INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
was it Here's a hint: it was first announced nine years ago, and it's the sequel to a game that wasn't even a big hit in its own day.Give up
It's Beyond Good and Evil 2, and the long-awaited (and much-delayed) sequel blew a lot of minds this week with its lavish, cinematic trailer
prospect of a sequel has been shaky for nearly a decade now, as we've seen various teases over the years amidst news of it remaining on a
either solo or via co-op with friends.Now, here's a look at everything else we know (and what we don't) and when we can expect to get our
hands on the game.Cut to the chaseWhat is it An open-universe sci-fi action RPGWhat can I play it on Nothing's official, but likely PS4,
Xbox One, and PCWhen can I play it Probably not anytime soon: 2019 seems likelyBeyond Good and Evil 2 trailers and screenshotsThis year,
Ubisoft released a new cinematic trailer for the game (seen above), which detail the game's setup and debut long-awaited characters, like
Jade and Pace.A cinematic trailer breakdown (seen below) explores what was shown in great detail.The reveal at E3 2018 also clued us into a
collaboration with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Hit Record company to produce user-generated content that will make it into the final game.People
around the world will be able to contribute all sorts of content with hopes of it making it into the final product.We've also learned that
the game is considered a 'space opera action RPG' with both solo and cooperative play options
Unfortunately, no release date was given still.At a behind-closed-doors event during last year's E3, Ubisoft revealed the first early
in-engine footage of Beyond Good Evil 2.In the video, the game's Creative Director Michel Ancel talks us through just under 15 minutes of
players to use and explore, ranging from one-man ships perfect for agile dogfights to huge aerospace cargo ships
ships that aren't yours will be explorable
When you start out with nothing you'll be able to find useful items on these ships but you can also uncover darker things like "slavery,
some human trafficking and things like that." If you do see these things you can take pictures and take them back to the city to trigger
discussions and progress story
scale of the world and he's not wrong
Players will be able to move "seamlessly" from smaller streets to outer space and Ancel says that the game's engine will be able to
will affect the planets both in terms of appearance and events
You can watch the demo for yourself below:One trailer capped off Ubisoft's E3 2017 presentation followed by an appearance from creator
approached its own status as a prequel and spiritual successor, instead of a direct follow-up.Beyond Good and Evil 2 news and rumorsE3
game will be a prequel to the original, with a younger Jade taking up the role of antagonist
Players will be able to play co-operatively in the open game world, and they don't even have to remain near each other at all.You'll be able
to create your very own space pirate and explore the universe in your very own space ship
From what we've seen of the game so far the game world is astonishingly large and utterly seamless and you can move from city streets, to
sky, to space to outer space without any loading screens at all
From the off you'll have a melee weapon, a gun, a shield and a jetpack
Weapons can be modified with interesting augments.A key item in the game will be a cool spyglass which players can use to assess situations
Hovering over an enemy will tell you more about them, what augments they're using and their abilities
It certainly makes planning an attack a lot more smooth
You can also use it to scan buildings and assess what they do and whether there might be any use in setting your eyes on them for a
staff combat and ship maneuvering would work
Outside of this, it also confirmed that players would be using their very own custom characters and the story will have new information on
online, which falls in line with Ubisoft's shift towards securing long-term player engagement from its games
more like Far Cry 5 which allows players to go through the entirety of the main game with a friend
environments will be somewhat destructible, allowing parts of buildings to be demolished but not entire large structures, apparently
Real-time meteor showers will be able to impact entire portions of planets which could potentially trigger missions and story
There will also be spaceships of varying sizes, including vast ones that can hold smaller ones within.Ancel also talks a bit about the world
in which these characters exist, with the social structure seemingly keeping these hybrid creatures down, along with the vile threat of
He suggests that the crew you see in the Gada ship, comprised of varying hybrids and humans of different origins, showcases the diverse
message that the game hopes to convey despite the ugliness in the world
It's "exactly the heart of Beyond Good and Evil 2," he explains.A Jade connectionAs for the green-eyed captain at the end, Ancel admits that
there is some connection to Jade from the first game, but refuses to spoil the game with any specifics
Likewise, there's an earlier reference to her Uncle Pey'j that Ancel also acknowledges, and he says the teases hint at "how deep the world
can be." Similarly, the trailer is apparently loaded with Easter egg references
Apparently Jade will not directly feature in the game as it's set a generation before her birth.Unfortunately, there's no word on a release
target or even the platforms that we'll be playing on, and given that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was only confirmed to be in pre-production as
of last autumn, it may still be a long way away
We might be lucky to see it in 2018, but don't be surprised at all if the game doesn't ship until 2019 or 2020.A brand new game
engineUbisoft has revealed the Beyond Good and Evil 2 is being worked on using a brand new game engine called Voyager
To capture Michel Ancel's vision for the game and create a world as large as this game's one will be, a brand new game engine was completely
this series: the original Beyond Good and Evil, which hit PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC back in 2003.Photojournalist Jade's quest to
investigate and uncover an alien conspiracy leads to a grand and diverse adventure spanning stealth navigation, melee combat, puzzle
solving, photography, and even racing
Slick art direction, entertaining action, and compelling characters and story threads made Beyond Good and Evil a fan favorite, even if the
game wasn't a sales success.Luckily, it became a true cult classic over time, and Ubisoft revived the original game with an HD edition for
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011
It's also backwards compatible with the Xbox One, so at least you can play it on one of the current consoles.Beyond Good and Evil 2 was
first announced all the way back in 2008 with a very odd teaser trailer, which sets the tone for a version of the game we may never
It shows Jade and Pey'j on the side of the road with a broken hover car, as Pey'j snorts and digests passing flies
acrobatic Jade winding her way through a busy city as she climbs, runs, takes out guards, and eventually grabs hold of a helicopter and
However, later that summer, Ubisoft confirmed that the game would not yet begin full production.In the years since, we've seen various
the game intently since Rayman Legends shipped in 2013, and that earlier work on the game had been halted due to technical limitations back
then.What we'd like to seeWell, we'd like to see the actual game most of all
The trailer is rich and inviting, and clearly shows a lot of work and attention being paid to Beyond Good and Evil 2's game world
It can send our imaginations wandering into so many different directions, which is the problem: how will this vision coalesce into a
cohesive game We just don't know.Ancel's trailer breakdown video offers some hints, with the promise of a huge, vertical world, cooperative
online play of some sort, and the ability to jet off into space without worrying about loading screens or other frustrating breaks in the
It sounds massively ambitious, but that's very much in line with Ubisoft's modern approach: the company does vast open worlds now, and
nearly all of its AAA properties follow some version of that mold.Our hope is that Beyond Good and Evil's spirit doesn't get lost in the
vastness of that open concept, and that the game retains its individuality despite opening up and bringing in some level of multiplayer
Based on the trailer, we are definitely encouraged about the tone and distinctiveness of the game, although besides the whole matter of how
the actual game looks and plays, there are still questions about when we'll get to play it and on which devices.Hopefully we don't have to
wait too long to get some concrete answers
On the other hand, it has been 14 years since the first game released, and nine years since this sequel was revealed, so it's clear that
Ubisoft is happy to take its time to get this right
Let's hope the long wait truly pays off.
