It feels like we’ve been waiting for it forever Beyond Good & Evil 2 In order to tide us over until then, Ubisoft has now released a new remaster of the original version – this time to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary. Yes, this year marks two decades since the original title debuted on the first Xbox (which was later followed by a high-definition version for the XBLA in 2011 on the Xbox 360). So, is this new version worth the 20 units?
First off, if you haven’t played this action adventure before (and we will forgive you because it is now 20 years old…), stars as “action reporter” Jade who is assigned to investigate alien attacks in the country of Hillys – a futuristic mining environment in System 4 where the citizens depend on a not-so-trustworthy group known as ‘Alpha Section’ to protect them, even though not all is as it seems. Jade, codenamed ‘Shauni’, is sent to investigate what’s going on, and she’s joined by her ‘uncle’ Pey’j (who isn’t really her uncle, or even the same kind), and finally Double H, a fellow ‘homo sapiens’ with a military past.
With the help of these characters and her trusty weapon: Daï-Jo, Jade must save the day by going on adventures, collecting pearls, upgrading and unlocking equipment, taking down bosses and villains, solving puzzles, and even taking part in hover car races and mini-games, all while capturing the entire experience with her camera. Relief!
When you first boot up Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition, you’ll immediately see the new speedrun mode and a special gallery full of “never-before-seen” artwork and videos, exclusive anecdotes, and some secret surprises. However, when you jump into the main experience, you’ll (hopefully) be flooded with all kinds of nostalgic thoughts about the original release, or maybe even the HD version.
Overall it looks and feels the same, but the reality is that it now has improved graphics with 4K resolution and a 60 FPS frame rate (along with “resolution” and “performance” display options). Fortunately, no charm is lost: the characters, environments and action all feel more alive than before, with all the life forms to their name. To add to this, the audio and soundtrack have both been updated, including re-recordings with a live orchestra, making the game sound better than ever. There are also some quality of life improvements, like the ability to skip cutscenes and auto-save, and then there are some links to the long-awaited second game in the form of a new quest.
What some fans might not necessarily welcome with open arms are the controls. Even remapped, they still feel a little clunky in certain sections. The movement (and occasional camera angles) can also be fiddly, especially during more heated moments, but none of this should come as a surprise to returning players, and it has been refined somewhat. Some other parts of the game’s design, such as select puzzles and mechanics including stealth, admittedly haven’t aged as gracefully as the gameplay in certain other titles from two decades ago, but your muscle memory should kick in, and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying BG&E like you’re back in the early 2000s.
Conclusion
For the asking price, this 20th anniversary remaster of Beyond Good & Evil is a great experience – with respectable visual upgrades, sound improvements, some quality of life improvements, and bonus content to top it off. While the gameplay, mechanics, and environments don’t always feel as fresh as they used to, Jade’s story is still as charming as ever. Now, about that next adventure…