Take the red pill to see how deep the rabbit-hole goes. But if you're not a fan take the blue pill or rent it first.
Neo: “What is the Matrix?”
Trinity: “The answer is out there, Neo, and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.”
The Path of Neo is an experience rather than a game. It makes you feel like you’ve been plugged into the Matrix. But there are noticeable problems in the game that may unplug certain players.
When Enter the Matrix came out, it contained so many bugs and glitches that no Matrix fan (or anyone else for that matter) truly appreciated it. Shiny tries again with The Matrix: Path of Neo and this time they have gotten closer to creating a better Matrix title which at least fans of The Matrix can appreciate. But for some reason, Shiny can’t seem to deliver a Matrix game without numerous problems. They have developed a solid title but it should have been much better. Path of Neo does not reach its full potential and after the disaster that was Enter the Matrix, you would think that Shiny would have fixed some of their mistakes. For the most part they have done well with fixing up glitches and improving upon the gameplay of Enter the Matrix but in the end Shiny still comes up short.
In this game you play as Neo, the main character of all three Matrix movies. You’ll be completing missions right out of the three Matrix movies and you’ll be doing it entirely through the eyes of Mr. Anderson. You’ll fight agents, solve puzzles, and battle with the menacing Smith. While this game plays well and does a good job of getting its main idea across, which is letting the player feel that they are Neo, it does not reach it's full potential.
The gameplay in Path of Neo is great. You actually feel like you’re following the path that Neo took throughout the Matrix trilogy.
“I know Kung Fu.”
“Show me.”
You learn moves and combos that Neo actually performed in the movies and it is simply exhilarating to pull off these combos. Also, the other characters move and fight in the same way that they did in the movies. For example, one of the combos that the agents perform is where they grab you and swiftly punch you many times, just like in the movies. Weather you like him or not, this game makes you feel like you are Keanu Reeves. Some players may not like it but this feeling will bring happiness to any fan of the Matrix.
You can choose to use weapons in PON as well as Neo’s fists. There are melee weapons you can fight with including Samurai swords, staffs and flagpoles. These weapons handle smoothly and they are a joy to use. Unlike the projectile weapons featured in the game.
“What do you need?”
“Guns… lots of guns.”
The game favors punching, kicking and slashing rather than gunplay. While the melee weapons are a useful tool to defeat enemies with, the guns are quite difficult to handle. The aiming system is horrible so you end up not wanting to use guns at all. You can’t control the aiming much and it becomes a major hassle. The grenade launcher does so much damage that whenever you pick one up you’ll forget all about the aiming system. The rest of the guns will not bring you as much satisfaction. They can be useful at certain times when you condemn a situation gun-necessary but when you don’t need to have one in hand you’ll be more than inclined to keep your weapon holstered. Even the NRA wouldn’t enjoy using the guns in this game.
“Welcome to the desert of the real.”
The levels are well developed. This game takes you through some exciting points from the trilogy. Any Matrix fan will recognize the levels and be excited that they get to play more than the movies show you. They take events from the movies and add onto them so that the levels last longer. Though the levels have been expanded upon, the game is still rather short. Shiny should have included a Zion level to better represent Revolutions’ storyline in this trilogy-based game. The game feels like it jumps from Matrix: Reloaded to the end of the saga. Zion is mainly featured in Matrix: Revolutions, and there is barely any representation of that film in Path of Neo. If Shiny had included a Zion themed level there may have been a better transition from the end of Reloaded to the conclusion of the game.
Everything that has a beginning has an end.
Shiny and the Wachowski brothers (the writers of all three movies and the two Matrix games) decided to change the ending of The Matrix: Revolutions and create an entirely original ending to the Matrix storyline specifically for this game. They even decided to make a commercial showing this feature of the game off.
WARNING: The new ending may anger fans of the Matrix!
The ending is a bit ridiculous and takes away from the Matrix-y feeling of the game but the rest of the game that leads up to it exonerates Matrix.
A glitch in the Matrix.
The way it feels to be playing as Neo is slightly ruined by the graphical presentation. The graphics could have been a lot better. The frame rate is extremely choppy and any cut-scene that isn't actual movie footage looks horrible. Graphically, the game looks like it was released early 2002. During the movies there is no lip movement. The characters look like they’re puppets. Repetition is key here: the graphics are horrendous! Shiny should have kept this game in the womb a little bit longer and nourished it with better graphics.
At least Shiny perfected the sound in this game. The authentic Matrix soundtrack pulls attention away from the horrific graphics and brings salvation to a title almost destroyed by the visuals. They took the music from the films and slapped it right onto this game. Most of the actors from the films lend their voices to the Path of Neo.Nothing is out of place in that department. The game’s sound design is fantastically well done. Bravo Shiny! Bravo.
UPDATE: Since I published this review I have learned that the actual actors did not lend their talents to this game. Fooled me. Bastards.
Besides the choppy graphics and the disappointing ending, this game will bring joy to any Matrix fan. If you aren't that interested in the Matrix series than pass on this one and take the blue pill. But if you like action packed games with awesome fighting take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit-hole goes. This is a great game and the action is intense. Any Matrix fan must play this game. They will undoubtedly enjoy this title.
The Path of Neo, though not perfect, glorifies what is already glorious. The Matrix.
Neo: “Yeah. That sounds like a really good deal. But I got a better one. How about... I give you the finger... [He does] and you give me my phone call?”