Beyond Good & Evil

"An engaging story and remarkably fun game make for a great package"

Beyond Good & Evil is an action adventure game where players take on the role of Jade, a young journalist living on planet Hillys. When aliens known as the DomZ begin regularly attacking the inhabitants, a government backed military called the Alpha Sections is deployed to stop the invaders at every turn. Ironically the Alpha Sections are always late coming to the rescue and by the time they show up the invaders have kidnapped even more of the locals; it's almost as if they are intentionally working with the invaders. Over the course of the game Jade teams up with an underground coalition to uncover what's really going on with the Hillys government, the DomZ and the Alpha Sections.

If it sounds like I've spoiled the story, don't worry, BG&E starts out with a bang and you're introduced to all of this early on. Throughout the remainder of the game the conspiracy theory plot is explored further around a tight-knit cast of characters, and thankfully the story is driven by their personalities and struggles because you will definitely enjoy interacting with them. Planet Hillys is comprised of humans and talking animals living side by side (think Mickey Mouse), and the developers took it a step further by mixing real world ethnicities into the different animals. We get some amazingly off-the-wall creations such as Jade's Uncle Pey'j, a pig with a southern accent, Jamaican rhinos running a black market garage, and even a Chinese merchant who just happens to be a walrus. As bizarre as the inhabitants of Hillys seem, they all feel quite natural within the confines of the fantasy world and that's part of what makes the game so unique.

Beyond the aesthetics of the world we are left with a game that somehow strikes a perfect balance between gameplay and story like few others do. Key plot events are revealed slowly through short in-game cutscenes and puzzles that surprisingly fit within the context of the story. It's refreshing to see cutscenes which not only are relevant to the story or puzzles, but are never longer than a couple of minutes. If developers are ever going to successfully bridge the gap between film and video games, they need look no further than BG&E to see how it should be done. In fact Peter Jackson, famous director of Lord of the Rings, requested game designer Michel Ancel to design the video game for King Kong after playing Beyond Good & Evil. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Ancel#Career)

At its heart BG&E plays like a typical action adventure game; hitting switches, taking items from point A to point B, exploring dungeons/caves, etc. To spice things up an AI-controlled companion joins you for a majority of the game to aid you in solving puzzles and fighting enemies. Luckily the AI is smart enough to not get in your way in battle or fall behind when you're moving because of bad path finding. Outside the core adventure elements there is a lot of variety in the gameplay and locales so the adventure never feels monotonous. Traveling through Hillys is full of everything from exploring a Slaughterhouse to competing in the next big hovercraft race; you can chase down bandits in your hovercraft, take pictures with Jade's camera of all the creatures on Hillys and sneak through the Alpha Sections underground bases “Metal Gear Solid”-style. The one complaint you'll constantly hear is that the game is fairly short for an adventure game and with all the fun things to do it's disappointing to find out it's over so quickly. I've heard under 10 hours is the norm but nevertheless it's sweet while it lasts.

No matter how good a game plays it wouldn't be nearly as fun without interesting level design and luckily BG&E delivers tenfold. Each “room” usually has either a small puzzle to solve or a block of patrolling guards that you have to sneak around. The areas generally have you traveling in one giant loop where you go through twists and turns until you end up back at the beginning again. When I look at the maps I'm always amazed at how well the designers created such intricate levels that flow seamlessly while maintaining the artistic theme and ongoing story elements for the area. The levels themselves are for the most part straight-forward, start at point A and finish at part B, but depending on what kind of exploration you like in your adventure games this could be a good thing. So unlike the Legend of Zelda you won't be doing a lot of backtracking.

To make sure the game is still a blast to play and easy to get into, BG&E uses a very well-designed control system. Virtually everything in the game is accessible as you play in real time so you don't need to pause the action to go into an inventory screen. Using the control scheme made popular by the newer Legend of Zelda games, a picture mapping the controller buttons to their corresponding action are in the upper right corner. Any item you need such as health packs or keys are all available by using the d-pad to scroll through the item button on the controller diagram. Plus a majority of the commands are context-sensitive so one button will automatically open a door, climb a ladder or use a special attack on an enemy making every possible action you can do available in-game. Much to gamers' delight the 3d camera is surprisingly functional, and since it can be rotated with the right thumb-stick as you move around you'll be able to fix any hiccups. A detailed map is also available as new territory is uncovered that shows the location of animals you haven't taken a picture of yet or hidden pearls that can be used as money.

Graphically BG&E is nothing groundbreaking in the technical department but it presents an artistically inspired world which more than makes up for that. The key here is consistency, with a gritty sci-fi look and a duller more saturated color palette of greens and browns, Planet Hillys has a slightly darker tone. One of the coolest things you'll experience exploring Hillys is this feeling of a living breathing world, yet at the same time there is this overwhelming sense of “impending doom”, the perfect backdrop for an alien invasion. The amazing art style is also complemented by some great designs, the lighthouse in particular is a perfect example of how the world is brought to life on screen. When you visit the children you'll see and hear radios broadcasting the most recent attacks by the DomZ, flies buzzing around the refrigerator, a big furry dog-like animal sleeping out front and seagulls hovering at the tip. You will enjoy your stay in Hillys not because of how realistic it looks but how well it's designed.

Last but not least, Beyond Good & Evil carries the usual three piece set in the sound department: sound effects, voice acting and music. The sound effects are solid and what you'd expect from a game like this, explosions, traffic and city noise and even Jade's hovercraft engines are spot on. The voice acting is superb including the supporting cast and all the bit parts, you'll hear the citizens protesting the Alpha Sections while their recruitment videos play throughout the city among other things. Jade and her Uncle Pey'j shine in their respective parts too, as their relationship grows the expression in their voices matches the on-screen emotions perfectly. The music is memorable and would make for a great listen away from the game if you're a fan of video game music. The main theme song is worth mentioning, it's an absolutely beautiful composition and a melody that you'll hum to yourself long after you stop playing. The rest of the game is accompanied by more of an ambiance than actual songs and when the occasional riff does chime in it fits the sneaking, combat and adventuring quite nicely.

In conclusion, Beyond Good & Evil is a brilliant game because of how well it executes a variety of gameplay wrapped around an engaging story and believable world. Don't get the wrong impression though, BG&E is by no means perfect in any one game type; you won't find an outstanding racing sim or action title, but each component plays well enough that you never feel like you're playing a mediocre game. In the end Beyond Good & Evil is greater than the sum of its parts and an experience you will enjoy from start to finish guaranteed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/07, Updated 05/30/07