Every once in a while a game comes along that makes the world a slightly better place, this is such a game. If you were looking for a balanced view of this game, turn away now because I have (almost) nothing but praise for this game. It's simply that good.
Beyond Good and Evil takes place on Hillys, a mining planet somewhere in the universe. Lately Hillys has been under heavy attacks by the DomZ, a mysterious and hostile alien race seemingly bent on killing and kidnapping the people of Hillys. Because of the war Hillys is under complete control of the Alpha Sections, a military grouping working throughout the galaxy to battle the DomZ. At least, that is what it looks like in the beginning. But it doesn't take long for our heroine, Jade, to figure out that not everything is quite as it seems.
Jade normally is a reporter free lancing to make ends meet, and lives in a lighthouse just outside the city where she takes care of war orphans together with her humanoid pig (and hence probably adoptive) uncle, Pey'j. However, the events throw her right into the middle of the story and she has little choice but to take on the challenge and leave the relative security of her normal life.
Jade takes on the world with just a few abilities, such as running and a sort of dive-roll, her trusty jai-do (basically a stick), and her camera. And for most of the game that's all she has, and that is really all that is needed. Jade is on a quest for truth, and movement, defense, and her camera for "truth capturing" is all that she needs. Many moves are automated, walking up to a ledge and pressing forward lets you jump up, so there is never a need to do it manually. While the base game play of the game is an action adventure style, it dips effortlessly into stealth and puzzle genres. Something that it does especially well is seamlessly integrating the different styles both thematically and when it comes to controls, it all feels like a closely knit mass. And this is perhaps Beyond Good and Evil's greatest strength, the feeling it gives that things are thought through and well connected.
So what didn't I like about the game then? Well, there is very little to say to that. Sometimes the camera goes a bit wonky, and I wouldn't have minded if they'd put the language selection in the options menu, rather than an option I had to click through each and every time I started the game. But apart from this there is very little to criticize.
Ubisoft has discontinued the game, and it appears that although there is a "Buy now" button for the game in their web shop, you can't actually buy it from them anymore. This is a shame, because this is probably among the best games Ubisoft has ever released. But if you can get a hold of a copy somewhere I strongly urge you to get it.
Learning Curve: Takes a second
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