By Joseph Walter
Premise
The storyline somehow manages to be vapid, despite the source material's penchant for wacky absurdity. In a show where one episode features a collection of our favorite bots being scooped up by an enormous alien child, or where science is defied by the villains moving Cybertron towards Earth by constructing an enormous jet engine on the planet, we're given a story that feels a little too by the numbers:
Megatron begins to "Cyberform" Earth into planet capable of supporting Cybertronian life, effectively resurrecting the dying planet.
Some will argue that it's intentionally uninspired as an attempt to mimic the cartoon, but anyone who says that has clearly never watched the cartoon (again, see actual example above).
Megatron begins to "Cyberform" Earth into planet capable of supporting Cybertronian life, effectively resurrecting the dying planet.
Some will argue that it's intentionally uninspired as an attempt to mimic the cartoon, but anyone who says that has clearly never watched the cartoon (again, see actual example above).
Gameplay
With a choice of five playable Autobots, you're thrust into satisfying melee-focused combat with powerful (but limited ammo) ranged weapons and vehicular attacks. There is a major focus on precise dodging and crowd control. You can transform into vehicle form at anytime, which is a fun and fast way to get around, and also allows you to smash into enemies, wreck their shields, or end a combo with a satisfying crash.
You explore a somewhat open world that's sparsely detailed aside from occasional traps and obstacles. Around this world are hidden treasure chests, collectibles, destructible items and other secrets.
Occasionally, the gameplay will change course from the constant combat and offer quick alternatives, such as a rail-shooter turret section. Some of these ideas work well, while others are head-scratching inclusions (I'm not sure what's gained at all by forcing a top down perspective while awkwardly carrying a Red Energon cube in a later sequence).
Past all the surface level content, there is a fairly satisfying loot system. From downed enemies, treasure chests, and good performance, you'll collect different kinds of swords, guns, fists, hammers and more. Some of these items will have status affects like freezing or burning, which adds a layer of strategy. More interestingly, you can "synthesize" new weapons by breaking down and combining the ones you own, significantly powering up your favorites (while also endowing them with status-affecting skills).
You're also given the ability to develop passive skills (called "T.E.C.H.") through a fun QTE that can greatly enhance your characters.
Controls are mostly responsive, but having the dodge and transform button being one-and-the-same was occasionally awkward. Another flaw is the precision aim system, which is either too happy to auto-aim, or too unresponsive and imprecise when being manipulated.
You explore a somewhat open world that's sparsely detailed aside from occasional traps and obstacles. Around this world are hidden treasure chests, collectibles, destructible items and other secrets.
Occasionally, the gameplay will change course from the constant combat and offer quick alternatives, such as a rail-shooter turret section. Some of these ideas work well, while others are head-scratching inclusions (I'm not sure what's gained at all by forcing a top down perspective while awkwardly carrying a Red Energon cube in a later sequence).
Past all the surface level content, there is a fairly satisfying loot system. From downed enemies, treasure chests, and good performance, you'll collect different kinds of swords, guns, fists, hammers and more. Some of these items will have status affects like freezing or burning, which adds a layer of strategy. More interestingly, you can "synthesize" new weapons by breaking down and combining the ones you own, significantly powering up your favorites (while also endowing them with status-affecting skills).
You're also given the ability to develop passive skills (called "T.E.C.H.") through a fun QTE that can greatly enhance your characters.
Controls are mostly responsive, but having the dodge and transform button being one-and-the-same was occasionally awkward. Another flaw is the precision aim system, which is either too happy to auto-aim, or too unresponsive and imprecise when being manipulated.
Graphics
Faithfully recreates the aesthetic of the "Generation One" Transforms cartoon with the added sheen of the 1986 movie. Cutscenes are a step-down from the in-game graphics, taking on a weird filter that brightens things up too much and also having embarrassingly stilted animation (which is not a reference to the original cartoon, as the character are animated beautifully in actual gameplay). Backgrounds are typically ugly, with little detail and low polygon and texture counts. Megatron's face never looks quite right, either. On a very high positive, though, the dazzling affects from combat, such as sparks from the swords or bursts from your Energon weapons, look exactly like their cartoon counterparts.
Bizarrely, it seems as if entire pieces of infrastructure were lifted directly from previous Platinum effort, "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance," including certain cutscenes being frame-by-frame replicas, along with the user interface, certain visual effects and color schemes.
Bizarrely, it seems as if entire pieces of infrastructure were lifted directly from previous Platinum effort, "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance," including certain cutscenes being frame-by-frame replicas, along with the user interface, certain visual effects and color schemes.
Audio
Features plenty of effects that are faithful from the cartoon and its accompanying film, including the legendary transformation sound. Much of the original cast returns, including Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, and, for the first time in years, Soundwave's vocoder effect is a spot-on recreation. The cast does an admirable job and brought a smile to my face more than a few times. Starscream's voice actor does a great job of impersonating the late Chris Latta.
MUSIC
High-energy, electric guitar-centric tunes are the predominant audio force (sorry, Soundwave!) with a few noteworthy Vince DiCola compositions, including a brand-new (and totally kick-ass) vocal theme for the end credits. In another weird similarity with "Metal Gear Rising," the atmospheric, non-combat tunes are nearly 1:1 with what "Revengeance" provided.
Value
"Devastation" has faced some critical scoffing due to its comparatively short length (much like other Platinum products) but it never feels as short as it actually is. Most playthroughs seem to clock in at around five hours, while mine was closer to seven. However, that was only after completing the main story on a single difficulty.
Aside from multiple playthroughs on higher (or lower) difficulties, there are 50 challenge missions, which are typically intense, combat-centric affairs against overwhelming odds. There are unique rewards for completing them with different ranks on different difficulties, which can then add more fuel to your synthesizing fire.
There are also various collectibles that can be unlocked by shooting down Laserbeak or Buzzsaw, destroying Decepticon flags, gathering Cybertronian Logs and, most amusingly, capturing the illusive Kremzeek.
Aside from multiple playthroughs on higher (or lower) difficulties, there are 50 challenge missions, which are typically intense, combat-centric affairs against overwhelming odds. There are unique rewards for completing them with different ranks on different difficulties, which can then add more fuel to your synthesizing fire.
There are also various collectibles that can be unlocked by shooting down Laserbeak or Buzzsaw, destroying Decepticon flags, gathering Cybertronian Logs and, most amusingly, capturing the illusive Kremzeek.
CONCLUSION
A comparatively short, concentrated burst of intense, frenetic 80's Transformers action with a healthy dose of nostalgia. Despite some rough edges in the graphics, story and control departments, most of the game is a well-oiled and completely satisfying force of fun.
Final ScoreS:
Objectively:
7/10
FUN FACTOR:
8/10
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