"I Am Your Beast" Is Slicker Than Oil

 

I Am Your Beast is the new kid on the block that deserves your attention. If you ever wanted to live out that fantasy of being unstoppable with mercy as the last thing on your mind, this is the game for you. It’s a first person shooter with tight controls, which is always appreciated, but what sets I Am Your Beast apart for me is its narrative. It’s got some incredible voice work done by just a handful of actors, but everyone gives it their all and it’s only amplified through its gameplay. It’s a wonderful song and dance that doesn’t outstay its welcome, making it the perfect game to raise your spirits (and your blood pressure).

This game knows it’s got a unique look and it is not afraid to show it from the second it launches. You get to see the forest rendered in real time, allowing you to soak in the distinct art style. It’s very sharp and hyper-focused, meaning it feels like your eyes are held wide open which is more or less how it feels playing it. But the nifty part is this allows you to adjust the graphic options without having to load into the game, so say it’s too sharp for your liking, it’s not a problem since you can see the adjustments being made on the fly. Then once you enter the game’s level select, the next thing that’s going to stick out is its soundtrack. It plays some nice ambience in the forest, but once you’re in the game you can feel this wavy bassline soothe your ears with its electronic overtones. Truth be told I know nothing about music production, but I do know good music when I hear it and this menu music just foreshadows the incredible soundtrack that’s going to follow the gameplay.

You are Alphonse Harding, a former COI (Covert Operations Initiative) agent. Tired of doing “one last job” Harding decides to call it quits. When asked to come back yet again from an old acquaintance, General Byron, Harding refuses. The COI then destroys Harding’s home in a forest, thus sending Harding on his journey with bloodlust in his eyes and nothing left to lose. Now, it’s worth noting that it may just be a revenge plot but hear me out. There’s an old saying, that a bad joke told well is better than a good joke told poorly. It’s not what the story is in I Am Your Beast that makes it captivating, it’s how that story is told. The game describes its cutscenes as kinetic typography, meaning you’re watching the subtitles as the dialogue is being spoken. It may sound like a lazy way to do cutscenes, but these have so much flair to them that I will not stand for that slander. The colors change depending on who’s speaking, the words will react to emotions such as shaking when screaming, there is subtitling for the noises we make when we hurt ourselves, the irony is the typography and cast make the cutscenes feel so animated that it earns its unique identity and owns its style. It’s unfortunately always a risk to put a unique spin on something since there’s a lot of judgment that can erupt from stylistic choices, but if you ask me they absolutely nailed it here.



What helps the cutscenes is the incredible voice work done by everyone. Particularly, Xalavier Nelson Jr. as Harding himself. His deep grit that he brought to every syllable just invigorated me to feel that superhuman feeling that the game is clearly aiming for. Not to mention that these words are his as he’s listed as a writer. There’s no simpler way to put it, Harding is just one cool bad ass dude and if it wasn’t for Xalavier’s voice work the gameplay wouldn’t hit nearly as hard.

On the subject of which, it’s time to get into the real meat and potatoes here. I previously mentioned earlier that the game aims to make the player feel like a superhuman. In game you are constantly on the move as that’s going to mitigate damage. However, this game does not have a one hit kill mechanic similar to Ghostrunner. Harding has a health bar and can easily replenish his health by picking up a health kit or using plants. The game isn’t trying to punish the player by allowing damage to be taken, but make no mistake your health can vanish if you’re not careful.

Since first person shooters are my bread and butter, I found the game to be at the perfect difficulty. It is rare for me to play a game and feel at fault for every death. Yet because everything in I Am Your Beast is easily laid out for the player’s convenience. From the pathing in the levels to conveniently placed barrels, the question isn’t if you can kill but rather how efficient can you be? 

Every level more or less plays the same: accomplish an objective, then reach the exit. Some levels have the exits serve as objectives, but the point is there is a clear beginning and end. Enemies will always be in the same starting positions which incentivizes the player to learn these locations in conjunction with what’s placed around the environment for, once again, efficiency. Once you reach the escape hatch, you’re scored based on your time as well as your methods. The more lucrative the kill, the more of a bonus you will receive in the form of a time reduction at the end of the level that will push you closer to a higher rank. Punching someone to death isn’t really as cool as throwing a bear trap at their face. Either way because the game isn’t “one-shotting” you it gives you the room to really experiment with different pathways and tactics with the levels.

After a certain point, the game will require you to go back to previously completed levels to complete bonus objectives to unlock more of the story. It certainly pads out the play time as there are not a whole lot of levels. There are 27 in total but because the idea is to breeze through them as quickly as possible the levels themselves aren’t particularly long. They aren’t meant to be either as the game is meant to be replayed over and over again. However, it also makes going for those bonus objectives easier. They’re not too difficult and provide a nice change of pace since it requires you to buckle down on a specific goal rather than just reaching the end. 

If there was any criticism I could give it would probably be for the sound mixing, specifically during cutscenes. During the insanity of moment to moment action when everything is blasting in my ears from explosions to the soundtrack, it’s a wonderful symphony that I can’t help but smile at. However, when watching cutscenes and the soundtrack is overshadowing the dialogue it’s rather unwelcoming. I know I can adjust the volume myself but still I think it’s worth pointing out cause the music can drown out the impact of the scene mainly since it can’t be properly heard. Honestly though, it’s so minor and the only reason I mention it is so I can say that I gave some criticism.

It’s also worth pointing out that this is a rather short ride. The main story took me around 2 hours to complete. However, for those willing to stay and learn the levels there are plenty of hours to sink in learning how every level is structured to get S ranks across every level. If you ask me, this game is worth more than its asking price, and honestly as I talk about it I just want to go back. I Am Your Beast is easily one of the slickest shooters that your money can buy. If the game even looks remotely interesting, I can guarantee you that it plays even better than it looks.