Jade Empire
Posted May 8, 2005
I really, really like Jade Empire.From the characters to the clever dialogue to nearly everything else about it, it is one of those rare instances where a video game transcends formula to achieve something great.
The game takes place in a magical land based on ancient Chinese myth. Twenty years ago a decade-long drought was suddenly and mysteriously ended by the declaration of the Emperor. It was also during that time your teacher, Master Li, rescued you from death at the hands of the Imperial Army, led by Prince Sun Kin and a masked servant of the Emperor named Death's Hand. In the twenty years since, the Lotus Assassins, commanded by Death's Hand, have begun wielding more and more Imperial influence, while spirits of the dead have been unable to pass on. During the course of your journey you must discover the answers to these questions so that corruption does not consume the heart of the Jade Empire.
Not content to rest on their creative laurels, BioWare shocked gamers when it was announced that they were not going to develop the sequel to their 2003 Game of the Year, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This is the game that they decided to create instead. It was a good decision.
Gameplay:
When you begin a game, you are given the choice of five different characters to choose from (six, if you purchase the limited edition version) and can customize their starting abilities (body, spirit, and mind, as well as initial fighting styles). The three main attributes affect health, chi (magic), and focus (needed for weapon styles and slowing battles down when necessary), but they also combine to create the three forms of persuasion: charm, intuition, and intimidation.
Once you start, you'll quickly recognize the similarities to Knights of the Old Republic. The dialogue system is virtually identical, with two to five dialogue choices for every response. These choices, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, can change the course of a conversation or even the entire story. It's also worth noting that the "correct" choice is not always right. In one part of the game, for example, you are actually rewarded for being as rude as possible.
Besides determining the story, your dialogue choices also alter your moral alignment. A hero will follow the Way of the Open Palm, a villain the Way of the Closed Fist, and an anti-hero will end up somewhere in the middle. Will you be good only to turn on your followers in the last hours? Maybe you would rather be evil and redeem yourself with your final act? While the game will progress similarly regardless, these choices influence how your allies react to you as well as the ultimate fate of the empire itself.An area where the engine has been significantly reworked is combat. Although there are still no random battles, fights are now real-time. Using an assortment of martial, magic, support, transformation, and weapon styles linked to the d-pad, you must switch between them according to the needs to the battle. Each style has a basic attack (which can be chained together), a slower power attack, and more powerful versions that consume chi. Support styles allow you to paralyze your opponent for a short time, steal his chi, or slow him down, while transformation styles allow you to change into various types of demons. Certain styles can also be combined to perform "harmonic combos." These usually end up leaving your enemy as a quivering red mess.
Because it's real-time, the combat doesn't feel terribly deep, but it is much faster-paced that its predecessor, which is definitely appropriate for the setting. You do have to keep an eye on your health, though, because even though you can heal at any time (consuming chi in the process), it takes time. Players will rarely die on the default difficulty setting (Master), however, and anyway, there are plenty of refill shrines throughout the game to replenish your resources.
Unfortunately, what is not fast-paced are the load times. They are long – over half a minute – and in some areas occur far too often (Imperial Arena, I'm looking at you!). If there's one thing that seriously hampers the game, it is the fact that every few minutes you can't play the damn thing and instead have to look at helpful tips that you've read nine million times before. In case there's any doubt, let me assure you – they suck. However, if you could deal with the load times in Knights, you have a good idea what to expect here.
Accompanying you on your journey are 10 followers and two optional characters, depending on your path, with only one character joining you in battle at a time. Most characters have both an attack and support style, although some only have one or the other. A character set to attack will assist you in fighting enemies, while one set to support will refill your health, chi, or focus, improve your martial or weapons styles, or perform some other specialized task, like tossing wine to you so you can fight in Drunken Master style. The allies who fight by your side aren't especially powerful, and will probably die many times throughout the game, but luckily they are automatically revived to full health after every battle and have the added benefit of distracting groups of enemies, all of whom ignore support allies. Each option has its benefits and drawbacks, and I found myself using both at various times throughout the game, depending on the circumstances.
Throughout the game you are also given the option of flying 1942-style top-down shooter levels. Although the inclusion of such a dissimilar genre into the game is somewhat bizarre, it's a nice way to get experience and insert a little variety into the game. They're also pretty well-designed, and a few of the bosses have a Radiant Silvergun quality to them.Because of the nature of the game, you can spend as much or as little time with it as you like. Rushing through and skipping most of the sidequests will allow you to finish in 10-12 hours, while taking your time and exploring, reading, and talking as much as possible will place you closer to 30. Although the game begins somewhat slowly, almost all of the sidequests have been frontloaded into the first three chapters, so the game really picks up after that. Most players will average 20-25 hours.
Graphics:
The environments look fantastic, especially outdoors. Tall grass ebbs back and forth in the wind. Light streams through the tree canopy. Towns and cities seem populated and more believable than in most roleplaying games. In the game you have the option at any point to use "focus-mode" and rush from point to point, but really, why would you want to? The visuals are stunning enough to forego that.
Audio:
The entire game is voice acted, and there is simply not a bad one in the bunch. Believe it or not, even secondary characters measure up. Although I could live without "The Old Tongue" (the other language in the game), it's an extremely minor issue. Sound effects and background music (using traditional Chinese instruments) are also very well-done. The game supports Dolby Digital surround sound.
Conclusion:
Jade Empire is the best game I've played in the last year and a half. Besides the load times, I really have trouble saying anything bad about it. The engaging story, fun characters, and beautiful graphics combine to form a truly original and memorable experience. I highly, highly recommend it. Video Game Talk Collector's Edition.