Beyond Good & Evil remaster harks back to a simpler, more fun time
Amidst clamour for a long-overdue sequel, Ubisoft dropped the 20th anniversary edition of the original on June 25
Review: Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition
Developed by Virtuos Games and Ubisoft Montpellier. Published by Ubisoft
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
It was back in 2004, exactly half a lifetime ago (for me anyway), that I first came across Beyond Good & Evil. While it had released on other platforms in 2003, it only arrived on the Nintendo GameCube — the console on which I would dabble with it — in early 2004. Unfortunately, it faced stiff competition for my attention from the likes of WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (PlayStation 2) and Tony Hawk's Underground (Xbox). I found the concept of Beyond Good & Evil quite fascinating and recall being curious as to who made it.
The developer Ubisoft, I’d soon discover, was on something of a hot streak at the time putting out such innovative, inventive and different games as XIII, Red Steel, 187 Ride or Die, Rayman Raving Rabbids and so on. Actually, in the 2000s, most studios were doing that. For instance, do you remember a time when Rockstar Games was making non-GTA and Red Dead Redemption games? That’s right, it was the 2000s — a time before game development had wholeheartedly embraced the notion of churning out cookie-cutter iterations of the same game, while shutting down studios that tried different things.
But, I digress.
Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition arrived on all platforms on June 25, and brought with it a reminder of a simpler, yet more unpredictable and exciting, time in gaming. Take the premise of the game itself: In the distant future, you play photojournalist Jade who is tasked with cataloguing all the species on her planet after aliens invade. That line in itself leaves open so many possibilities. And rather fortunately, the game delivers on a large chunk of them.
But before we get into the thick of things, I should warn you that this isn’t going to be a review in the conventional sense, because that’s been done 20 years ago. The game is a remaster and not a remake, so the assumption is that a lot of the original content, mechanics and aesthetics are still the same. Therefore, instead of reviewing these, I’m going to look at three parameters:
What’s new?
Does the game hold up to scrutiny in 2024?
Does this remaster need to exist?
And now, let’s crack swiftly on…
What’s new?
Following the release of the original, there was an HD version — somewhat appropriately titled Beyond Good & Evil HD — that dropped in 2011. And now we have the 20th Anniversary Edition. The most visible change is an improvement in resolution (up to 4K) and refresh rate (60 fps). Load up the game and provided you’ve played a previous version, you’ll instantly notice a bit of an improvement in the graphics and controls (there’s been some remapping) category.
Textures are more detailed, animations appear mildly smoother and characters seem to sport a greater pixel density — all of which is very nice. And then there are some Quality of Life improvements like frequent autosaves and the ability to skip cutscenes. Additionally, there’s a smattering of new in-game content — a few new cutscenes, some cosmetics and one special side quest that tells you a bit about Jade’s backstory and the events of the upcoming Beyond Good & Evil 2. Want some more? There’s a speedrun mode that times your progress through the game (while denying you the ability to save), a handful of new achievements and a massive gallery of concept art, renders, designs and assorted videos.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb946ff43-35f4-4043-b3ca-b58c3f52f57a_3840x2160.png)
As it stands, the 20th anniversary edition of the game is the best way to play Beyond Good & Evil, because in most cases, it is the only way to do so. Sure, you can still get the original for a low, low price on GOG, but it and the HD version seem to have disappeared from most storefronts. In 2003, Beyond Good & Evil was not classified as a commercial success, something that was attributed in some quarters to a saturated market. Will 2024 and the remaster yield different results? We’ll find out soon enough.
Does it hold up to scrutiny in 2024?
As mentioned above, this is the story of Jade that unfolds as she attempts to keep the flora and fauna intact in the face of the DomZ (a mysterious alien species) invasion, while simultaneously attempting to take down a conspiracy that’s on a planetary scale. In order to do so, Jade must indulge in some platforming, a bit of stealth, some light combat (involving both melee and projectile weapons) and a lot of photography (which works in the same way sniper rifles work in other games).
Along the way, she encounters a gallery of entertaining characters including adoptive uncle Pey’J (see image above), Double H, the Mammago brothers and a network of rebels who form the IRIS Network. Of course, before you cast your eyes on any of these characters, you are shown the customary disclaimer that certain stereotypes reflect the times in which the game was made, and such. So you know you should expect some of what would could be construed as mildly racist in these “my favourite games are being held hostage by a DEI consultant” times.
The story, enhanced by the respective arcs of a handful of these characters, remains as engaging as ever. Wrapping it all up nicely is a game-appropriate soundtrack — catchy when it needs to be, moving when it needs to be and so on — that we’re told has been re-recorded by a live orchestra. But how does it play, I hear you holler. Quite well, I reply, for the most part.
Traversal is serviceable, whether on foot or onboard the hovercraft (and later, spaceship) Jade uses to get around. I find the absence of a jump button as strange as I did 20 years ago, but you get used to it over time. In its stead is a dodge button that allows you to dive over low-placed lasers and get out of the way of enemies with equal effectiveness. The vehicular traversal is a lot more well-rounded with projectile modes and a jump function sitting pretty alongside the speed burst option. The biggest issue with both of these is the way the camera (see image above) swings to a fixed location at certain points. This was the norm for the PlayStation 2/Xbox generation, but looks and feels extremely dated in 2024.
While the right thumbstick does allow you to change the camera angle to better capture the action onscreen, the default angles don’t seem to be the most conducive when it comes to seeing what you are doing. Melee combat is extremely basic — one button that does a basic attack when tapped and a stronger attack when held down. However, this doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue since combat isn’t and has never really been the centrepiece of Beyond Good & Evil.
That said, the boss fights are engaging, somewhat challenging and quite exciting even in 2024. The presence of a companion (who can be commanded to unleash an attack) adds a new dimension to the combat and the process of figuring out how to take down a big bad is a lot of fun. A heartening aspect of the gameplay (whether traversal or combat) is that you can figure everything out in-game, and don’t necessarily need to consult a map, codex or any sort of menu-based information to complete the game. In a possible reflection of the time when Beyond Good & Evil was made, it isn’t set across a massive map, it doesn’t need you to git gud and it doesn’t want to show you how clever the developers are. It just wants you to have a good time and embark on a bit of challenge while doing it. In that regard, it succeeds rather handsomely.
Elsewhere, there are minigames, races and treasure hunts to keep you occupied. While the latter can be mildly tedious, the minigames and races are easy-to-grasp and a lot of fun to play. The presentation overall has a distinct ‘remastered’ vibe, but it does its job well enough as a 2024 product. The graphics could’ve used a bit more polish in areas, but this is not a remake, whether ground-up or otherwise, so that aspect gets a pass, I suppose. Overall, I believe the game stands up quite well as a remaster released 20 years since the original. Sure, some gameplay and level design is on the basic side, but at under Rs 1,400 (on console), it’s definitely worth your time and coin.
Does this remaster need to exist?
This is the big question really. And on the strength of the original game, the remaster certainly does need to exist. As mentioned at the top, Beyond Good & Evil launched during an avalanche of incredible titles, and so, seemingly got lost in the mix. It was certainly an innovative title prioritising adventure over combat, conservation over destruction and observation (the camera is a great metaphor for this) over intervention. A whole new generation of gamers who are embracing the cosier side of gaming makes for an excellent audience for this lost gem, that’s not lost any more.
Having put that on record, I’d like to now take the more cynical view. Remasters are often launched at a time deemed to be strategically significant in terms of an upcoming launch (hello, Naughty Dog). For instance, a remaster might drop just before the release of a live-action film or TV show based on the IP, or a long-awaited sequel. And I suspect Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition was launched less to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a financially unsuccessful game than to whet public appetites for the sequel that has spent years in developmental hell. Further, the presence of the aforementioned mission that hints at the story of Beyond Good & Evil 2 is a major clue that the sequel is coming at long last.
In conclusion then, Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition is one of the better and cleaner (see Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for the opposite) remasters out there. However, it doesn’t sufficiently introduce enhancements — like a more flexible camera — that would be commonplace in a 2024 game. Still, it was a fun game (whatever I played of it) back in 2004 and remains a great game in 2024. Go check it out, particularly if the video above has you enthused about the sequel.
Game reviewed on Xbox Series X. Review code provided by publisher