Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Editionis a spectacular remaster of the Ubisoft cult classic game. Each of the models have been improved, the environments look crisp and the lighting is fantastic among the PS2-era environments. It’s a spruce-up to the original look, although some modern quality-of-life aspects have been ignored, leaving me scratching my head as I reached the conclusion.
Hillys Still Takes My Breath Away
Beyond Good & Evilcame at an important time for me. I was about to leave my home country at the impressionable age of 14 and move to Canada. It was an adventure that distracted me from the anxiety of moving across the world, so this world Ubisoft has created has a special place in my heart. Hillys captures a fantastic sci-fi atmosphere with pretty oceanic scenery, a grungy bar and an underbelly of deceit and propaganda from those who say they’re protecting the planet’s citizens. There are various cultures and alien species represented, living together within the town. It feels lived in. Themusic by Christophe Heralhighlights the vibe Ubisoft is going for with the pretty “Home Sweet Home” and seedy “Akuda Bar Propaganda.” This 20th Anniversary Edition does a masterful job of remastering the soundtrack as well, making it sound clear and more vibrant.
The world-building and the natural adventurous spirit of the game are what truly draws many into thisPS2 classicand feels ahead of its time in many ways before open worlds became the norm in this industry. You can go race, stop thieves from stealing your money in a big chase, and take pictures of many animals along the way; many of these creatures are hidden in all corners of the world. When you snap these photos, you’ll get money and other rewards back for your trouble. This game rewards you for exploring with pearls (that when used help upgrade your boat), money and other important items like health power-ups.
What is the Main Aim of Beyond Good & Evil?
As Jade, you are a reporter for the IRIS Network. You’re trying to uncover the seedy operation of the Alpha Sections, who are secretly working with the DomZ in kidnapping the residents of the world. You’re sneaking past guards in fun stealth sections and taking pictures, showing evidence to the residents of Hillys. Each of these bases you encounter feels likeZeldadungeons as you solve puzzles and fight a boss towards the end of these levels. If you’re sad we don’t have the rumoredTwilight PrincessandWindwakerremasters yet on Switch, give this game a go.
Throughout the narrative, there will be surprising twists and turns along the way, making the game feel fresh throughout its 8-10 hour or so campaign. The story might be short, but it will leave an impact. Pey’J, Jade and Double H are all memorable, even though their characters aren’t too in-depth. The conversations between them are engaging and you’ll want to learn more about them. Jade’s past and identity are also aspects of the game you’ll be intrigued by, without spoiling too much about the storyline.
The New Save System Absolutely Stinks Like Pey’j’s Jet Boots
There are a few main issues we have with this release. The biggest problem is how to save the game. In the original release, you have five manual saves available to you. Unfortunately, in the20th Anniversary Edition, you only have one manual save and four autosaves. This is bizarre and frustrating to deal with. During the ending moments, there’s a section of the game in which you can’t return to Hillys. There are many trophies and achievements to complete, and if you have a manual save set up towards the end of the game, you’re screwed. You can’t go back to the planet and you have to start the game from scratch again. Being able to have manual saves instead of these pointless auto-save spots would have been beneficial. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
Second, the camera is hard to deal with. It gets stuck on walls and it can be difficult to get a full view of the action. Sometimes the rooms are too small to facilitate a battle with a guard, and you can’t see an incoming attack. Additionally, the camera can cause an issue with stealth sections. At a few points in the game, I was detected by a guard because I didn’t have a clear view of a guard above Jade or around the corner. It felt unfair, especially towards the latter half ofBeyond Good & Evil, in which detection equals an automatic death from a drone nearby.
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Lastly, and this only occurred a few times, your allies can get stuck on walls. InBeyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition, you can’t travel unless both Jade and her companion are present, so if the ally glitches, you can’t move. Double H refused to leap over from a ledge because he kept walking into an invisible wall. I had to get him to perform a slam on the ground with his weapon to get him out of the situation. Hopefully, in future patches, issues like these can be fixed. Another nitpick I could mention is the noise that plays when an ally is low on health. It’s a constant tick that plays, even if Jade’s companion is far away from her.
The New Content is Low-Effort But Great to Receive
Ubisoft, before this remaster, teased new content that will have a connection to the somehow still-in-development prequelBeyond Good & Evil 2. Basically, this is a treasure hunt set during the latter half of the game. You’ll get information about the characters of the sequel that Jade knew as a child, each with their own M-Disks. The cutscenes feature stellar voiceovers and decent still art highlighting Jade’s youth and narration. You’ll also meet an important character towards the end of this content in a brand-new cutscene. It feels odd that Jade isn’t reacting to these M-Disks more with extra dialogue, but as a fan of this game, it’s great to get more context about the protagonist’s past and the characters in the future sequel (if we ever get it).
Closing Comments:
Overall,Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Editionis a fantastic remaster with beautiful visuals and remade music. Hopefully Ubisoft follows this with stunning remasters of other classic series likeRayman.Beyond Good & Evilstill has engaging characters, fun puzzles and stealth sections that make you think. The world is also glorious to explore and showsBeyond Good & Evilwas ahead of its time with how it built Hillys with multiple creatures, cultures and species of people. Unfortunately, the lack of manual saves and camera issues do let down this20th Anniversary Edition.
Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Beyond Good & Evil is a sci-fi action-adventure game that follows the story of Jade and her companions as they battle enemies, solve puzzles, and unravel a mysterious alien threat. With the 20th Anniversary Edition, players can now experience this classic in 4k with up to 60 FPS and enjoy some quality-of-life improvements.
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