Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition (Nintendo Switch) – The test

Today, we're going to talk about a game that under-20s couldn't have known about when it came out… Yeah, that one was easy! But what about this new version of the game? Polish your Daï-jo, we're going to take a trip to the planet Hyllis!

Twenty years later…

Our story begins in the Spring of 1999; the Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Paris teams have just finished their work on Rayman 2. The Paris team is already ready to work on Rayman 3, and the Montpellier team wants to work on a new license… Once focused on a story featuring a young Merlin, the project will eventually become a completely new adventure with a heroine named Jade as the main character, accompanied by her adoptive uncle, a humanoid pig named Pey'J. (and all this can be learned by playing the anniversary edition!)

The original game ended up being released in November 2003, but although critically acclaimed, it was somewhat ignored by the public… Was it the fault of the other end-of-year releases? The gameplay was too varied? Enough blah blah, we're not going to debate it here! The fact remains that over time, Beyond Good and Evil ended up winning over players thanks to positive word of mouth. Moreover, Ubisoft believed in the franchise and released an HD version of the game in 2011 (a little less than 10 years later). A sequel was even announced in 2017 (and is a bit long in coming), and a film is reportedly in the works with Netflix.

But let's get back to our pigs… well our pig, and especially to the story of the game!

Beyond Good and Evil takes place on a distant planet called Hyllis (whose inhabitants are called Hyllians…). Unfortunately, this world is threatened by an alien species, the DomZ, who regularly attack it and kidnap its inhabitants. However, Hyllis is protected by the Alpha Sections, a ruling militia whose behavior is a little too shady to be honest… And in the middle of all this, there is Jade and her adopted uncle, the pig Pey'j. Both are responsible for an orphanage nestled in a lighthouse and take in children whose parents have been kidnapped (and given what you've read above, there's no shortage of work!). To earn money (and guarantee food and energy for her residents), Jade also works as a freelance reporter.

Everything goes crazy during yet another DomZ assault; Jade couldn't pay the last electricity bill and therefore wasn't able to deploy the protective shield to defend the children. She therefore finds herself facing a squad of DomZ invaders alone, which will have the effect of disturbing her mind… and her convictions…

Sheltered in its shell, the pearl is a slave to the currents

Once the confrontation phase is over, Jade quickly realizes that she will need money (well, credits) to prevent such a mishap from happening again… That's when Secundo (her transportable artificial intelligence) gets her a contract with the Hillys scientific center. Her mission: to take pictures of all the living species on the planet! In the process, she also receives another mission from a mysterious Mr. de Castellac, and that's where her adventure really begins…

For those who don't know, Beyond Good and Evil is an action adventure game with gameplay that serves the story! It offers an open world to explore to complete the different missions that are entrusted to us, but by offering very varied gameplay. Thus, there will be phases of confrontations using dai-jo (a stick) with gameplay that is reminiscent of Ocarina Of Time. Indeed, our heroine will automatically target the closest opponent and will have the possibility of dodging blows, but also of launching a super spinning attack that will be a bit reminiscent of Link's… But Beyond Good and Evil is not only that! Indeed, in addition to the combat phases, you will also be free to explore Hyllis on the water in your hovercraft, or to stroll on foot in the streets of the pedestrian district. You are then free to go play a game of shuffleboard against Francis, the humanoid shark, or to multiply your credits thanks to a session of three-card monte with Belle-mirette. You can also take advantage of your exploration to take pictures of animal species or go in search of a pearl (the other currency to improve your means of transport). Sometimes you will find a secret passage behind a cupboard, which will lead you to an area filled with platforms at the end of which you can win a precious pearl… Some phases also give pride of place to infiltration, not necessarily at the level of a Metal Gear Solid, but interesting enough to renew the gameplay… It is also sometimes more pleasant to cross a passage by showing analysis and discretion (thus demonstrating non-violence), rather than facing armored guards for a fight that is lost in advance! And if that were not enough, you can also get into competition, with the hovercraft races that rage on Hyllis (4 are on the program), with an increasingly tough challenge that will force you to evolve your ship to hope to finish in the lead.

As you can see, the world of Hyllis is rich in activities, and this is felt in the game… Actions as obvious (in real life) as the possibility of subscribing to magazines for example (to receive notifications on the life of the planet or the current promotions), the characters that we meet in the streets, the ships floating and flying above the waters and the messages that we receive by email (as well as the propaganda for the Alpha Sections in the streets) allow us to bring to life the pixel world that we discover. The world of Hyllis is rich in discoveries and you will not regret the journey, nor the moments of getting lost on the map. Even if since then we have seen much bigger on Nintendo's hybrid console (we inevitably think of BOTW or TOTK), the richness and the feeling of life that we find in Beyond Good and Evil compensate for the small (relative) size of the world to explore. There's no time to be bored on Jade's planet and it must be said that with 14 Mdisks to find, 56 species to photograph and 88 pearls to collect, there's plenty to do! Expect more than a good ten hours of play to hope to get 100%.

A healthy mind in a pig!

Now it's time to talk about this 20th edition^th anniversary… You are probably wondering if it is worth it, after the HD version released in 2011?

Well, let's not beat around the bush, the answer is YES, twenty times YES!

Indeed, this new edition is far from being a “simple” HD version! Ubisoft has clearly done a very good job on this new version. The textures have not only been reworked in HD, they have also been completely reworked. Now, the skins have texture, which is especially visible on Pey'j and some monsters, but also on Double H who has a slightly more “Pixar” look that perfectly suits the story. Overall, real work has been done on the graphics. In addition to the textures, the lighting effects (many in the game) have also been reworked, everything is done in real time (and without slowdowns please! – except for a few rare exceptions). The whole thing is really very clean and it's a feast for the (beautiful) eyes! No aliasing to note, and this is even more true on the shadows. For once (rarely) on Nintendo Switch, there are real shadows. No simple black circles under the characters, or a silhouette cut out of Lego… No, no, here there is the shadow of the character reflected on the ground or the walls, clearly and without stairs on the edges… Details which also contribute to bringing the whole thing to life.

3D character models have been revised a bit (Pey'j, him again), however, we sometimes note some stiffness (inherent at the time) for certain animations and some lip-syncing glitches, as well as some camera angles that are not always optimal (only in certain passages, when moving from one place to another). But overall, the beauty of the whole thing makes us forget these few flaws.

From a sound point of view, there is nothing to complain about either. The dubbing entirely in French has been kept, and Jade is still played by Emma De Caunes (Antoine de NPA's daughter, for those who have the reference!). The dubbing actors who work on the game had already worked on other games and/or films before BGE and this is felt in their interpretation. They are all very convincing in their roles.

Still on the soundtrack level, let's salute the excellent score by Christophe Heral, who came straight from the cinema. This is felt in the game and contributes even more to this cinematic atmosphere. Moreover, some tracks have been updated for this new version.

In terms of new features for this anniversary edition, we note the arrival of new “achievements” and the appearance of certain cosmetic aspects (to discover or buy with credits earned in the game) which allow Jade and Pey'j to change outfits or have a new skin for the camera for example…

The other “big chunk”, accessible from the start, is the Anniversary gallery, which allows you to go back over the entire genesis of the game up to its release in 2003. All accompanied by sketches and rather interesting anecdotes, without forgetting some interesting little bonuses (videos) (for those who like artbooks, but not only).

Finally, a Speedrun mode completes the set, for those who love a challenge. Be careful though, because there is no room for error; if the character dies, you have to start all over again!

The handling (key layout in particular) has also been revised to better suit today's standards and, the cherry on the pudding… the console's touch screen is used to navigate the menus! This may seem anecdotal, but it also proves that the developers have been meticulous in order to offer a new and interesting experience down to the smallest details.

This 20th anniversary edition is therefore aptly named, it exudes the love that Ubisoft has for this license and it is a real pleasure to (re)discover the game today…

Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary is available on theeShop at a price of twenty euros.