Malice Reviews

muthsera666

7.5
good

While Malice does contain a few problematic issues, it is a rather solid entry in the platformer genre.

  • Posted Nov 20, 2009 10:56 am PT
  • Recommended by 3 of 3 users.
Difficulty:
Just Right
Time Spent:
10 Hours or Less
The Bottom Line:
"Solid"
While Malice does contain a few problematic issues, the game, as evaluated in a whole, is a rather solid and entertaining entry into the platformer genre. In Malice, you play as the goddess Malice, a young-looking woman with blazing red hair, sneakers, jeans and a t-shirt. You begin the game watching as you fail in your attempt to save the world. You land upon the Beach of Souls where Death promptly returns you to the mortal coil as goddesses cannot die. He also resets the world so that you can try to save it once more. The story is further enhanced by the Metal Guardian who is located in The Orrery, the central and mechanized hub of the world. The Dog God (the one who killed you) has stolen the eight logic keys, the keys to the world, and it is your responsibility to return them. Hearing this, the story doesn't do wonders, but is is enough to create a basis for gameplay.

Even several years after the game's release, the graphics hold up remarkably well. The environments are visible without difficulty, some of them intentionally poorly lit, while others are alive with a bright color palette. The character models are done well, also, though the CROW enemies could have used a bit more improvement to make them stand out a bit. However, the CROWs with guns manage to pull off a strange Gestapo-style that actually works well for them. The fantastical environments are pretty cool to see and to explore. Levels range from strange mechanized internal components, to a miniature glow worm kingdom (and you get help from a witch to shrink yourself down to their size (which gives you a 'cute' outfit of overalls and pigtails)), to a bathroom/toilet complete with pipes and a basin of 'goop', to a volcanic caldera.

In these landscapes, the controls handle themselves well. Occasionally the camera will get a bit in the way, but only usually when in tight corners, and during these times, it doesn't usually have a terribly negative effect. As this game is a platformer, the jumping is essential to the enjoyment of the game, and it is well-done. The double-jump is intact, and there is a nice floating ability that helps to better gauge the long jumps, or the ones that have negative circumstances for misses.

The health system is also well-done. You begin the game with five hearts, which translates to five hits, or five fatal falls. Once your hearts are depleted, you are taken to the Beach of Souls once more. If you die while there, you are permanently dead, evicted to the Press Start screen. Through the game, there are crystal heart pots that you can and should collect. There are a hundred of them, and for every ten, you gain an extra heart for your count, taking the total at the end of the game to fifteen. This is more than enough for most of the game.

The sound in the game isn't too noticeable, which is both a positive and negative statement. There is nothing that is too jarring or that doesn't match what is going on in the game. However, this also means that there is nothing that really stands out about it. Basically it's competent and does it's job.

Overall, I liked the game. Lately I've been itching for platformers, and Malice did its job well. It was entertaining and fun, and for me, that is the most important thing.
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Malice

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    26,088 of 84,230
    (down by 3,553)
    XBOX Rank:
    900 of 1,187
    Tracking:
    56 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    17 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    7
    Player Ratings:
    66
    Users Now Playing:
    6
  • Number of Players:

    1 Player

  • Top 5 User Tags:
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  • Teen Rating Description

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