beyond good & evil review
3 years, it took 3 years for the team of Michel Ancel, the creator of Rayman, to finish Beyond Good & Evil. And as we will see, this work will not have been in vain as the game it offers us today is neat.Beyond Good & Evil is first and foremost an atmosphere and an atmosphere skilfully distilled from the first minutes of play. You are on the planet Hyllis which is in the grip of incessant attacks by extraterrestrials: the DomZ. Fortunately, the alpha sections deal with this problem and protect the population. Finally, that is what you believe at the start! It must be said that the information mainly focuses on this, so you are bound to believe what the government propaganda tells you. After all, you are only a young reporter named Jade whose main concern is to pay the bills for the orphanage she is responsible for. And it is also on this basely material point that the game begins. Jade has not paid his electricity bill and the consequences are dramatic: the company simply cuts you off this precious source of energy, which causes the shield to stop protecting you against DomZ.
Your first mission will be to find additional income to quickly restore food. To do this, you will need to take photos of all the strange critters you come across. And be careful because the pictures must be of good quality for the scientific center to pay you. The money will then be used to buy different equipment and food to restore your health or rekindle the one who will accompany you throughout your adventure: Pey'j. Pey'j is Jade's uncle, he is also a pig who wears very suitable jeans. And it will be very useful, in fact, in many places you will have to use his skills as a mechanic, a handyman ... You can only get out of certain situations with the collaboration of your current team member. As proof, the rooms where you have to press two buttons simultaneously. You cannot direct it directly, it is only possible to command an action. This aspect of the game adds a touch of sympathetic thinking. Indeed, BGE is not only an action game, it is also an adventure game with the presence of small puzzles, an infiltration game where you will have to enter in discretion some places very well guarded, a racing game with the presence of hovercraft competitions that will allow you to make some money ... And yes, BGE is a clever mix of genres which brings a very appreciable diversity.
Little by little, you will learn more about this alien attack case, you will get to know the resistance group IRIS which accuses the Alpha section of supposedly protecting the population. But who to believe? Jade will join the ranks of the rebellion to find out more. And yes, impossible to miss! You cannot choose your side. Too bad, I would have liked to be able to redo the game by helping the Alpha group. Anyway, your missions on behalf of IRIS will lead you to take compromising shots to reveal the truth to the world. Alas, they are quite few, and it feels over the life not huge. But if you want to photograph all the flora and fauna of Hyllis and find all the pearls (a currency much appreciated on the black market) you will have to complete side quests and win hovercraft competitions.
Now let's talk about the main problem of the game: the camera. When in enclosed spaces, it often happens that the angles chosen are not very practical. We see for example Jade from the front when it would have been wiser to leave the back view, especially for the infiltration phases which require the avoidance of any combat. In terms of handling, everything happens with the keyboard-mouse pair. The right click is used for a roll or a dive, as for the left click it is used for all the other current actions: to fight, to activate a button, to use a reader of Mdisk ... These readers will be very useful for you, and will allow you among other things to save your game. And yes, we cannot register at any time! But rest assured, the terminals are quite numerous and can be used without limitation.
As for the graphics, they are very successful, especially during the hovercraft phases: the reflections of the landscape on the water are magnificent. But what surprises above all is the quality of the soundtrack, the music is very beautiful and perfectly highlights the important moments. The French dubbing is also of high quality, it is also Emma de Caunes who lent her voice to Jade. But the other actors are just as convincing and really bring the characters to life. Beyond Good & Evil is therefore a game that you have to discover, its particular universe makes it a very catchy title and it is a safe bet that you will not let go before you finish it.
The notes
Graphics 17/20
It is really beautiful, especially during the hovercraft phases: the reflections of the landscape on the water are superb. It is just a shame that we are forced to play in 16/9.
Gameplay 14/20
The game is played with the keyboard-mouse couple, but it has some maneuverability problems because of the cameras which are sometimes quite badly oriented.
Lifespan 15/20
We would have liked to stay much longer on Hyllis as the characters encountered are endearing and the universe coherent. The game is not very long, but it is only happiness!
Soundtrack 18/20
It's great art: dubbing is one of the best I've ever heard. As for the music, it's simply superb!
Scenario 18/20
Even if the theme of the plot has been used many times before, we must admit that here, we enter like butter in history and that we are even surprised by some twists and turns.
Beyond Good & Evil is a game apart, one of those games from which we do not emerge unscathed. His very good script, his magical and enchanting universe, his music of very good quality transport us to another world. We can only blame him for some slight gameplay concerns due to the camera angles not always well placed. But BGE will undoubtedly become a classic that you have to own.
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