft, commuters will honk and yell at you. When your'e sailing in the ocean, you can hear the sounds of whales in the distance, and the voices of the aliens are appropriately creepy. Finally, the music is incredible. The theme on your home island is so beautiful that I often stopped just to listen to it. This is one incredible audio masterpiece.
Disappointingly, Beyond Good and Evil is over really fast- in under ten hours. Most people will have seen all there is to see in that time. The game is linear and there are no real hidden items or bonuses to be found from playing through a second time. There are a few mini games, but there are no tangible rewards for completing these, unless you want to secure every pearl in the game. There is no multiplayer and only one difficulty setting. The game also ends with a cliffhanger that will now never be answered, as Ubisoft cancelled the rest of the series due to poor sales of this game.
Beyond Good and Evil is a great title to pick up for its now budget price. It's over fast, but while it lasts you will be treated to some of the most unique and enjoyable gameplay seen in a game in many years. Beyond Good and Evil is a true achievement in today’s society, where clones designed to fit a trend or follow a style rule all. A game that mixes many different genres into one compelling world is a true rarity int he modern gaming industry. While this may not be the perfect game, it is sure a fun and different experience.