I gotta be honest I haven't played this game in a long time and honestly I thought it was overrated.
But then I played it again.
This game is considered Michel Ancel's Magnum Opus for a reason. I could name you a hundred different reasons. This game translates the 2D artstyle from the first game brilliantly. It's unreal to play a game like this today in which the visuals were so carefully considered and beautifully executed. I swear "Art Direction" as a concept is dead in Triple-A gaming these days. And this gem from 1999 pulls it of perfectly and still looks fantastic today.
The music is again amazing. Not quite as memorable as the first game but it creates an atmosphere that's much darker and way more serious. And oh my, more serious it is this time around.
The story is a timeless little gem about the opressed rising up to overthrow their opressors. The mise-en-scène in this game is also worth mentioning. There are some breathtaking moments here, with 1999 visuals mind you. Honestly, I always thought the PS2 remakes name "Revolution" fit this game much better. A french game about the opressed rising up to topple their opressors, ye Revolution sounds about right. Of course I can also understand that "The Great Escape" is a cute reference to the 1963 film, which deals with similiar subject matter.
But here comes the king, the big one and my undisputed favorite part of the game. The Gameplay.
The movement is slick, the jumping is damn near perfect and there is just tons of variety jam packed into a 5 hour experience. There is no filler here. Back to back to back to back to back to back awesome levels with new mechanics and secrets to find. Honestly the pacing is a thing of beauty. The unskippable cutscenes are my only gripe here.
The game only slips up once for me, and that is in the level Whale Bay. This level is in my opinion weirdly placed, reintroduces mechanics that were already explained and generally has little to offer. But that's it, it was fine honestly, just unfortunately sandwiched between 2 amazing levels.
Absolute Banger. Give it a go anyway you can. But I gotta recommend the Dreamcast version.
But then I played it again.
This game is considered Michel Ancel's Magnum Opus for a reason. I could name you a hundred different reasons. This game translates the 2D artstyle from the first game brilliantly. It's unreal to play a game like this today in which the visuals were so carefully considered and beautifully executed. I swear "Art Direction" as a concept is dead in Triple-A gaming these days. And this gem from 1999 pulls it of perfectly and still looks fantastic today.
The music is again amazing. Not quite as memorable as the first game but it creates an atmosphere that's much darker and way more serious. And oh my, more serious it is this time around.
The story is a timeless little gem about the opressed rising up to overthrow their opressors. The mise-en-scène in this game is also worth mentioning. There are some breathtaking moments here, with 1999 visuals mind you. Honestly, I always thought the PS2 remakes name "Revolution" fit this game much better. A french game about the opressed rising up to topple their opressors, ye Revolution sounds about right. Of course I can also understand that "The Great Escape" is a cute reference to the 1963 film, which deals with similiar subject matter.
But here comes the king, the big one and my undisputed favorite part of the game. The Gameplay.
The movement is slick, the jumping is damn near perfect and there is just tons of variety jam packed into a 5 hour experience. There is no filler here. Back to back to back to back to back to back awesome levels with new mechanics and secrets to find. Honestly the pacing is a thing of beauty. The unskippable cutscenes are my only gripe here.
The game only slips up once for me, and that is in the level Whale Bay. This level is in my opinion weirdly placed, reintroduces mechanics that were already explained and generally has little to offer. But that's it, it was fine honestly, just unfortunately sandwiched between 2 amazing levels.
Absolute Banger. Give it a go anyway you can. But I gotta recommend the Dreamcast version.
Reviewed on Dec 08, 2021