Review – Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition

It’s hard to believe that twenty years have passed since Ubisoft first launched Beyond Good & Evil and despite an HD remaster releasing in 2011, the 20th Anniversary Edition will be the first time that some players, like myself, experience this cult classic. Diving into the original and HD versions after completing the latest iterations it is safe to say that at its core Beyond Good & Evil is a slightly smoother and prettier incarnation that offers largely the same experience as that found since 2003.

Light exploration, stealth, simplistic combat, that for its time could certainly be seen in a more impressive light, and a fun buddy story starring Jade and brutish pig-man Uncle Pey’j offer a charming experience that brings that old school gaming feel to modern platforms, mechanical warts and all. While the gameplay remains relatively unchanged, the fresh coat of paint helps bring visual accessibility to an arguably dated classic that is well worth experiencing, especially considering the addition of content that bridges the gap between this and the long gestating, in-development Beyond Good & Evil 2.

Playing as Jade, the story kicks off with an invasion by aliens known as DomZ and it’s up to her to protect the orphaned children of the lighthouse she and Pey’j take care of. The ensuing drama leads the duo on an adventure that intertwines the Alpha Sections militia, the DomZ invasion and a literal power struggle that opens the floodgates for many impactful revelations and intriguing story beats.

With the tightly paced narrative and light exploration on offer Beyond Good & Evil will take players around 6 hours to complete, with playtime varying solely on depth of exploration. The brief runtime found here is well-balanced, preventing repetition or narrative overexposure for the mere sake of length and instead offers an experience that feels focused and enjoyable that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Jade traverses the mining planet of Hillys, set in the year 2435, on a hovercraft to reach new locations with story progression. Interesting characters, various side activities and numerous lifeforms to photograph, that reward the player and play a key part of progression and upgrading the hovercraft, give players a variety of options to accompany the main story across an assortment of different locations.

As a remaster of a 2003 video game the mechanical aspects feel noticeably dated, particularly the camera controls. It can get stuck on walls and generally feels clunky to control, at times difficult to get an advantageous and unobstructed view of the action. The stealth sections in particular can be frustrating, with smaller rooms and enemies that need to be avoided to prevent detection can be difficult when the camera completely obstructs them or their line of sight.

Combat is pretty basic, emphasising melee attacks and a ranged attack to eliminate those that stand between Jade and saving Hillys. There are simple combos to execute and while the overall combat system lacks depth it does a competent job of remaining enjoyable and interesting enough to last the brief campaign. Enemy variety encourages players to mix up their attack patterns and boss encounters in particular highlight how well these simple mechanics work.

Beyond Good & Evil really feels like the origin of Ubisoft’s formula for the decades and titles that follow the original 2003 release. Combat, stealth and side quests such as photography are heavily present in franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell and Far Cry to name a few. Interesting worlds with various ways to play and approach the experience are a staple of Ubisoft and it’s fun to see the evolution of their world building in its infancy as it is in Beyond Good & Evil.

As the world impatiently awaits any further updates on the development of Beyond Good & Evil 2, Ubisoft have treated its fanbase with the inclusion of new content in this 20th Anniversary Edition that expands on Jade’s early life and tease players with what’s to come. A new speedrun mode and behind the scenes gallery add further value to this iteration of the twenty year old classic.

The visual facelift is easily the most noticeable addition to this version, bringing cleaner textures and a much better lighting system that makes this classic feel a little younger. Some of the character models look cleaner than others but overall it looks far better than it should for a game from 2003. The music is excellent and adds a beautiful layer to Jade’s sci-fi action-adventure that can be enjoyed by players of all ages due to its family friendly nature.

Review by Games of DAYNE

Games of DAYNE’s written works can also be found at his website HERE.

* A digital code for Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition was kindly provided for the purpose of this review. *