Beyond Good & Evil

"Another great game from Ancel"

From Micheal Ancel came Beyond Good & Evil, a game that is very different from his previous creation, Rayman. Though well received by critics, it was a complete commercial failure. I have wanted to play Beyond Good & Evil for several years, and the announcement of the sequel finally made me get it.

Story - 9/10
The story is truly beyond good and evil, as the name suggests. The previously peaceful planet of Hillys is now in a full-out war with the alien forces of the Domz. In every attack, more and more people are being killed and kidnapped and the Alpha Forces are doing the best they can to protect them. Or are they? You play as Jade, a professional photographer, who is hired by the underground rebellion, the IRIS Network, to expose the government conspiracy to the population of Hillys. While this kind of story has been told many times, the uniqueness of the characters and design makes it come alive.

Gameplay - 9/10
This is one of the most varied games I've ever played when it comes to the gameplay. There's regular battles, puzzles, stealth parts akin to Metal Gear, hovercraft racing, photography and a lot of other things. The battles are very simplistic, you can attack, dodge or command eventual allies to attack. Even if it is basic, it still looks and feels great. The difficulty of the puzzles is very varied, some so simple as to push boxes to a specific place, some so hard as to find codes in unexpected places. The stealth parts are actually really good, however, in some of them you die in one hit which can be irritating. The hovercraft racing is really fun, even if it is nothing special. My favourite part was the photography, which is very original and done well. Even if it is very varied, the gameplay still blends together very well.

Graphics - 8/10
The graphics are great for it's time, with believable expressions and beautiful animals. However there are a few annoyances, such as the game having “bars” at the top and bottom of the screen, like the older pal games. The shadows are also very glitchy in the PS2 version.

Sound - 9/10
The music is very varied, covering classical chinese tracks and, surprisingly, reggae. Also, almost every sort of enemy has their own battle theme. There are voice-overs in english, french, german, italian, spanish and dutch (in the european version) and they are all of high quality and fits the characters.

Play Time / Replayability - 6/10
All things said, this game is still a bit too short, clocking in at about 10-15 hours. There is also no reason to replay it unless you missed some of the pearls or animals.

Overall – 8,2/10
This is a very unique game that you should not miss.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/19/09

Game Release: Beyond Good & Evil (EU, 11/14/03)