Beyond Good & Evil

aka: Between Good & Evil, Beyond Good & Evil HD, Project BG&E
Moby ID: 11290
PlayStation 2 Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/27 8:39 PM )

Description official descriptions

In the future, on the planet Hillys, the population suffers from constant attacks from the alien DomZ. The situation is gradually getting worse, as the rate of DomZ kidnapings increases. The Alpha Section forces, who are in charge of protecting citizens, seem to be completely ineffective, not even fighting the DomZ. In the midst of this situation, the secretive organization IRIS alleges that the Alpha Section is involved in a massive government conspiracy, and seeks to expose the truth through journalism.

The player controls a young reporter and photographer named Jade with her companions Pey'j and Double H. After experiencing first-hand a DomZ attack, she is contacted by IRIS, who recruits her as an action reporter. Jade is now tasked with infiltrating the Alpha Section, exposing the government conspiracy, and ultimately finding the truth for herself.

Beyond Good & Evil is an action game with diverse gameplay. Much of the game is based on stealth and puzzles, but there are sequences of racing, shooting, combat, and platform action. Jade fights with her staff and also uses various abilities to execute long-ranged attacks and solve puzzles. Many of the puzzles require switching between the characters and using their special abilities; often it is necessary to coordinate the actions of two characters to achieve precise co-operation that leads to a puzzle's solution. Besides hostile areas with puzzles and enemies, there is also a city and other friendly areas to explore, where various items and gadgets can (and sometimes must) be bought. There are several mini-games and even an online ranking system (used by entering codes online after they are assigned in-game when the game is saved).

Spellings

  • За гранью добра и зла - Russian spelling
  • 撕裂的天堂 - Chinese spelling (simplified)
  • 神鬼冒險 - Chinese spelling (traditional)
  • 超越善恶 - Ubisoft Store Chinese spelling (simplified)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (PlayStation 2 version)

318 People (219 developers, 99 thanks) · View all

Directed by
Project Producer
Story
Dialogues
Game Design
Music Composed and Performed by
Sound Designers
Cinematics Orchestration
Drums & Percussions
Sound Effects
Sound Assistant
Technical Manager
Jade Engine & Tools Developers
3D Research
Console Lead Developers
Animation Tools Developers
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 87% (based on 104 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 295 ratings with 16 reviews)

An Incredible Experience, Don't Overlook It Too!

The Good
Beyond Good and Evil, created by Rayman supremo Michael Ancel, is possibly the most charming platformer on the PS2 system, and really makes you feel part of a living world. Forget GTA's bland sandbox or the boring skateparks of Tony Hawk's, here's a game that really puts you right into a world that you'd actually want to spend time in.

The sense of atmosphere is palpable and really quite beautiful. Strong words for a mere game, but BG&E is without doubt one of those games, like Ico, that starts to transcend the barriers between gaming a genuine cinematic experience. We're not there yet, but this is a step in the right direction. The plot is neat, petite and melodramatic in all the right ways - its a lot better than your standard 'alien menace' fps plots although it does find itself on the wrong end of a few naff moments. The game is also a basic satire on the role of media governing our lives, intelligent stuff for a game, even if this territory has been covered a bit in film.

The peaceful world of Hillys suffers under alien attacks constantly, but it is thankful for the Alpha Force, an elite force of soldiers championed by the media as our salvation. Although many civilians still go missing mysteriously, the Alpha Force are heroes, an example to all in the idyllic world of Hillys. Or are they? Okay, so the whole 'undercovering a conspiracy' plot has been done to death, but it hasn't been covered in games that much, certainly not in platformers. And the story is good fun, with enough twists and funny moments to keep you playing, even if you feel you know where the story is ultimately heading.

As photographer and orphanage owner Jade you sneak into a variety of locations, helping the Iris Network, a galaxy-wide resistance force, to unveil the truth to the population of Hillys. Again, very predictable, but the feeling of revolution and liberation as you start to reach the public is one of those terrific feelgood moments that you remember forever, and that only games can really muster. 'See those revolting citizens - I did that!'

The feeling of being part of an actual resistance movement is excellently recreated, with enough death and sad moments to feel like you are really battling against an almighty corporation. Sneaking through the cracks in the scenery or using your ship to blast your way in makes you feel like you are really up against it, and really makes the stealth tense (more on that later).

After entering a base, which take the form of everything from a drug factory to a slaughterhouse, your mission is to photograph all the nasty stuff going on. And its nasty - not blood and guts nasty but a real contrast with the stunning aesthetics of Hillys' scenery. The photographs are then sent out to Iris, who distribute them among the population. Seeing your report, complete with the photos you took, is really quite an ego boost, and then seeing people talk about what you discovered when just a few hours of gametime ago they seemed like lambs to the Domz slaughter - that's really cool.

The reason all these basic actions make you feel so great is because the actual world is so well realised. Lovingly designed characters walk the streets, hovercars whizz around the roads and even the mechanics are Jamaican rhinos with their own (excellent) reggae theme song! Even the giant Domz monsters are works of art. And the game world, especially the open sea, is simply stunning - especially as you upgrade your ship and discover more and more glorious countryside.

Another factor that makes the game so compelling is the dialogue and personality of the characters that inhabit the game world. The characters are very charming, and the dialogue is, compared with most games anyway, sparkling, fresh and very well acted. The leads are compelling, and even the bit-parts have their own quirks and eccentricities. The warm characters allow the game to move from light humour to bleak sadness in the blink of an eye. An event near the end of the game where Jade nearly gives up is beautifully done, and not anywhere near as naff as it really should have been.

Jade is an excellent lead, thankfully a bit deeper than the Lara Croft 'breasts and ass' stereotype while remaining clear of the forced 'feisty' cut-out she could have been. She's sassy, funny and genuinely seems like a fully-fleshed character. The sidekicks are more eccentric but steer clear of annoying for the most part.

Jade's step-father and loyal friend Pey'j is a pig, but only in the literal sense! When I first played this game, I couldn't quite believe I was adventuring with a talking pig, but you'd be surprised how this feeling disappears and he becomes good old uncle Pey'j - he's the game's key humour character, and his natural charm makes him a trusted ally.

Your other companion is Double H, a bizarre, military-tradition obsessed solider who you rescue from the Domz. It takes a little longer for you to get used to his sheer oddness, but after an hour or so you start to see just what a cool guy he is really. He's a lot deeper than he first appears!

Its odd that I've written so much without commenting upon the actual gameplay. The game has a rich variety of styles, but the main ones are adventury platformer bits (technical term!), with some stunning set-pieces, stealth sections, which are simple but satisfying, and driving sections, which are terrific fun.

As a straight platformer, BG&E is a disappointment - there aren't any jumps, as every gap is leaped across by simply pointing Jade in the right direction like you would Link. Really, the exploration sections are classic adventure, with puzzling and a fair amount of combat, like a very French Zelda.

The combat is quite simple, but looks so lovely you won't mind too much. Really all you're doing is bashing 'x' while pointing the analogue stick in the direction of an enemy and watching Jade leap into some quite stunning animation. If you're struggling to imagine it, try thinking of an arcade-heavy Prince of Persia combat system. A special attack (which becomes quite valuable after upgrading it at the game's store) and simple teamplay commands add a bit of variety, but really combat is a bit one note.

The bosses are stunning however. They look incredible, and although the method of dispatchment is always simple, it still feels very satisfying. Also of note are some frantic chase sections with you running through city streets crawling with guards baying for your lovely green lipstick. These are excellently handled, with cinematography that simply beggars belief.

The stealth is also quite simple, but the tense atmosphere and sense of danger make the sneaky moments work. You'll be skulking a lot more than you would expect upon first glance, but thankfully the game offers a good enough system to entertain, with lots of baddies to dodge and the occasional set piece that entertains (staying out of sight by hiding behind a moving crate for instance).

The driving sections are wonderful. They are perfectly done, with simple but satisfying shooting with a lovely lock-on cannon and again some wonderful set pieces that have you luring homing mines into crates to stay alive or stuck in the tractor beam of an enemy ship. The handling of Jade's hovercraft is simple but very controllable, and the upgrades that let you lock-on, jump and eventually fly make you feel really quite brilliant.

Special mention has to go to the subquests that pad out the admittedly rather small adventure. There are loads, from hovercraft racing, to an addictive tabletop game called pearl hockey, to desperately trying to find secret areas to find extra pearls (the game's black market currency), to trying to take a picture of every animal in the world! These diversions are terrific, particularly the animal photography one that makes the adventure sections work much better as you constantly scan the area to find a new species. The rewards for quest completion are excellent too, with a two-player pearl hockey game to be found and a fun little concentration mini-game for finding all the pearls.

To finish this bit I'd also like to comment upon the music. The score is again streets ahead of most gaming fodder, and I actually have bits of it on my PSP music collection. The little phrases are deftly composed and the music that comes in at moments of emotion or action are perfectly judged. I can still remember a nasty twist coupled with a stunning minimalist violin melody that just captured the moment.

To conclude this rather lengthy monologue, Beyond Good and Evil does everything right in terms of atmosphere, and is great fun to play.

The Bad
The game does have its weaknesses. You probably noticed that I didn't spend all that long on the actual gameplay mechanics, and when I did I used the word 'simple' an awful lot. This is because a lot of the game is actually very basic and comfortably easy. This doesn't matter for me as I love the atmosphere and the characters and the sub-quests - if you find you don't warm to the game immediately, you won't at all. The game is also rather short, especially if you aren't interested in side quests and secrets. Again, I loved it so much I found it endlessly replayable, but again that may not apply to you. I would try renting the game first to see if you really like it. My other complaint is with the stealth sections. Here the rather one-dimensional gameplay holds it back. Sneaking behind a guard and kicking his air tank to kill him rather melodramatically is great the first time, but the fiftieth? Also, too much is reliant upon trial and error, with a lot of deaths and restarts. Really, BG&E is a very unique game with its own charm - if that charm doesn't appeal to you, chances are you won't enjoy it.

The Bottom Line
Beyond Good and Evil is certainly among the top drawer of platformers this generation. I personally liked it better than genre standards like Super Mario Sunshine, but this all depends on just how much you like the world of Hillys and the characters that populate it. Technically, is it better than Ratchet and Clank 3 or Psychonauts? No, not really. But is it just as enjoyable, heartwarming and fun? Without a doubt. It might be short, it might be quirky and it might not be for you, but Beyond Good and Evil is an experience and a game that does not come along very often. Overlooked upon release, I expect you could find this for near nothing now - what have you got to loose by picking it up? Nothing at all.

PlayStation 2 · by Searly (26) · 2006

Brilliant.

The Good
As a rule, I hate "family" games, films, anything, I hate cute anthropomorphic animals, I really hate games that only let you save at checkpoints. And I usually dislike pastel colors.

Despite all this, I absolutely loved Beyond Good & Evil.

Maybe it's the way the anthropomorphic animals look more relaxed than all-out cutesy. Maybe it's the subversiveness of the way this game, rated nine years and up, shows a militaristic leader distracting people from the truth with propaganda rhetoric. Maybe it's that I got a bit of Thief-like sneaky action again. And that Spanish hip-pop works amazingly well.

Let me elaborate. Our heroine is Jade, freelance reporter who runs an orphanage in her spare time. No, wait, it's not cutesy. ...okay, so maybe it is cutesy, but it works, really. Just trust me on this. Anyway, the object of the game is to take photos to uncover the truth. No, wait, it's cool, it really is. You get to ride this hovercraft around between islands, and as a side income, you take photos of rare animals... Wait, where are you going? I said it works, don't you trust me? Can't stand this non-violent nonsense, you say? Well, when she's attacked, she's got this stick to beat monsters with, see, and it has this super-attack which makes it glow--

...very well, I'll just sit here talking to myself, then.

Jade gets around both on foot and in hovercraft, and, eventually, a spaceship. Searching for rare animals and taking their picture is actually where the big money is in this game: A lot of effort went into designing the teeming animal life of the planet, something like eighty species. This is simply the most brilliant secret-object-hunting excuse ever; and it adds to the tension of fights, as you'll want to get out the camera and take a snapshot of the monsters you're about to beat into a pulp.

Unusually, you spend most of the playing time with a companion to help you in fights, use special skills and operate equipment; think Lost Vikings with less frustration and some fresh gains on the format. The sneaky bits are generally excellent, and very suspenseful despite the cartoon esthetics.

With the roaming around the islands and the money-earning, you get the feeling of GTA3-style freedom, while in fact the design is quite tight. This allows for a lot of special-case scenarios: Every place in the game feels truly unique, never a cookie-cutter repetition; practically every problem has to be faced with a new twist, right up to the end. There are several sub-games such as racing and board games, and replaying the game to find all the hidden areas reveals an impressive variety - this also means you have several paths to finish the game. Combinations of paths, even.

The Bad
Of course, this level of quality can't be kept up indefinitely, and because of this, the game feels short but sweet - moreso because you'll be constantly glued to the screen. You'll wish for two more sequels to appear within the year.

The Bottom Line
So buy it already. Pump up their sales figures so they'll make another, because I need Beyond G&E 2. Badly.

Windows · by Ola Sverre Bauge (237) · 2004

Unique and a whole lotta fun.

The Good
You play Jade, a reporter and photographer, you need to uncover a government conspiracy while taking photographs of wildlife. Now that’s it in a nutshell but the actual game really is quite brilliant, it's a mix-mash of genres, but each one is done really well. You'll start off at your lighthouse home on the watery and hilly planet of Hillys, there’s a war goin on and the aliens have chosen this peaceful moment of relaxing by a tree and enjoying the view to bombard your home planet once again, a quick dash to the shield controls to protect your home and all seems to be well, for about two seconds, "Sorry, your electricity supply is short by 350 credits" Bzzt Bzzt Bzmm.. The shields down and an alien monster/meteorite has impacted with your lawn, dragged the kids underground, popped its three heads back up again and begun to attack. You’re thrown into third person combat straight away, to get the hang of Jades' fighting stick and super attack. Your side kick uncle Pe'j is a pig with a penchant for high quality wrenches, he'll help you sort out the immediate problems and will be in tow for much of the game, then its a nice break of taking snapshots of the local wildlife to raise a bit of cash. This is a mini side game of sorts which is ever present and is more fun than it sounds, there's whales, insects who have to be lured out with cheese, enemy creatures, bosses and bartenders (such as a groovy cow with sunglasses), all have to snapped. The boss battles are fairly frequent and all are very well done, some are huge affairs taking place in the air.

The planet of Hillys is the main hub of the game, you’ll travel from place to place via your hovercraft - which can be upgraded as you gain pearls, the only thing that the Rasta rhinos at Mammagos Garage will accept as tender, these fellows are much more chilled out than the rhinos here on earth and will upgrade your hovercraft with everything you can afford. There's four race tracks you can take part in that are very fast and very fun and will reward you with pearls and cash, there’s other race-like sections as well, a pedestrian town district and numerous other islands and areas. Another mini game involves playing a table top ice puck game against a shark.

Pretty soon you'll be embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens the whole population of Hillys, you’ll be contacted by Iris, an underground network of operatives who claim the Alpha Sections (the peace enforcers and planet defenders), who are always five minutes late for any fight and claim the Iris network are terrorists, are not all they seem. It's pretty obvious who you need to trust from early in the game, and due to its linearity there’s not much else you can do anyway, but the whole things so enjoyable it doesn't really matter. You'll often have to infiltrate areas relying on stealth to photograph evidence for the Iris networks’ underground newspaper. The stealth I liked a lot, not quite thief, but just right for this game. I kicked one of the Alpha Sections from behind in his luminous green air tank and his colleague exclaimed, "Buddy's in trouble!" and ran over to re-connect it, a small touch but I thought it was pretty cool, Beyond Good and Evil is full of nice touches.

There's a bit of puzzling to get around, usually involving getting from one area to another, I missed a not so obvious route through the scenery a couple of times at first.

The music is vastly varied and all very good if not excellent, the bars blare out an unusual brand of hip hop, while they'll be more ambient stuff for the cutscenes etc. I found this game genuinely funny a lot of the time, it made me laugh a lot, which was all very good and happy.

The Bad
The camera angles can be a nightmare at times, when the cameras not fixed and it's following Jade things are not usually so bad.

The game is really rather easy, and short, but the quality’s there so again not so bad.

The Bottom Line
It’s a little arty, a reporter/wildlife photography who looks after kids at her lighthouse may seem a bit to cute to begin with but it all works, once you get into the game proper it's always throwing fresh challenges and play styles at you, the pace is pretty fast but there’s usually a chance to take a break and zip about the waters of Hillys and explore the extra caverns and areas, or do a bit of shopping or upgrading. It's also crying out for a sequel.

Windows · by Jack Lightbeard (2685) · 2006

[ View all 16 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Beyond Good & Evil appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Jade

Jade's character design is actually based on her French voice actress Emma De Caunes.

Nietzsche

In an interview on LadyGamers.com, Tyrone Miller explains how the game relates to Nietzsche:

Many people assume that Beyond Good & Evil is a reference to the Friedrich Nietzsche book by the same name. Although you could probably make an argument – this game really has no connection to the German philosopher. As an action reporter, players need to investigate beyond the superficial facts of what is good and what is evil – which is dictated through government propaganda in the game. The player has to see what nobody else can see, what is hidden to the people of Hyllis. This theme is relevant to issues we face today – understanding the reasons behind the apparent facts.

Promotional websites

The publishers registered the websites for both the iris network (www.irisnetwork.net) and the Hyllian gov. (www.hylliannews.com) both featuring promotional material and assorted stuff.

Save games code

All the saved games in Beyond Good & Evil are marked with an "Internet Code". The purpose of this code is two-fold, first it enables you to go to the official website and check your ranking against all the other BG&E players in the world. Secondly, upon completion of the main game, you'll be able to use your saved game code on the official website and obtain instructions on how to go about obtaining missing MDisk #13 within the game.

Soundtrack

  1. In the Beginning
  2. Dancing With Domz
  3. Home Sweet Home
  4. Hyllian Suite
  5. Mammago's Garage
  6. Isle de Noir
  7. Mineshaft Madness
  8. Say Cheese, Fellas
  9. Akuda House Propaganda
  10. Ancient Chinese Secrets
  11. Don't Fear the Reaper
  12. Fear the Reaper
  13. Fun and Mini-Games
  14. Funky Bar 100
  15. When Domz Attack
  16. Slaughterhouse Scramble
  17. Sneaky Jade Suite
  18. Organic Beauty
  19. Violent Jade Suite
  20. Heart of Darkness
  21. Metal Gear Domz
  22. Something Completely Different
  23. Behind Enemy Lines
  24. Free Your Mind
  25. Thoughtful Reflections
  26. Enfants Disparus
  27. Above and Beyond
  28. Unacceptable Losses
  29. In Hot Pursuit
  30. Sins of the Father
  31. Redemption

In February 2004, Ubisoft released MP3s of Beyond Good & Evil soundtrack to NintendoInsider.com. These are still available for download, but as of April 2005, downloaders must register with the web site and go to the Members-Only Board to receive a frequently changing password.

Title

According to Michel Ancel, the game was originally to be named Between Good & Evil, but the marketing department did not like that name, so it was changed to Beyond Good & Evil.

The original title I gave the game was Between Good & Evil (see my first logo included) - which the marketing department didn’t like back then. For me, the meaning of this title is that you are always in the middle of an internal and external conflict, based on our conception of good and evil. In this game and in our world, propaganda thinks in our place; tells us these are our enemies and these are our friends. When you go beyond the appearances, you discover your own truth. That’s the theme of the game and marketing finally accepted this title, and just replaced the between by beyond, which fits better with the vast universe and story.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2003 – Best PC Action-Adventure Game of the Year
    • 2003 – Best Console Direction of the Year
    • 2003 – Best PC Music of the Year
    • 2003 – Best PC Direction of the Year
    • 2003 – Biggest PC Surprise of the Year
  • EGM
    • February 2006 (Issue #200) - #171 out of 200 of the "Greatest Games of Their Time"
  • GameSpy
    • 2003 – #3 Game of the Year
    • 2003 – #2 GameCube Game of the Year
  • PC Powerplay (Germany)
    • Issue 06/2005 - #8 Likeable Secondary Character (for Pey'j)

Information also contributed by Big John WV, Mark Ennis, Sciere, Terrence Bosky, WildKard, WindowsKiller and Zovni

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition - Faces of Good and Evil
Released 2017 on Linux, Windows, Macintosh
Laura Jones and the Gates of Good and Evil
Released 2008 on Windows, 2009 on Macintosh, 2010 on iPad
Realms of the Haunting
Released 1996 on DOS, 2011 on Windows, 2014 on Linux
Beyond: Two Souls
Released 2013 on PlayStation 3
The Good Life: The Tropical Paradise Simulation
Released 2012 on Windows, Macintosh
Evil Dead
Released 2011 on iPad, iPhone
Good Company
Released 2020 on Windows
Apocalipsis: Wormwood Edition
Released 2019 on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Evil Genius
Released 2004 on Windows, 2011 on OnLive, 2013 on Macintosh

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 11290
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kotario.

PlayStation 3 added by Lain Crowley. Xbox 360 added by Sciere. Xbox One added by MAT.

Additional contributors: Jeanne, Zack Green, Sciere, Ilya Atkin, Klaster_1, firespot, lasttoblame, Paulus18950, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, 一旁冷笑.

Game added December 11, 2003. Last modified March 11, 2024.