Battleship Reason

Developer: Remar Games
Genre: RPG/Arcade
Link: Daniel’s base

As you can tell from the trailer, Iji will strongly remind you of the days of floppy disks and computers that made really strange buzzing noises. That is, however, where the difference ends.

Iji’s beauty and attraction lies in its deep story, engaging gameplay, and its appropriate music. Even the graphics that represent the world will grown on you as you play through it. But, one thing at a time.

Story:

This is perhaps one of the most thought-out stories with some of the best character development I’ve seen in a while. If I had to compare it to something, I’d link it with Baldur’s Gate series, or perhaps Chrono Trigger. The story starts with you (Iji) visiting a research facility where your brother works. As you’re strolling down the corridors, a strange light appears from skies, and you pass out. Six months later, you wake up to find that your body has been transformed into that of a cyborg. The team of scientists that built you is dead, killed by aliens that have invaded the research facility. The only other person that is alive is your brother Dan, and with him as your guide, you set out to right some wrongs, to (politely) ask the aliens to leave and to find out more about the world around you.

The beauty of this game really lies in its portrayal of emotions. At the start of the game, Iji is a young girl who is not prepared to fight and kill in order to achieve a goal. Yet, as the game progresses, as she is faced with more and more bloodshed, Iji changes in more ways than one. Yet, the tougher she becomes, the more her view of the world changes. The aliens that invaded have a story behind them as well – they are not just brainless evil zombies. Some of them have families, others have hopes and dreams, and their race as a whole is facing another, greater threat. To Iji, this poses an emotional challenge – the very beings she is killing, the ones who killed her family, are not monsters of destruction, but living breathing individuals whose only goal is to survive.

What the game ends up teaching is that revenge, no matter what shape it takes, is never a simple matter of black and white. You can never find the clearly guilty party and punish them for what they did. There will always be consequences, other points of view.

Gameplay:

Iji plays like a typical arcade game – you jump, you shoot, you run, you kick down objects, etc. etc. What sets it apart however is the fact that you can level up your character at upgrade stations (think System Shock/Bioshock). Iji can become stronger, more robust, can hack items and alien weapons. The path you choose will ultimately define your game style. You will never have enough points to upgrade all your skills, so picking and choosing is important. This is further complicated by the fact that when any particular skill reaches maximum level, you will also get a permanent bonus. For example, maximising your attack skill will make Iji reload weapons quicker.

The game world is (graphics aside) varied enough, and the levels are big enough to have a feel that you don’t always have to follow the same path. Throw in some secret areas, alternate routes, some vehicle scenes, plenty of pre-scripted level events, and you got yourself a dynamic world that will keep you entertained for a long time.

The enemies in the game are diverse enough for a proper commercial game. They come equipped with different weapons and skills. Yet, it is those skills that sometimes fail them. There is no other way of saying it, but they are dumb. For example, big enemies with rocket launchers will shoot at you even if their allies are near you. That having been said, you will have your hands full of tackling the bigger enemies, so this is a blessing in disguise. Another part of this lack of intellect is due to the control scheme. Enemies cannot crouch AND shoot at the same time – but neither can you. Jumping and shooting at the same time is also a big no-no. This means that when you are fighting enemies on multiple levels, you will probably have to climb to be level with them. It also means that no one can snipe you from above and below. The system might frustrate you at first, but you will eventually get used to it.

Music/Sound:

I like the Iji soundtrack, no matter what others might say. It sounds a little bit like electronic rock, but it fits the game world quite well. There are five main tracks and nine levels, meaning that you will never hear the same song more than twice. Gun sounds are good enough, and the enemies do ocassionaly say something – which is a nice touch.

Graphics:

Hmmm, this is a tough one. Personally, I disliked Iji graphics in the first five minutes. However, as the game story drew me in, I found them to be quite apt and appropriate for the setting. Despite looking very rough and MS-paint like, they are actually of quite high quality. This is best shown in Iji’s movements – see her climb a wall once and you will understand what I mean. All the movements and animations are smooth – maybe some walking animations look a bit jerky, but trust me, in the heat of the battle you will truly not notice that. Explosions are satisfying, weapons shoot a whole rainbow of effects, and the game world’s backdrops are more often than not downright beautiful. My suggestion – start playing Iji and DONT stop. Sooner or later it will all grown on you, and then you will wonder why you ever thought the graphics were sub-standard.

Conclusion:

Let me put it like this – I have judged Iji as it were a commercial game. In other words, I did not lower my expectations of what a game should be to compensate for the smaller team/less time that the author had to put into the project. I was right and justified in doing so, because not only did Iji stand up to such scrutiny, it surpassed it in many ways. The story – again – is amazing, the gameplay satisfying, and the music and visuals just the right kind of ‘alternative’ to mainstream polished graphics. Beautiful. Oh, and yes – the game is free. I did mention that, didnt I? No? Hm.

Verdict: MUST HAVE