Naughty Dog is well known for developing the Crash Bandicoot games for the Playstation 1, producing four home run titles that made the Playstation so popular with gamers during the late 90s. However, after the release of their stellar kart racer Crash Team Racing in 1999, Naughty Dog lost the rights to Crash Bandicoot and were soon purchased as a subsidiary by Sony. During this time, Naughty Dog were tasked by Sony for developing a new IP on the Playstation 2. Development of this game went under the codename "Project Y" and Naughty Dog desired to make a game with a seamless open world environment in it while taking elements from other 3D platformers such as Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. Development of this game took nearly two years, but the end result was a game called Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy: a solid 3D action platformer collect-a-thon along the lines of the previously mentioned Super Mario 64.
Plotwise, you take control of the titular characters Jak & Daxter. One night, they end up sailing on a dangerous island and Daxter ends up falling down a vat of dark substance called Dark eco, and Daxter ends up turning into an Ottsel (a fusion of an otter and a weasel). Both Jak and Daxter find out that if they want Daxter to turn back to normal, they must seek out the dark eco sage named Gol who has the ability to turn Daxter back to human form. While shallow, the game is peppered with charm in its writing, particularly with Daxter. While some might view him as annoying (he usually likes to yell a lot in his dialogue) he managed to make me chuckle a couple of times. Likewise, every character you meet in the game has a bright, unique and (sometimes) weird personality to them that makes the presentation in this game feels like something right out of a Disney movie. Adding to this is that Jak & Daxter’s animation in this game looks very smooth, and the voice acting is very good and managed to again, make me smile.
Those who are familiar with 3D platformers will know how Jak & Daxter works. Once again, you take control as both Jak & Daxter and throughout the game you must collect a certain amount of Power Cells (this game’s equivalent to Power Stars) in order to beat the game. Once you start playing for a while, you start out in a hub world where you can talk to NPCs that can give you your objectives to find the Power Cells, or explore around to find Precursor orbs or these red boxes containing Scout Flies. The former allows you to trade a certain amount of them for a Power Cell, and the ladder has seven of these boxes in each level which can net you a Power Cell if you can collect them all. What makes Jak & Daxter unique compared to other 3D platforms is that the open world design that Naughty Dog implemented in this game allows them to create a huge world with interconnected levels in them with little to no loading times. Getting to levels is as simple as following a trail of Precursor orbs or following down a certain path in the hub world and then suddenly you’ve arrived at the next level, making the world you’re traveling in feel open and immersive.
Throughout the game, you’ll explore various areas like a beach, a jungle, a swamp, a snowy mountain, and a volcanic crater. Each level contains Power Cells, Precursor orbs, and Scout Flies for you to collect. Much like Naughty Dog’s previous IP Crash Bandicoot, Jak is a silent protagonist who can spin, double jump, and perform a super jump. He can also punch enemies, perform a roll jump, do a uppercut and a ground-pound, and eventually can wield a vehicle to cross volcanic paths later in the game. Controlwise, Jak & Daxter responds very well with the analog stick and there were no instances of me dying unfairly due to the controls. Scattered in the levels are substances called eco of four different types: Blue eco allows Jak to run faster and can attract other items around Jak, Yellow eco allows Jak to shoot fireballs, Red eco increases his strength, and Green eco allows Jak to replenish his health. These power-ups are essential to solve the various puzzles in the game. Also, should you ever get lost, there’s a handy menu that tells you which Power cells you’ve collected, which is very helpful and saves a lot of time.
Part of what makes the game fun is that the game heavily encourages you to observe your surroundings around the levels in order to obtain the Power cells. Some are as simple as finding them lying around in an area or fighting an enemy that has it, but there are some that require you to again, observe your surroundings. For example, in the beach level there are a flock of seagulls on a stone sentinel. If you decide to chase after them, they can cause an avalanche that will drop a Power cell. Or in the cave level, there are a bunch of centipedes that crawl around the wooden pillars. There are a bunch of Yellow eco vents around the area that Jak can use in order to take them out. If you decide to kill them all, you will obtain a Power cell. Each level contains its own unique challenges and obstacles that both Jak & Daxter must face in order to obtain the Power Cells, and its incredibly fun when you discover them on your own when you explore hard enough to get the Power cells (despite occasional moments of trial-and-error). Adding to this is that the level design has no instances of difficult platforming, no overabundance of enemies, and no unfair/archaic moments. Its incredibly fun, with a fair difficulty to suit both young and seasoned gamers of the genre. And like Mario 64 you’re free to grab the ones at your leisure, and you’re not required to obtain all of them to complete the game.
Graphically, this game looks amazing for an early PS2 game. Character models look pretty good with a lot of facial animation to them that adds charm to the presentation, and I like how the time of day changes in real time while you are playing and while you’re watching the cutscenes. The numerous environments that Jak & Daxter goes through are visually pleasing to the eye, and complimenting this is that the game runs at a smooth 60 FPS, with little to no slowdown.
While derivative of other 3D platforms that came before it, Jak & Daxter is still an amazing platformer for the PS2. It demonstrates the capabilities of the hardware without being too complicated, and helped Naughty Dog to spawn a new franchise for the console. With its fun gameplay that encourages you to look around your surroundings, a fair difficulty, humorous writing, and an amazing presentation, it will ensure that anybody whose a fan of the genre can enjoy and immerse themselves with this game. It may not be a long game to beat like Mario 64, but it’s a game that no gamer should miss.