The 10 year development stint left a bad taste in people's mouths, but this game is far from bad.
Onward. Too Human is a highly addictive, hack and slash, dungeon crawler, RPG that is extremely underrated. Instead of the typical button mashing Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and the likes of any action game, Too Human is more of a hybrid action game with RPG elements. How is it an RPG game? Well, let me explain. There are c.l.a.s.s.e.s, five of them to choose from at the start of the game. Throughout the game, you will come across tons of loot, that will further upgrade your character, whether they be weapons, armor, etc. I had so much fun collecting loot and building up my character. Another thing is that the character levels up. I believe you can level up to lvl 50. That's a lot of replayability.
Gameplay. Most people would probably prefer a buttom mashing action game but I really liked the risk that Silicon Knights took with Too Human. Sure, it didn't pay off so much because people just dont like change.. but I welcome it and embrace it with open arms. I like how you use the left stick to "glide" or "connect" or "string" your attacks. You use the right stick (like a motion controller) to attack and swing your melee weapon. This is extremely exhilarating and frenetic! When big firefights and battles come your way, the game queues in some really EPIC music, which is memorable and not some cheesy Lord of the Rings rip-off music. While stringing your attacks with badass music playing the background, it's just so epic. It really makes your character feel like a God, in which he is a (Norse) God.
A lot of people have also complained about the gunplay. Look, this game isn't about gunplay and it isn't a third person shooter. It's a third person action RPG. And I highly disagree with all the complaints. The gunplay is perfect the way it is and I dont see how it can be done any other way to make it better. It doesn't need improving. I like running up to a swarm of Goblins, shooting them down with my dual pistols and then busting an air combo. It's so much fun.
Character Design. Too Human has one of the best character designs and they rank in my top 5 games with best character designs. Character designs are extremely important to me. Baldur looks badass. I use that adjective which isn't even really a word a lot because it's simply true. Baldur is very well designed and he truly represents what a God, demigod, or a superhero would look like. Other characters look really well done to, and Freya is one of the hottest female game characters to date. Probably my top 3, along with Elena from Uncharted 2, and Jill from Resident Evil 5, oh.... and Sheva Alomar too! Anyways, I love the character design so much, it's going into my top favorites.
Level Design. It's a dungeon crawler game so the level design is very linear, yet it provides enough area to cover so you can fight your enemies. I like the dark look, which gives it that dungeon crawler look and feel. I'm a big dungeon crawler fan so this suits me well. It fits the cyber punk, NORSE Gods theme very nicely and stays true.
Graphics. This game came out in 2008, and after playing games like Gears of War 2, Mass Effect 1 & 2, MW2, Uncharted 2, MGS4, Killzone 2, and many excellent looking games, I find that Too Human stands above the average looking games easily. It's above average, without a doubt. So if you're on the fence about the graphics because you're a graphics junkie like myself, you'll be fine with this game. If it's the visual art style that you do not like.. then that's a different story. Personally I like the visual art style as it suits the Norse mythology, cyber punk theme which is like heaven sent. I love Norse mythology. You will not feel like this game is dated. And I think that's important, even though gameplay is the most important factor overall. Graphics comes in at a strong second, if not the equal benefactor.
Hype. Seriously, screw the hype and long development time. Do not let the negative user and critic reviews sway you. Read the positive reviews and formulate your decision from that. I do the opposite when a game receives a triple A score.. I look at the negative reviews to see if a game has any flaws. So in the case of Too Human where it has been bashed to death, I find the strengths of the game and I see it in a positive light. And I'm so glad I did that because I would have never played this excellent game.
Storytelling and Narrative. There are plenty of cutscenes although the overall length of the game is relatively short. I soooo wish it was a longer game. But then again, some games are too long for its own good and drags it out in a bad way.. when it should just end. With this, the length is pretty good, but I only wanted it to be a bit longer because I enjoyed it so much. I can't stress that out more.
If you are on the fence about Too Human, wonder no more. If you appreciate my review and try to understand and see it from my perspective, maybe you'll give Too Human a try. If you do, you might just fall in love with this game. So here's to hoping my review helped you into buying a bargain bin game today that is worth much, much more.
Thank you for reading. =)