Ubisoft nowadays is known for a few great games and the microtransactions it adds to them that almost nobody wants.
However, there was once a time when Ubisoft was one of the leading video game developers that launched consistent quality video games like the first Assassin's Creed games, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell games, and the Prince of Persia games.
However, one of the games it released at the time but never got a sequel to keep its legacy going is Beyond Good and Evil, a game much beloved by gamers so much that Ubisoft eventually got convinced to develop a sequel after its release two decades ago.
Here is why the game is still beloved to this day:
Beyond Good And Evil History, Strong Points
Game protagonist Jade and Pey'j enjoying some down time from saving the world.
Beyond Good and Evil is an action-adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft in late 2003 for the Nintendo Gamecube, Microsoft Windows PCs, the PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms, per the Beyond Good and Evil Wiki.
The game follows the story of Jade, a young investigative reporter working with a resistance movement to reveal a planet-wide alien conspiracy that could enslave the entire world, per the Ubisoft Store.
The game is known for its successful mixture of gaming mechanics that would have sunk similar games. However, Ubisoft's developers at the time managed to sidestep many of the sinkholes that would have done so, per IGN, allowing it to shine as one of the games that dared to do what others did but failed to succeed.
Stealth may be optional, but combat is as challenging as going sneaky beaky.
For example, its stealth sections, which are often a pain in the butt for most games because of their tediousness. However, Beyond Good and Evil managed to make them refreshing and fun to do, thanks to it offering them as "refreshing variations on puzzle design," along with allowing players to choose a stealthy or head-on approach with an equal level of challenge.
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Being an action-adventure game, Beyond Good and Evil have players travel to different locations and talk to NPCs to gather photographic evidence of the conspiracy and expose the truth while protecting themselves from the beings who want to silence her permanently.
Most of the game's combat happens on foot, with Jade battling enemies with her trusty dai-jo staff, light discs for ranged weapons, and even her camera. While the game's combat mechanics aren't as comprehensive as God of War's and Devil May Cry's with their combo system and the ability to string different moves against opponents, it does provide players with enemies that require more than a few whacks with Jade's dai-jo stick to defeat.
Beyond Good And Evil Critical Reception, Future Sequel
Regardless of the game's combat mechanics, critics praised Beyond Good and Evil. IGN rated it a 9/10 for everything it offers, including the story, voice acting, and graphics. Meanwhile, IMDb gave the game an 8.4/10, with around 81.4% of 1,464 gamers rating it with a score between 8 and 10.
The gaming community loved the game for the same reasons critics mentioned in its reviews, so much so that many fought for the chance to get the game the sequel it deserves. Fortunately, Ubisoft eventually announced it was working on a sequel for the game during E3 2017, per Pocket Lint.
Ubisoft is still developing the game's sequel after its announcement six years ago, but like the original 2003 game, it felt like it was too ambitious for its own good. Here's hoping the sequel doesn't get canceled like the others Ubisoft let go.
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