Wryviews were created in the face of the illogical manner in which video game reviewers score games. In principle they are meant to strike out the bias inherent in most video game reviews by judging a game on what it aspires to be, as opposed to what the reviewer regards it should be. They are meant to inform the readers, and especially so not try to make decisions for them.



Beyond Good and Evil is a game considered part of the gaming industry's shame, often being used as the primary example of what happens when you get creative instead of whipping out a sequel. And a shame this commercial failure is indeed, because regardless of the outcome of this review it's one of the most unique takes on the genre. Starting off it's the only Action Adventure to put a serious focus photography and stealth, and what's more they're a core part of the story.

The story itself isn't exactly an intricate web, but it's got some substance: On the peaceful world of Hillys a war rages with an alien race known as the Domz. They strike from the sky and kidnap anybody that fails to protect themselves, the primary opposition being a military force called the Alpha Sections. You play as Jade, a young woman who one day falls victim to a Domz attack, with the children she helps look after in danger of being taken. With the help of her uncle Pey'j none of the children are lost. The Alpha Sections arrive late and do little to help, then take credit on the news. As a self-employed reporter Jade is later hired by a mysterious group called the Iris Network to investigate suspected presence of the Domz on Hillys. He further implies the Alpha Sections may not be the benevolent force they are made out to be.

The plot ends up being fairly simple as you move along, but the premise is an intriguing one. Throughout the game it's your job to gather information on this conspiracy involving the Alpha Sections through any means necessary. The main bulk of the story will take place during four dungeons, ranging from an abandoned mining facility to a secluded slaughterhouse. Within the dungeons themselves you'll need to solve puzzles, remain undetected, and find evidence needed to produce incriminating photographs. What's more you often have a pair of companions: Uncle Pey'j and an agent with the codename Double H. Both have very distinct personalities; Pey'j being a rough around the edges mechanic and Double H being a scatterbrained but dependable powerhouse. You'll need to help each other to advance in the dungeons: For example Double H has a very thick head and a penchant for ramming through doors, but at the same time he isn't very agile and often needs you to clear the way. You often need to rely on them to win fights as well.



Speaking of these characters; Beyond Good and Evil has an interesting aesthetic. Though the world itself is creative, it's still pretty plausible in a Science Fiction kind of way. Jade herself is an attractive design, but again fairly realistic. All the other characters are a stark contrast. For one, the world is littered with anthromorphs. Did I forget to mention your "uncle" Pey'j is a pig? Their designs are slightly outlandish, but it's when we get to the other characters that when things really take a flip. The Hillys Military, Alpha Sections, and several members of Iris are very cartoon-ish and look like something straight out of a Rayman game. No coincidence I'm sure, as the game is headed by Michel Ancel. This weird realistic versus cartoon contrast gives the game a kind of whimsical feel.

The world of Hillys itself is a very well realized aquatic world. I refer to it as an aquatic world because the majority of the planet's surface is water, requiring you to travel by hovercraft. That's only part of it, though. Aquatic wildlife has adapted to live outside of the ocean, with giant manta-rays soaring through the air and schools of fish jumping out of the sea. Walking through one of the game's caves, it feels like you're in an aquarium without the water. All I can really say is examine the picture below for yourself, because I don't think I can properly describe the scenery. Something really interesting is that your camera is good for more than just conspiracy theories. Hillys is littered with wild-life that you can get money for photographing. There's dozens of species, and even a handful of totally unique and even hidden animals that you likely won't ever find without using some specialized equipment. Life is teeming practically everywhere you go. Keep your eyes open and you'll even find a few different types of animals right near your character's own house. The more you photograph, the more obvious it becomes that immense amounts of work were put into the game. You can go so far as to photograph your own uncle for some cash, considering he's a rare species. He even waves for the picture.

Outside the dungeons you have an open world with which you travel by said hovercraft, with various side quests littered around the world map. They range anywhere from races and chase scenes to miniature stealth stages. All of these quests help you gather pearls required to upgrade your vehicle; which in turn let you advance to the next dungeon. The side missions helps imbue a good bit of extra variety into the game, letting you take a break from the dungeons whenever you so please. It's not as though the dungeons themselves aren't monotonous either. The game gives you lots of things to do. Really, the photography can become an endeavor all on its own if you seek to find all the wildlife in the game.



In the creation of its world the game accomplishes its goals wonderfully, but it also goes against the Action Adventure grain in the sense that most of the focus is not on the characters. While the actual wildlife and geography is very well developed, the population is quite scarce. The world is littered with caves, tunnels, and enemy dungeons to explore, but at the same time there is but one city in the game; and not an especially large one. While the experience of exploring and meeting an array of characters isn't there like you might expect in an Action Adventure, the plot is also fairly condensed. Running through the game with the minimum number of side-quests I'd guess you could be done in five hours. Doing everything you possibly can in the game doubled my game's length to about ten hours. Keep in mind the game doesn't punish you much for dying at all, rarely setting you back more than a couple minutes. Likewise the stealth segments accomplish the feeling of being tense, but you aren't actually punished very much for being detected. Inherently none of these things are flaws so much as going against the grain of what other adventure titles establish. I was personally willing to make the trade for such a detailed world, even if it meant not having many characters or a very long game.

Beyond Good and Evil clearly has plans for an epic series as a sequel is very heavily implied at the end, which in turn is what I'd call this game's major failing. The focus of the game's story slowly drifts away from the conspiracy, gradually taking more and more time to make Jade the main plot device. The problem is it does little good to focus an epic around a character with so few traits. You literally know next to nothing about Jade other than she's supposed to be a strong and compassionate figure, leaving her rather two dimensional. Even her companions--secondary characters--have a more fleshed out personality than her. Were Jade merely a photographer caught up in a grand conspiracy this wouldn't be of any consequence. Her vague personality of being bold and snarky, and her non-existent background would be enough. However as the game continued to put Jade in the spotlight without taking the efforts required to develop her character, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. As far as I'm concerned Jade was an appealing concept that wasn't followed through which ultimately makes for a poor start to what is planned to be a trilogy.



Still, one of that things that stands out the most to me is how the game does its best to integrate the gameplay into the story. The reason the gameplay is so varied is because it's driven by the plot and changes accordingly. Even if the integration isn't absolutely perfect, the game does its best to use all its elements to convey the sense of being an undercover reporter and having an overall adventure. Beyond Good and Evil definitely succeeds in creating a varied Action Adventure with a unique premise. Few of these elements have the same level of polish as a game with only one focus, but the level of variety you'll experience in such a short time is an inevitable trade-off. From a gameplay perspective Beyond Good and Evil rarely falters.

In the end the game succeeds much more than anything else and deserves much of the praise it gets. It's a highly unique experience despite any and all shortcomings I could possibly bring up with it. Still, I can't help but think the story didn't live up to its potential, and as such, by my own judgement the game doesn't fully attain its goal.

3 out of 5 stars
A 3 is the mark of a game that stands as a solid effort. Though the game may be exceptional in some regards and have good ideas, the author believes it did not grasp the full potential of those ideas. It is merely a sign that he feels there are better things to come from this concept. By no means is a 3 the mark of a poor, unenjoyable, or even average game. It merely means he'd like to see the concepts further developed.

In short: The reviewer's calling this a worthwhile experience.

Beyond Good and Evil is available on the Playstation 2, Gamecube, PC, and XBox. The Playstation 2 version is perfectly playable, but does suffer some glitches such as the sound cutting out. The XBox version is not backwards compatible on the XBox 360. The Gamecube version, being graphically sound without glitches and backwards compatible with the Wii, is the most collectible and valuable.

If anyone has experience with the PC version, some input would be appreciated and you would be credited in the article.


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