A masterpiece from Ubisoft Montréal blending action, exploration and investigation in a colourful original world. Inventive story, unforgettable characters and freedom of play make it a timeless experience. Unjustly underrated at launch, now recognised as a classic.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
A 2003 adventure game directed by Michel Ancel at Ubisoft, following photojournalist Jade as she investigates a political conspiracy on the planet Hillys. A commercial failure at launch, it has since become one of gaming's great cult classics, treasured for its writing, its world and its heroine.
Beyond Good & Evil review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Few worlds feel as warm as planet Hillys, woven from mingled cultures, vivid colours and expressive faces. Jade's camera lens becomes a genuine aesthetic principle, inviting you to look at this world as much as to roam it. Coherent down to the smallest NPC, this timeless style explains its cult status.
From Christophe Héral springs a mixed sonic world, where world textures, reggae accents and moving flights answer one another. The mock propaganda jingle and the most intimate themes alike stay etched long after the final image. This sensitive, inventive music feeds the game's cult status to the full.
A courageous reporter caught in a state conspiracy, Jade investigates a truth that the authorities smother with propaganda. Beneath the adventure runs a surprisingly political point about manipulation and resistance. Carried by an endearing heroine and a striking finale, this humanist tale has lost none of its relevance.
A Michel Ancel action-adventure praised for its reporter heroine, its coherent world and a tone blending investigation, stealth and emotion, become a cult classic despite a commercial failure at release. Still fairly widespread, its interest lies in this aura of an unjustly overlooked work rather than scarcity. A prime piece for fans of singular adventure of the PS2 era.
Is Beyond Good & Evil still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2003 on PS2, Michel Ancel and Ubisoft Montpellier's project remains one of the most heartfelt narratives Ubisoft ever shipped. The planet Hillys, its animal cast and Jade's investigation through a free press still hit with a tone nobody else really copied. The mix of stealth, photography, light combat and hovercraft exploration asks for some patience with stiff controls and a fussy camera, but the writing, the music and the pacing remain remarkable. Strongly recommended for fans of personal scale adventures and for Ubisoft Montpellier devotees curious about a studio creative peak.
