Beyond Good & Evil

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 376 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 326 out of 376
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 376
  3. Negative: 17 out of 376
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  1. Hatamaru
    Apr 13, 2021
    10
    This game is my childhood. A mysterious and touching story, a world to explore, interesting game mechanics. It didn't age well graphics-wise, but it's worth a try.
  2. pizzalover2788
    Nov 2, 2020
    10
    Una de esas joyas poco conocidas que me gusta recomendar. Su música, sus personajes, su mundo, su historia; este juego marca a aquellos que lo han jugado alguna vez y deja un bonito recuerdo.
  3. HomeroomTeacher
    Jul 23, 2020
    10
    One of the best games in my childhood. Perfect characters, atmosphere, adventure, friendly graphics, beautiful soundtrack. This is how you make a 10/10 game without blood and excessive violence. Biggest downside in PC version was the strange bugs with the sound, which went out of sync sometimes, or turned into white noise. Probably this is patched nowadays.
  4. AlexeyMG
    Jul 9, 2020
    8
    This game could be considered perfectly as a classic (and better than some), this game has a story that catches you from the beginning and it's hard to forget, I have taken as a tradition to play the game every year, the first time I played it was when I was 7 years old in a disc that I borrowed it from a cousin (who ended up giving it to me) this game has very good things like:
    -a decent    This game could be considered perfectly as a classic (and better than some), this game has a story that catches you from the beginning and it's hard to forget, I have taken as a tradition to play the game every year, the first time I played it was when I was 7 years old in a disc that I borrowed it from a cousin (who ended up giving it to me) this game has very good things like:
    -a decent difficulty.
    -A magnificent story.
    -Very good characters, both as enemies and friends.
    -Good ending boss
    But it also has bad things like:
    -a very poor fight.
    -I think the pictures could have made things more interesting.
    -Very few races, in fact there are only four.
    -Very few pearls.
    -In fact, very little play time in general.    … Expand
  5. Doppio2diavolo
    Jun 19, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I remember playing this game on the Ps2 and it bugged when you land with you spaceship and I literally lost all my savings.
    I kinda freaked out but this game is so amazing I had no problem replaying. Jade is such a great protagonist and you're so attracted from the lote you just can't wait to see the end of it. Now it's 2020 and I'm still waiting for this announced prequel.    … Expand
  6. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    9
    great! played this when i was a bit younger and it kept me quite entertained
  7. bancandrei
    May 12, 2020
    5
    This was the biggest disappointment to me, because people who like it, seem to really like it and have really fond memories of it. But it's just ok... I guess. Everything about this game reminds me of Zelda Wind Waker: travelling between areas in a boat, antropomorphic animals which double as game mechanics, dungeons (barely), boss battles just to switch up the pace etc. but that game didThis was the biggest disappointment to me, because people who like it, seem to really like it and have really fond memories of it. But it's just ok... I guess. Everything about this game reminds me of Zelda Wind Waker: travelling between areas in a boat, antropomorphic animals which double as game mechanics, dungeons (barely), boss battles just to switch up the pace etc. but that game did EVERYTHING better (maybe the camera is bit better here). This game was beneficial in helping me appreciate Nintendo more.… Expand
  8. Muismi
    Apr 28, 2020
    9
    Un juego que para la fecha en la que se publicó introdujo nuevas mecanicas interesates y elementos jugables muy buenos. La trama es el punto fuerte, empieza poco a poco y va subiendo el interés del jugador hasta llegar al clímax. Las limitaciones técnicas de la época no impidieron tener buenos actores de doblaje, buenos personajes no lineales con carisma, una banda sonora muy buena, entreUn juego que para la fecha en la que se publicó introdujo nuevas mecanicas interesates y elementos jugables muy buenos. La trama es el punto fuerte, empieza poco a poco y va subiendo el interés del jugador hasta llegar al clímax. Las limitaciones técnicas de la época no impidieron tener buenos actores de doblaje, buenos personajes no lineales con carisma, una banda sonora muy buena, entre otros aspectos que están muy bien pulidos. El universo creado y presentado por primera vez en esta obra puede ser explotado y llevado a unas cotas de calidad increibles con la tecnología actual, asi que, una segunda entrega sería recibida con los brazos abiertos.… Expand
  9. r03vg
    Apr 15, 2020
    8
    Вы ждали продолжения 13 лет? Ничего, подождете еще. Детская игра для самых взрослых.
  10. KayVen17
    Apr 2, 2020
    9
    Auch wenn ich am Anfang mit technischen Problemen zu kämpfen hatte bin ich froh dieses Spiel nach langer Zeit erneut durchzuspielen. Die Musik ist einfach der Hammer. Die Charaktere so liebenswürdig und die Welt im Allgemeinen wunderschön. Klar die Technik ist schlecht gealtert und die Kamera hat mir wirklich manchmal den letzten Nerv genommen, aber schlussendlich ist dieses Spiel eineAuch wenn ich am Anfang mit technischen Problemen zu kämpfen hatte bin ich froh dieses Spiel nach langer Zeit erneut durchzuspielen. Die Musik ist einfach der Hammer. Die Charaktere so liebenswürdig und die Welt im Allgemeinen wunderschön. Klar die Technik ist schlecht gealtert und die Kamera hat mir wirklich manchmal den letzten Nerv genommen, aber schlussendlich ist dieses Spiel eine kleine Perle und ich freue mich jetzt umso mehr auf Teil 2. Der Hype ist für mich da!… Expand
  11. TheWeegeeman
    Jan 7, 2020
    10
    Essentially the same as the PS2 version. Except it runs a whoooole lot better.
  12. SilverOrlov
    Sep 25, 2019
    8
    In general, it was a very interesting game with a small pseudo-open World and an interesting idea to study the environment through a photo-camera. But I can’t say that I really liked this game and felt any strong impression. Maybe because I didn't like it's visual style.
  13. Avalord
    Jun 22, 2019
    4
    Clunky controls, linear gameplay, many platformer sequences, save system of dread and not that much of story. Of course outdated graphics but apparently they were never great.
    Don't really understand the hype around it. Wanted to play it for a long time. Now I did and left pretty soon again.
  14. CriticNamedZack
    Apr 24, 2019
    8
    Story: The story of Beyond takes place on the planet of Hillys in a galactic civilization that is under siege by aliens called the DomZ that abduct beings and drain their life force for power. A military army called the Alpha Sections takes power, promising to defend the populace. However, the Alpha Sections seem unable to stop the DomZ despite their public assurances. An undergroundStory: The story of Beyond takes place on the planet of Hillys in a galactic civilization that is under siege by aliens called the DomZ that abduct beings and drain their life force for power. A military army called the Alpha Sections takes power, promising to defend the populace. However, the Alpha Sections seem unable to stop the DomZ despite their public assurances. An underground resistance movement, the IRIS Network, fights the Alpha Sections, believing them to be in working with the DomZ...

    Pros:
    • The story is not complex or mind-blowing, but it was quite enjoyable with the themes of corruption, conspiracies and shady government practices and tones of suspense and paranoia and has you wanting to find out the reason for the mysterious activities of Hillys.
    • The characters of the game are very likable. The main characters especially with Jade, Double H and Peye'J really stand out and the ones the game wants you to care about: which is good. Each have their own personalities and will actually react with some really strong emotions at times, while also adding humor in good timing.
    • The story took me around 9-11 hours to complete, so a decent length.

    Cons:
    • No real strong main villain to represent what we are against or trying to uncover. The two that are there are forgettable, but it's more of the DomZ and Alpha Sections as a whole that poses the threat. (minor complaint)
    • The story, although very enjoyable, does have some "why even bother adding it in" moments. Especially in the final third which I won't spoil, but it's far from damaging the story

    Gameplay:

    Pros:
    • The form of collectables in the game, Pearls for vehicle upgrades, taking photos the planet's wildlife in exchange for Credits (Money) and Pearls and Mdisks take goes through lore and data of the world is pretty fun to collect.
    • Many enemies have their own unique pattern while fighting them.
    • Exploring the linear-open world of Hillys is enjoyable with the side activities which are dungeon-like areas and races.
    • Vehicles such as the hovercraft and spaceship are fun to use, even if they can be a bit clunky at times.
    • Although they are not all solid, the rotation from combat to stealth to vehicles to puzzle-solving are nice changes to pace and credit for the developers who clearly were ambitious about it.

    Cons:
    • Backtracking is involved during missions of this game, so expect to see areas multiple times, however it's not really bad thankfully.
    • Boss patterns are really inconsistent as in when they appear and are simple enough "learn the pattern and win" bosses. The last boss is quite clever though and well done.
    • Worst thing about this game is the camera. Gets stuck in walls and completely blocks your ability to see what's going on. Sometimes it can also be in an awkward fixed angle that annoys the s**t out of you. The camera sucks and is your biggest enemy in this game, period.
    • The combat and stealth in this game is simply really basic. Nothing really skill-based or complex and you rotate through both of them for most of the game, but it works at least and it does what it should do.
    • Pearls are required for beating the game. I didn't have any issues collecting them or not being able to progress due to a lack of pearls, but this does annoy a lot of people and might lead to forcing people to find more pearls just to progress further into the game.
    •No real replay value once you beat the game.
    •100% is not a real strong factor in this game, although you get rewards to collect all the pearls and photos of all the animals.

    Sound/Music:

    Pros:
    • Voice acting is good all around and there's not one bad voice actor for any of the characters. Nothing amazing, but still good.
    • The music is fantastic and really is one of the greatest parts of Beyond. Much of it is influenced from countries in our real world which makes it sound diverse, while adding the needed vibes for the areas the player is playing on.

    Cons:
    • Only criticism I can think of is audio cut out rarely in dialogue and once in a cutscene near the end of the game, but really it did nothing to ruin the experience for me.

    Visuals/Performance:
    • Heard bad things from the performance of the Steam version of this game, But I got this game from GOG and it ran pretty well overall, With only one crash in total.
    • Graphics are very good for 2003. I love the cartoony, sci-fi look to the game.
    • Cutscenes and cinematics are well done.

    Cons:
    •Got a tad bit buggy near the end, but that was nothing major.

    Verdict:
    Story: 8/10
    Gameplay: 7.5/10
    Sound/Music: 9/10
    Performance/Visuals: 9/10 Overall Rating: 8.2/10    … Expand
  15. jacob4
    Jun 25, 2018
    10
    An absolute wonderful kind of a game! Beyond Good & Evil has a truly unique story and adventure with an awesome kick-ass female protagonist, memorable unique characters, a memorable beautiful soundtrack to match the incredible scenery, and a truly submersible epic adventure filled with fun side quests and missions. Even if the game seems a bit outdated today, it's still a cult classic andAn absolute wonderful kind of a game! Beyond Good & Evil has a truly unique story and adventure with an awesome kick-ass female protagonist, memorable unique characters, a memorable beautiful soundtrack to match the incredible scenery, and a truly submersible epic adventure filled with fun side quests and missions. Even if the game seems a bit outdated today, it's still a cult classic and is an enjoyable adventure worth the time.… Expand
  16. Tomle1202
    Jun 24, 2018
    8
    Beyond Good & Evil impresses me right from the opening scene, and continues to do so hours later. It may run out of steam near the end, but nevertheless, Jade's journey is one hell of a ride.
  17. greenndreams
    Feb 24, 2018
    6
    캐릭터들이 나름 매력적이고 스토리도 괜찮은 SF 판타지. 스토리가 뭔가 파판스러운 분위기가 난다. 연출은 좀 유치하지만 대사가 괜찮다.
    게임플레이는 3인칭 액션, 레이싱, 퍼즐, 잠입, 여러 미니게임 등 다양한 게임 메카닉들을 뒤섞어 놓은 젤다식 액션어드벤처인데, 딱히 기억에 남는 건 없다. 특히 액션과 잠입 시스템은 다소 어설프다. 다만 게임 진행에 핵심적인 요소로 다양한 생물들의 사진을 찍는 게 있는데, 이게 왠지 포켓몬 수집하는 것처럼 묘하게 집착하게 된다.
    "Beyond Good and Evil"이라는 제목을 두고 이 게임이 언론인의 중립성과 양심, 인간의 선악에 관한 철학적인 메세지를 다룬다는 사람들이 있는데, 과잉 해석이라고 생각한다. 만약 제작자가 정말 그런 의도가 있었다면    캐릭터들이 나름 매력적이고 스토리도 괜찮은 SF 판타지. 스토리가 뭔가 파판스러운 분위기가 난다. 연출은 좀 유치하지만 대사가 괜찮다.
    게임플레이는 3인칭 액션, 레이싱, 퍼즐, 잠입, 여러 미니게임 등 다양한 게임 메카닉들을 뒤섞어 놓은 젤다식 액션어드벤처인데, 딱히 기억에 남는 건 없다. 특히 액션과 잠입 시스템은 다소 어설프다. 다만 게임 진행에 핵심적인 요소로 다양한 생물들의 사진을 찍는 게 있는데, 이게 왠지 포켓몬 수집하는 것처럼 묘하게 집착하게 된다.
    "Beyond Good and Evil"이라는 제목을 두고 이 게임이 언론인의 중립성과 양심, 인간의 선악에 관한 철학적인 메세지를 다룬다는 사람들이 있는데, 과잉 해석이라고 생각한다. 만약 제작자가 정말 그런 의도가 있었다면 주제를 거의 살리지 못했다고 본다. 게임 내내 주인공은 악을 무찌르고 세상을 구한다는 해피엔딩을 향해 달려가기만 할 뿐이다.
    흔히 컬트 클래식으로 알려져있는데, 여러 궁금증을 남기는 엔딩과 무려 15년이 넘은 징한 후속작 떡밥 때문에 그 소수의 팬들이 약간 응집되고 과장된 듯한 느낌이 있다.    … Expand
  18. Mobile
    Nov 11, 2017
    4
    ENG
    In close quarters, this game is considered an undeniable masterpiece. And now he wanted to look, what kind of game is this and is it so good, as others say. The fun began from the very beginning, when at the first start I saw a powerful drawdown of FPS, raided many forums and guides, helped with FPS and there was a new problem with flickering of textures and eventually if one is    ENG
    In close quarters, this game is considered an undeniable masterpiece. And now he wanted to look, what kind of game is this and is it so good, as others say. The fun began from the very beginning, when at the first start I saw a powerful drawdown of FPS, raided many forums and guides, helped with FPS and there was a new problem with flickering of textures and eventually if one is treated, then another climbs. And there were no craftsmen who consider this product a masterpiece to make a patch to fix the problems, I'm not talking about the developers themselves. But this is a long digression, we will move on to the essence of this masterpiece, do not consider it a repetition, I will be called this word to the end. In addition to technical problems with FPS and textures, there is a wildly wretched camera (I played the keyboard-mouse), tried on the gamepad and it was even worse. Considering that there are a lot of stealth moments in the game, then you will burn more than once, because the camera will simply put you under the enemy, you will not even have time to understand how you have to load or sweat and kill everyone. Now, briefly about the game itself, the characters are not completely revealed, I thought. that I will like the pig, because I like in games like NPC (companions), but alas not here, the characters are dull, the music is not impressive, the gameplay began to bore, constantly crawl with the poor camera in stealth, collect pearls and all that. From the side it looks interesting but in fact, the developers did not try. Passing the game, I still do not understand where and how the game is a masterpiece, I honestly do not understand. This is my personal opinion, but there is nothing special to add to this, the game is erased from memory quite quickly, since it has nothing to fill memories.
    RU
    В тесных кругах эта игра считается неоспоримым шедевром. И вот самому захотелось глянуть, что же за игра такая и так ли она хороша, как говорят другие. Веселье началось с самого начала, когда при первом запуске я увидел мощнейшую просадку фпс, облазил много форумов и гайдов, помогло с фпс и тут возникла новая проблема с мерцанием текстур и в итоге если одно лечится, то другое вылазит. По слухам игра работает стабильно только на XP, поздние версии она дико багует. И не нашлось умельцев, которые считают данный продукт шедевром, чтобы сделать какой-нибудь патч, чтобы исправить проблемы, я уже не говорю про самих разработчиков. Но это долгое отступление, перейдем к сути этого шедевра, не сочтите за повтор, я буду до конца называть этим словом. Помимо технических проблем с фпс и текстурами, есть еще дико убогая камера (играл я на клаво - мышь), пробовал на геймпаде и было еще хуже. Учитывая что в игре много стелс моментов, то вы не раз подгорите, так как камера просто подставит вас под противнику, вы даже не успеете ничего понять, как придется загружаться или потеть и всех перебить. Теперь коротко о самой игре, персонажи не раскрыты абсолютно, я думал. что мне придется по душе свин, так как мне нравятся в играх подобные NPC (напарники) но увы не здесь, персонажи унылы, музыка не впечатляет, геймплей начал надоедать, постоянно ползать с убогой камерой в стелсе, собирать жемчуг и все такое. Со стороны выглядит интересно но на деле, разработчики вовсе не старались. Проходя игру я так и не понял где и как именно игра является шедевром, честно не понимаю. Это лично мое мнение, но здесь особо добавить нечего игра сотрется из памяти довольно быстро, поскольку ей нечем заполнить воспоминания.    … Expand
  19. russiangamer
    Jun 1, 2017
    10
    Тут есть всё: элемент квеста, аркада, стелс, интересный сеттинг, замечательный сюжет, который не передать словами.
    Без лишних слов - это шедевр, прорывная игра для своего времени, которая и сейчас дарит великолепные эмоции.    Тут есть всё: элемент квеста, аркада, стелс, интересный сеттинг, замечательный сюжет, который не передать словами.
    Без лишних слов - это шедевр, прорывная игра для своего времени, которая и сейчас дарит великолепные эмоции.
  20. Voyou
    Mar 15, 2016
    6
    Early on, I thought I was going to play a masterpiece of adventure, for its world, narration, atmosphere, immersion and various touches of fun.

    It could have been brilliant, but it missed the mark, and by a fairly large margin. The original joy turned out to frustration a few hours later because BG&E, which is arcade-heavy, has terrible controls and saves on fixed spots only. After    Early on, I thought I was going to play a masterpiece of adventure, for its world, narration, atmosphere, immersion and various touches of fun.

    It could have been brilliant, but it missed the mark, and by a fairly large margin.

    The original joy turned out to frustration a few hours later because BG&E, which is arcade-heavy, has terrible controls and saves on fixed spots only. After failing the same fast-speed chase sequence 665 times, I had to quit. Call me superstitious. I might have finished it had I possessed a gamepad at the time, but life is too short to be bothered.    … Expand
  21. Overvulture
    Nov 9, 2015
    8
    It's hard to say who this game was meant for. It looks rather kiddy at first, but deals with some dark themes and plotlines, and also is rather frustratingly difficult at times. In many ways the definition of an award-winning flop, it's got a quirky style to it that you may or may not be on board with. Gameplay consists of platforming (which is solid), combat (which is bland), stealthIt's hard to say who this game was meant for. It looks rather kiddy at first, but deals with some dark themes and plotlines, and also is rather frustratingly difficult at times. In many ways the definition of an award-winning flop, it's got a quirky style to it that you may or may not be on board with. Gameplay consists of platforming (which is solid), combat (which is bland), stealth (which is fun but frustrating), and driving/shooting (which is unpleasant). Nothing in the gameplay really stands out as exceptional, but the world and story are well-realized, even if the plot is sometimes melodramatic.

    Flawed, but charming and memorable. It's goofy and creative in its best moments, awkward and sloppy at its worst. There's a lot to like and enjoy, but plenty of moments that left me scratching my head. Difficulty was all over the place, with tricky parts not helped by the camera, but most of it was on the easier side. Despite what it has going against it, the quirkiness and setting were more than enough to drive my curiosity to the ending.

    I experienced some minor technical issues, mostly just flickering textures, and a crash or two, but I didn't consider them enough of a bother to stop me from playing. Your experience may vary, as this is known to be somewhat unstable on newer OS's.    … Expand
  22. Steeldude
    May 29, 2015
    10
    One of the best games I've played. This game is so amazing! Take control of Jade, an amateur photographer, and set on the adventure of your lifetime! You'll be taking photos of everything that moves, fighting bad guys, exploring the large world, fighting enemies and bosses, collecting pearls, participating in minigames and races and so much more. The characters are all likeable and uniqueOne of the best games I've played. This game is so amazing! Take control of Jade, an amateur photographer, and set on the adventure of your lifetime! You'll be taking photos of everything that moves, fighting bad guys, exploring the large world, fighting enemies and bosses, collecting pearls, participating in minigames and races and so much more. The characters are all likeable and unique and the whole game is simply charming. You've never played anything like this before (and likely never will apart from this game, as similar games are practically not made). The game is quite long if you want to explore everything and find all the pearls and you will definitely love each minute of it. Both camera and controls are without any serious problems, so there is literally nothing that could ruin the experience for you ... Maybe except the fact that there's still not a sequel out there.

    A great mix of platforming, exploring, photography, collecting and combat. The story is deep, the music is great, the characters are likeable and the world is fun to explore. So, do not hesitate any longer and play this game, you won't regret it!    … Expand
  23. kakadu99
    Apr 26, 2015
    10
    I just wish this game would've gotten more attention.

    Hopefully they are going to use better marketing strategies for its sequel, which they've announced like 10 years ago.

    This is one of the best games I have ever played and it has definitely earned its place in my heart. I still play it today from time to time.
  24. AugustusCB
    Sep 23, 2014
    10
    With most of the Rayman series under my belt, I've grown to be very interested in Michel Ancel's work; as of playing this game, I've now become a fan. BG&E is among the finest games I've played and pulls off the Zelda formula better than most Zelda games I've played. The puzzles: clever and satisfying. The stealth: tense, yet enjoyable. The combat: unique and well-executed. TheWith most of the Rayman series under my belt, I've grown to be very interested in Michel Ancel's work; as of playing this game, I've now become a fan. BG&E is among the finest games I've played and pulls off the Zelda formula better than most Zelda games I've played. The puzzles: clever and satisfying. The stealth: tense, yet enjoyable. The combat: unique and well-executed. The exploration: fun, filled, and rewarding. The presentation: shows age, but emotional. The story: simplistic, but well-written and immersive. The characters: each one endearing. This is Michel Ancel's magnum-opus. I eagerly await a sequel after 10+ years...… Expand
  25. llamayarmybar
    Mar 23, 2014
    7
    It seems that a minority still want to view this game as "greater" than the sum of its parts, but never seem to address the problems that individually tear this game to pieces. Obviously when you shoe horn in a lot unfinished mechanics with a decent storyline, a unique visual design of characters within said plot, and nice setting to have it all take place in, you're hedging your betsIt seems that a minority still want to view this game as "greater" than the sum of its parts, but never seem to address the problems that individually tear this game to pieces. Obviously when you shoe horn in a lot unfinished mechanics with a decent storyline, a unique visual design of characters within said plot, and nice setting to have it all take place in, you're hedging your bets that the positives outweigh the negatives. In this instance however, their is a constant subtle effect of negative outweighing the positive throughout. From the horrid camera controls, fixed camera angles, woefully terrible combat, woefully goofy artificial intelligence, the utterly boring races, the collect-athon photography mini-game, (that I should remind everyone has no bearing on the plot after the first "Domz" attack) the bizarre characters that grew obnoxious even after the first twelve times they uttered dialogue and the main character herself feeling more fleshed out than any other half-baked concepts in the game. Playing through the game so long after release allows players now to isolate the "bad" and see if its possible to push through till the end of the game hoping that all they've put up with will be rewarded. Which never happens. The game ends with a whimper and a completely unnecessary cliff hanger. Given the time of its release, I can see why many would sympathize with the title having received "less then" the right amount of attention or respect, but the painful truth is that it "didn't" revolutionize any mechanics. It borrowed more from older mechanics, half-assed those, and was then laden with a mystical sort of reputation as "the game that didn't sell well." I think after all this time it'd be a bit obvious why of course. Their were things in this game that didn't work. Stealth sections were embarrassingly dull and simple. Drawn out to the point of tedium, lacking any real complexity most times. The player faced no serious peril or repercussions from dying at any point in the game and merely had to sit around for about ten seconds after Jades slow-motion, cinematic, and ultimately pointlessly received "death-blow." The minor characters are barely made relevant as well since the plot is immediately thrown on top of you after the first "mission" of the game. It draws you in a bit and then it just goes nowhere. Nowhere but clear cut, no choice, linear pathways through the rest of the game and story. The dialogue is rough as well, featuring fairly inconsistent performances in a game all about characterizing the main characters and even Jade fails to sound committed or merely concerned about anything going on. She doesn't ask questions, she's just like "Rebels good, Empire bad." Its a tired, old, mangy, dead horse of a concept and their is no build-up aside from the introduction, the brief fight at the beginning so that players could familiarize themselves with the simplistic combat system, and a very light explanation for all of it one to two hours into the story. Their is no excuse for the barrage of silly side quests that merely slowed down the main quest and it destroyed any feeling of urgency when a supposed side-character is in trouble, only for Jade to be out hunting "pearls" to fix up a Hovercraft for optional racing side-quests. Everything in this game aside from the world, setting and visual style seems to have received more effort than anything else. Why is Jade a cardboard cut-out? Why do other characters seem utterly pointless upon first meeting and subsequent meetings afterwards? Why are we thrust into these linear and boring areas of the game when the initial starting points seem so large and varied? Alpha Section must be paying quite a bit on their electric bill to keep all these lasers going, I mean I haven't seen this many lasers shoved into level design since Rayman 2. Which isn't even a slam on Rayman 2. That game had brilliant level design and is in many ways very similar to Beyond Good & Evil. The problem here was these tiny boxes of levels that Jade was shoved into, only for the player to realize after they were over: "Wow, without all those switches, stealth sections, forced fighting sections, photo-sessions, and brief cinematics, that wouldn't have taken very much time at all." Which is the point, everything done to frustrate the player, through "so simple you feel like an idiot" puzzle solutions, to the cramped level design, you start to get the feeling that this was all just a vehicle to tell the story. Which is a terrible feeling. As cinematic "experiences" games fall flat in almost every regard. Its not what their about. Beyond Good & Evil tried to balance the two and failed. Its eleven years later and it has completely failed to grab me or immerse me into its world through its broken mechanics, poor design, and lackluster characters. I can't believe people still call this game "underrated."… Expand
  26. Tatzen
    Mar 14, 2014
    6
    This is an original story and setting, but the gameplay is atrocious. The camera is the worst part of all, it often will force your perspective to change, so you are disoriented. And you often can't reorient the camera, you're stuck with a fixed perspective.

    I did enjoy the first parts of the game a lot. I like the boar uncle "Pey'j", the cartoony soldier/friend double-H, and the    This is an original story and setting, but the gameplay is atrocious. The camera is the worst part of all, it often will force your perspective to change, so you are disoriented. And you often can't reorient the camera, you're stuck with a fixed perspective.

    I did enjoy the first parts of the game a lot. I like the boar uncle "Pey'j", the cartoony soldier/friend double-H, and the overall setting. The story was interesting. The music and voiceacting are good. I really liked the Rhinocerious mechanics at "Mammago" garage and the other cartoony animals like the friendly bull bartender. The world itself was chaming, though it was very very limited.

    The game is from 2003 so I don't expect open-world, but when I got my spaceship I could only fly a few seconds in each direction before I was "out of bounds" and forced to turn around. Incredibly limited and linear. There's no exploration of the city, just a handful of streets you can walk down.

    I got much of the way through the game, but eventually gave up out of boredom. I couldn't stand any more. The camera controls were unacceptable, and the repetitive "patrolling guards" puzzles were more than I could stand in the end.    … Expand
  27. MichMart
    Mar 1, 2014
    9
    This game has a fantastic story, great characters and mean enemies! I like how you can get money and pearls (with interesting "quests"). I can replay it after a long time without getting bored.
  28. scifigirl
    Feb 22, 2014
    9
    Still one of the best games for world development flowing from player's actions. It's a thrill seeing the world changes as you gather more evidence about the corruption of the overseers. I really wish more games incorporated this element of game play changing the game world.
  29. VonSeux
    Dec 18, 2013
    9
    It was good in 2003, it is good in 2013. Great characters and story. A rich world that will captivate gamers. This is one of those rare experiences one never forget.
  30. babysnakest
    Nov 3, 2013
    10
    This game is excellent, the graphics are good, the music is A M A Z I N G. The characters are great and there is excellent story. The world is huge and makes you feel that you actually live there and makes you want more. I played this game more than 20 times, and it looks always different and entertaining. This game is clearly underrated.
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Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Best PC Game of 2003
22
#22 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
11
#11 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. PC Format
    80
    Unfortunately, there’s still the irritating third-person camera and chugging graphics to remind you of BGE’s console origins, and it never comes remotely close to justifying the pretentiousness of the title – at a mere 12 hours or so it’s undoubtedly far too short.
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  2. Gamers' Temple
    85
    If you value story and atmosphere in your games, then you will enjoy the way Beyond Good & Evil transports you into its fantastic world.
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  3. Game Over Online
    87
    I liked the characters, the game sounded and looked good, and the action sequences were challenging without being too challenging.
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