What we’ve come to know from our play-through of Binary Domain for this review is that in spite of the various tiny blemishes here and there, the game can never be dubbed unenjoyable. For those of you out there who’ve enjoyed Epic’s epic Gears of War, acclimatizing yourselves to this title’s mechanics should be a piece of chocolate cake. That’s because, akin to a number of shooters these days, the tried and tested model from the GOW series has been pretty nicely embraced by this futuristic robot-smash fest from Sega. Yes, almost every bullet fired from your gun has the purpose of killing, or shall we say, destroying robots. Scrap heads as they’re called, these robots are the root of all evil in this title.
Binary Domain comes to pass in 2080 Japan which has been soaked by massive flooding due to global warming. With scores of lives lost to these disasters, robots are the only ray of hope for humans to rebuild their dwellings. Two global biggies involved in constructing these robots get involved in dirty business practices, thus leading to ethics being flouted and treaties being broken and ultimately, the creation of Hollow Children – robots so accurately disguised as humans that they themselves are unaware of it.
You assume the role of Dan Marshall, part of a global task-force whose mission it is to investigate and bring back data related to these Hollow Children. But that’s not going to be as easy as you’d expect. Your path is blocked by all kinds of creepy androids who’re willing to fight you till they bite the dust. A little romance, some hearty bromance as well as a heap of twists and turns are all there to keep you hooked on. All in all, here’s a fresh story that manages to keep you playing the title just to satisfy your eagerness as to ‘what happens next?’
Well, the writers have done full justice to their job, and you’ll be pleased to learn that the same is the case in the gameplay department. The sturdy shooting mechanics take no prisoners while rendering you with a comfortable command over Dan’s movements. However, there could have been a better cover system, for this one doesn’t let you turn corners, forcing you to take the odd bullet or two as you get back on your feet and switch over to the other side. Better implementation is also needed for the melee system which can get frustratingly goofy at times.
Another notable addition to this game is the voice recognition feature that makes use of the mic on your headphones to identify and issue in-game commands. Now before you slam this for just being a gimmick aimed at pumping in more moolah or something like that, let us tell you that it kind of works. During combat and at certain other points, prompts are required from you as you talk to your squad mates. Of course, this little trait has its flaws. But it works ninety percent of the time, which is not bad an achievement for Sega. And if you don’t wish to use this feature, you can even issue your commands the uncool way – using your controllers.
All that you say during these sequences are part of a consequence system that has an impact on how your teammates perceive you. Surprise surprise, some role-playing bits also find their way into Binary Domain. Everything that comes out of your mouth affects the morale of your buddies, and it is based on this that they decide whether to abide by your commands or not. And it may sound rather unusual for a shooter to have alternate endings, but this one does. We must say, this attribute has really been implemented well by the developer.
Besides the shooting, there are also a handful of situational gameplay scenarios that include, long swims, sliding down falling structures, a jet boat ride and the likes. Here’s where the controls feel a little sloppy and frustrating. Moving over to the game’s graphics, they’re brawny, but lack some polish that could’ve made them outstanding. The environments of a ravaged Japan are well imagined and they make for pretty intense battlefields for you to shoot the heck out of those robots.
These enemies seem to have been worked upon a lot. Their designs are fresh and there’s an indescribable joy felt as you watch them getting destructed. The sounds in Binary Domain are authentic. The developer has made a bold move by not implementing music during combat, and that has paid off extremely well owing the finesse in the sound department. The cut-scenes have music though, but it cannot be called remarkable. And we also noticed some serious inconsistencies in the voice-acting department. At times, it even felt as if Dan was voiced by two different actors.
Final Word: For a title not in the big league, Binary Domain has fared incredibly well, if you ask us. The combat is staunch and exciting, and the boss battles that have you killing robots modeled around dogs, spiders, gorillas and even bike riders, are truly worthwhile. Apart from a long campaign, there’s even some online multiplayer action to be jumped into, but it does seem to have been added just for the sake of it. Quite undeniably, the game’s heart lies in its single-player part, and that very well makes this one a value for money proposition. Here’s our score for it –
Graphics: 8/10
Sounds: 7/10
Environments: 8/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Replay Value: 7/10
Overall (not an average): 8/10