Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition (Nintendo Switch) Review

As someone that never played the original version for much more than an hour back in the day, even this remastering of Beyond Good & Evil shows how much it was a product of its time. Higher resolution and smoother graphics can't paper over the fact that this game has all the hallmarks of a PlayStation 2-era adventure. That isn't to say all of that is a bad thing, of course - there is a certain appeal about the blend of cartoonish and realistic styles that evokes positive nostalgia, reminding of titles like Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper, as well as Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series that Ubisoft was clearly influenced by.

There are the remnants of the limitations of the hardware of the time, though, with environments that aren't fleshed out enough, filler activities and a basic combat system. Much of what designer Michel Ancel envisioned for Beyond Good & Evil wasn't possible, and the result is a game with a very focused world, story and characters, but feels extremely held back, unable to reach its potential.

Protagonist Jade is a photographic journalist with combat capabilities, protecting orphaned children at her lighthouse island home alongside an anthropomorphic pig named Pey'j. Set in a sci-fi future that doesn't stray too far from unusual, crossing modern elements with spacecraft, but remaining grounded to the game's planet for the most part, Jade sets out to uncover the truth behind citizen kidnappings by an alien force, with the military protectors of the world failing to keep these mysterious beings at bay.

From early on, leaving the island gives Jade access to a hovercraft, which allows her to get around the small world of Hillys, able to access a city, garage, and a handful of other areas pivotal to the plot, as well as optional caves tucked away here and there. It could probably be likened to a map the size of Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field - perhaps a touch bigger - but with about the same number of points of interest.

In today's open world society, it is quite refreshing exploring a minute game world of this size that doesn't have the immediate tendency to overwhelm and confuse. There isn't a whole lot going on or a wide range of things to do, but the brief moments of exploration on the sea present a nice change of pace from the running and sneaking that are a constant when on dry land - a bit like the joy and freedom felt when Link rides Epona in the previously mentioned Zelda game.

There are around three or four main areas the plot takes Jade to over the course of her adventure, and the usual goal is that she needs to take undercover photographs of objects, people, or environments, with the purpose of publishing the footage through her employer in the hopes of uncovering a conspiracy at large. This small group of people aims to reveal the truth to the public and overthrow the military governance the Hillyans live under.

The very nature of Jade's tasks means gameplay is designed around this concept. Therefore, it is everybody's favourite game mechanic, stealth, that plays a major role throughout the quest. This is where things can be difficult to deal with. It needs to be accepted early on that dated stealth mechanics must be persevered with to get through Beyond Good & Evil, and a lot of frustration is going to occur because of it.

With autosave features in place, things don't become as big of an annoyance as they would do without it, but there are entire chunks of tiptoeing around that can grate when you spend up to an hour or more in these areas and can very easily get lost in certain zones. It doesn't help that combat is extremely stilted and lacking any degree of imagination or ways to make it feel fun, evoking memories of the bland staff-based fighting in Star Fox Adventures.

Jade using the same weapon - much in the same way as Fox McCloud - with basic button-mash combos and a single charge attack that doesn't serve much purpose, with the lack of any impact feedback, really epitomises the disappointment in this part of the game. The first-person shooting mechanic she also has at her disposal is sloppily handled, and any attempts to use this without a lock-on function only produces irritation when attempting to hit flying enemies. Add in poor camera controls and there isn't too much that stands out when it comes to Jade's on-foot gameplay outside of a few neat ideas that aren't executed effectively.

There are occasions where Jade must ensure she explores what are thought to be optional areas or activities to obtain pearls, which ultimately must be used to purchase vehicle addons that are required for story progression. Without taking the time to handle some of these aspects as soon as possible, it can be the case that a point will come where Jade is left running around trying to mop up tasks before moving onwards. There may be a handful of occasions where annoying racing or other minigames must be tackled, and a guide may be required at times to get by.

Although it doesn't really nail everything it sets out to achieve, Beyond Good & Evil can still be commended for the very relatable narrative it is trying to tell, and for being an all-around solid adventure game that is a bit different from your usual 3D fantasy worlds. Although the supporting cast is small, the few characters it focuses on are appealing, with silly phrases and corny voice acting making each one unforgettable.

For the 20th Anniversary Edition, too, Ubisoft has even added a new side-quest that attempts to delve a little deeper into Jade's past, perhaps setting things up for the long-awaited sequel/prequel. It is nothing more than a little fetch quest, but its inclusion will be a big thing for those that care deeply about Beyond Good & Evil. It is just a shame that the overall plot doesn't further explore the bigger picture, with vague wording by the time of the final boss only serving to frustrate players invested in the story. Just when things seem to finally get cooking, it all comes to an end. It's no wonder fans have been so eager for a continuation of this game.

Shame on Ubisoft for attempting to force players into signing up for its Ubisoft Connect service to play the game, though. If you have an online connection, a pop-up will appear at the main menu every time you boot it up, and you won't be able to play unless you sign in to this service or go offline. With a wired connection on Nintendo Switch, you would have to undock and go into flight mode to bypass this each time you play - unless you're happy to sign your details up to Ubisoft. It is never good seeing these things in video games, but at least there is a workaround.