The story in Beyond Good and Evil is that an alien race called DomZ have invaded the planet Hillys. Their goal is to enslave the population and it’s up to a photojournalist named Jade to stop them.
Beyond Good and Evil plays like your typical third person action adventure game but with some added elements. Playing as Jade, you can take out enemies with your weapon, take photos of various characters, enemies, and other fauna. If you don’t want to take out your enemies, you could use stealth and sneak past them, though this isn’t always going to be an option. In addition to fighting and sneaking past enemies, you also have to solve environmental puzzles, and these are used to either traverse to other areas or may be required in an effort to gather photographic evidence of the alien invasion.
Besides taking photos of various things, you’re tasked with main objectives or quests along with side quests, which can be given to you by various NPCs you meet long your journey to stop the alien enslavement. Some of these quests or objectives are mandatory, with most being optional. All of them do add some element to the narrative story so it’s worth completing them all if you want the full story of what’s going on. In addition to the quests and dialog between Jade and various NPC characters, the story is also advanced through cut scenes. These may be used to further the story development or potentially used to help complete an objective or quest.
This anniversary edition also includes behind the scenes stuff alongside the game. You have access to concept art, developer interviews, and even cut content.One last thing I wanted to mention with this anniversary edition is that it adds updated controls and a new speed run mode for those that really want a challenge.
Beyond Good and Evil Anniversary is a visually impressive game. The graphics have been given a huge overhaul, and the game is up-scaled as high as 4K and the entire game runs at a butter smooth 60FPS. It’s been said that the graphics have gotten an HD coat of paint in addition to the upscale in resolution, but it is a bit rough around the edges, quite literally. Some of the character models look a bit pixelated, but give the age of the game and it being a remaster as opposed to a remake, that’s to be expected I suppose.
Though it’s not indicated, the audio in this game feels like it’s got the HD treatment as well. The music sounds crisp and very clean, and voice acting in the game sounds just as great as the musical score. I thought that it may have been a case where the music got the treatment but the voice acting would have sounded misplaced, tin-like, or just off. But surprisingly, that’s not the case at all and it shows just how much work went into making this the definitive way to play a classic game.
Beyond Good and Evil really is the definitive version, regardless of the platform you play it on. If you’re looking for a great action adventure game, you owe it to yourself to check this game out. Fan of Beyond Good and Evil, this version feels almost like a brand new entry in the series. Even if you’ve played the original release back in the day and despised it, I would encourage you to pick this up. There is enough quality of life improvements and changes to justify giving this game another shot.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.