My Binary Domain Impressions
Story:
It is the future. Mankind could not manage to throttle its industry which increased global warming and paved way for catastrophic rises in sea levels. Huge landmasses have been flood and many people have died. Only way to save its remaining landmass was in constructing gigantic walls to fend off the oceans. To achieve this colossal goal research into robotics exploded as only machines were capable of undertaking this task. Having proven themselves essential, robots are now present in all of society as housekeepers, work force even police. This demand has led two corporations to huge success, the American Bergen and Japanese Amada.
As a result of robotics becoming a very big sector, politicians have put restrictive laws into research and production of life-like robots which could not be distinguished from humans called "Hollow Children". You play as a member of a RUST crew whose job it is to go after violations against these laws.
When a Hollow Child is found in America and it not being even aware it was a non-human robot, you and a multinational team of elite soldiers are sent covertly into Japan to find evidence that the Amada corporation has been doing forbidden research.
Gameplay:
Binary Domain plays out as a fairly standard third-person-shooter with many inventive systems. At first you'll see that each of your crew members has a "trust meter". This will either fill up or decrease upon your choices during dialogue and whether you protect them during firefights. Another neat idea is the implementation of a voice-enabled command system. I did not use a microphone so I had to use pre-config commands via button press. These can go from simple combat orders like "Give me cover fire" up until opinions on your crews mood and comments on events unfolding in the story.
But as TPS shooting is of course the main focus of the gameplay. And boy does it shine in this area. Movement feels adequately quick with dedicated "dodge" moves for critical evasive maneuvers. Weapon variety is fairly standard ranging from shotguns to snipers. Exotic weaponry maybe expected from a futuristic setting will sadly not be found. On the other side there is a nice selection of grenades. Classic Frag ones, Sticky, EMP etc. During the game you will earn an equivalent of experience points which can be used to upgrade your weapon stats and character stats. Don't expect anything too deep though. It is held enjoyably simple.
All this weaponry will get its fair share of use against the many robots you will be fighting during the ~8 hour campaign. If you had asked me beforehand I'd say fighting robots is as cliche as it gets for a game but the devs did manage to turn this seemingly stale enemy into one of the most enjoyable adversaries in a long time. They are not stupid! They will take cover and pop out to shoot you, dodge your attacks and generally be a formidable opponent. Prepare to take cover a lot as rushing into combat will get you killed very fast. But keep calm as disposing these robots is as fun as it can get. Bullets stagger robots with very good hit animations while a cluster of their outer shell is being shred and flies all around the screen. Good placed shoots will sever limbs, send legs and arms flying around. Don't loose your focus though as these robots will continue pursuing you even without any legs, similar to the scary Terminator in the movie. Headshots on the other side will turn your enemy into a shooting spree hitting his robot brethren, so keep your aim steady! In conclusion the combat is the shining beacon among all the other greatness. From the clean and futuristic landscapes with their huge scope at times to the many and frequent set pieces which never outstay their welcome. Speaking of levels, they are in most cases diverse while still retaining the general tone of a futuristic Tokyo. Each of the levels usually end with a bossfight. Some are more fun, some are not, while all of them can make quick business of you. Running from cover to cover, sending your team mates into firefights at the right moment and using the appropriate weapons will make them a challenge but rarely unfair.
Verdict:
Not having heard much from Binary Domain previously the screenshots and game banner did paint a very mediocre, b-tier image in my mind. With this mindset I gave the game a try and I am glad I did. It became one of my most beloved TPS of the last several years. Production values are high and you definitely don't feel any b-tierness. Voice acting is on spot, making me care about my teammates. The theme of robots and trans-humanism struck a cord with me and it was nicely woven into the story. Very unforeseen twists always kept me at the edge of my seat and I genuinely cared about the events that unfold. Very satisfying game which I hope gets a sequel as there is a lot that can be built upon the source material here. I do recommend going into this game with an open-mind and especially not get too hyped by me or the game's general "overlooked gem" status. I do believe a significant amount of joy can be attributed to my non-existent expectations
