Ubisoft recently gave an unexpected gift to all the fans of its legacy by releasing a re-release of one of the studio’s best games: Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition. We have of course tried out the renewed classic and formulated several reasons why the BGE 20th Anniversary Edition can – and even should – be played in 2024.
Style
There was a time, a happy time, when Ubisoft had not yet turned into an assembly line of ‘Assassins’, where financial reporting ruled on one side and the agenda on the other. In 2003, on the eve of the Christmas holidays, an unknown woman quietly came out Beyond Good & Evil or “Beyond Good and Evil” in our opinion. It comes out and fails miserably.
After a while, the bosses will make guilty excuses and explain the commercial failure by the lack of a clear vision of “who this game is for” (oh, how unexpected!). The marketing department was involved in the promotion Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, they didn’t care about the little story of the French division. And in vain.
Many of the developers, including the main creator and ideologist of Beyond Good & Evil Michel Ancel, said at the time that the game was in stores, played at the right level in absolutely all respects, and that after a while it will take its rightful place. That’s what happened in the end. “Beyond Good and Evil” first got an HD version for large monitors in 2011, and then, in 2024, a full re-release. However, over the years the project has not lost its main features, and the first thing that catches your eye twenty years later is its originality. It was present in everything. If you turn on the game now, you won’t confuse it with anything else, the style is so special.
The creators weren’t afraid of experimentation, so they combined science fiction with spaceships, anthropomorphic talking animals, investigative journalism, Pixar cartoons, an open world with transportation, and a bit of kung fu. Nuclear cocktail. There are very few games like this these days. We’ve seen all the new products in one form or another, and some studios tend to keep releasing the same project year after year – hello, same Ubisoft. If you’re missing something unique, Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition is a great choice in 2024.
No stupid conspiracy
The second plus is of course the plot. Don’t be fooled by the cartoonish images. The story is devoted to serious matters, full of references to political and social issues and events. Of course, children can also play Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition, but it is unlikely that they will understand half of what the authors are talking about. The project does not contain the themes of inclusivity or the power of feminism that are boring for modern gamers. But here we have government deception, the horrors of war and lies in the media. The re-release does not change the plot in any way, and this is one of the main reasons why the game is a must-play today.
The story begins at a lighthouse on the peaceful planet Hillia. Experienced reporter Jade, together with her step-uncle Pey’Jem (an anthropomorphic pig), organizes a shelter for children whose parents were taken by the terrible aliens DumTs. Suddenly, the invaders attack again, and the main defenders of humanity – the Alpha Corps – arrive too late on the battlefield. All this triggers a chain of events, as a result of which Jade becomes involved in the activities of the resistance, engages in photo reports in secret protected locations and saves the population of the planet.
Ubisoft also created a separate quest that references the second part. The story was originally planned as a trilogy, but due to low sales Michel Ancel was unable to fully realize his plan. As a result, production on the sequel stalled and the company was once again unable to decide on a vision for who the game would be. A few videos from many years ago are all that remain of the second part. But even now Ubisoft continues to maintain that Beyond Good & Evil 2 has not been canceled. The new quest confirms this.
Are you looking forward to Beyond Good & Evil 2?
Still fun gameplay
The gameplay hasn’t changed. Most of the time you’ll have to solve spatial puzzles, hide from enemies and take photos.
Despite the general meditative character, the game can still captivate even after so many years after its release. Passing the riddles and collecting a collection of photographs is not so difficult, although sometimes you have to think. Of course, each of the gameplay components is very outdated, but thanks to the comfortable controls and improved graphics, you quickly forget about it. I would only like to criticize the combat system, but it does not play a big role at all. You don’t have to fight much.
Re-release updates
On the visual side, the project has undergone significant changes, but not as large-scale as remakes usually do. It is still the same game as 20 years ago, but with a higher frame rate and more polygons. At the same time, the flaws in the animations have not disappeared. Jade runs strangely, as if she is crouching, and it is better not to focus on the faces of the speakers at all.
Overall, the general impression is still positive. On large monitors and TVs with an impressive diagonal, the game feels great, personally we did not notice any drops in frame rate and the feeling of watching a cartoon was preserved.
Ubisoft changed the controls and they fit well into the layout of modern gamepads. The only thing that raises questions is the camera. It feels awkward, often chooses inappropriate angles and constantly tries to fix itself in the wrong place. If they had made a re-release, the biggest problem could have been solved. And there is no Russian voice acting, although it is present in the original. For some this may not be significant, but it is still offensive.
No purchases with real money
Beyond Good & Evil is an old-school game, so there are no stores or real money purchases. You just download and enjoy. It is surprising that Ubisoft did not include many reskins for Jade and other heroes in the re-release. This is very rare these days.
In addition, the reissue is much cheaper than modern new products, so you don’t have to spend your monthly budget.
Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition is one of those games that I would recommend to anyone who appreciates strong, story-driven adventures. Ubisoft acted wisely and provided a great opportunity to expand the audience of fans, thank you for that. In principle, it was possible to make a full-fledged remake, but the company, as usual, has more important things to do. We really hope that the second part will come out someday, and now you really have the chance to show the developers that they have had a diamond lying around for a long time that deserves a sequel.
What do you think of Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition?
Source: VG Times
Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.