If you’re a casual gamer, there’s a decent chance that you never heard much about Too Human (360, PC; M Rating). While it might just seem like another title on the shelf, Too Human’s history might be as long as any game ever created. Originally supposed to be a PlayStation ONE game, development began in 1999 – 10 years ago. In the gaming world, length of development often leads to endless hype. Hype that swells so large, the game could never be good enough to exceed, or even meet expectations. The hype machine ultimately impacted Too Human, making what was a pretty good game seem like a disappointment in many eyes.
In this Action-RPG, you jump into the world of futuristic Norse Mythology as Baldur, a God associated with light in traditional Scandinavian belief. As member of the Aesir, or council of Gods, you are responsible for the well being of the entire population. At the Aesir’s disposal, cybernetics have become commonplace among the Gods as a way of physical advancement. Recently, cybernetic monsters have been attacking the human population, and when Baldur is attacked he decides it is time to find out what is plaguing the world. While the story background might seem like a bit much, for the most part it works. The story flows well and is easy to follow, though at times is a bit easy to solve. The storytelling holds up impressively against Norse Mythology, with all of the characters you would expect present within the game.
The sensory aspects of this game are particularly strong. The game is beautiful, and the frame rate fares well even during fast-paced action. Cut scenes are also impressive, as the cybernetic tie-ins in each of the Aesir are a credit to the art direction and execution in the game. The sound in the game is also very well done. The music and sound effects are timed well and work within the context of the game situation, and the voice-acting should be specifically noted for how well put together it is. These features add to the gaming experience and help put you in the center of Nordic Mythology.
However, all of these positives are secondary in the game. The true focus of developer Silicon Knights was to make epic, character-development driven gameplay, and incorporate a co-op feature similar to that of the popular PC series Diablo. The right-stick attack feature was pretty well done, especially considering it was a first-go of sorts for anyone to incorporate that into a game. The transition between melee weapon and range weapon was also well done, making it easy to switch between one another. At times, the fast-paced fighting, intricate item collecting, and character skill development work together in tremendous gameplay harmony. At others though, too often for me, the game moves in a frustrating manner.
My two biggest complaints about the game were not deal-breakers for me, but drove me nuts particularly as I advanced in the game. First, the player does not control the camera, outside of a camera centering button. As you play the game more and more, it becomes increasingly frustrating that one cannot circle the camera around. As much as I enjoyed the right-stick attacking, I was annoyed that I could not move the camera to look behind me to see what was going on. The lack of camera control was increasingly noticeable when I played multiplayer, as it was a pain in the neck to find my teammate to assist them in fighting enemies.
Secondly, the pacing of the game was inconsistent throughout the four large battle scenes. One moment you might be fighting 70 monsters and mini-bosses, and then next moment you are running (slowly!) for 15-20 seconds with nothing happening, breaking the flow and intensity of the game. The other part of the pacing that I found frustrating is when death occurs. You do not lose any of the damage you inflicted on enemies, and you start right at the same point. The failure here is the 30 second scene in which a valkyrie comes down from Valhalla (think afterlife) to pick your body up and take it away. This scene cannot be skipped, and must be watched in full each time you perish. The scene is especially frustrating when playing co-op, since you are left to fend for yourself while your teammate is slowly being revived. By the time you’ve reached the maximum level 50 playing the game, you’ve seen enough valkyrie’s to last you a lifetime.
The character development and item selection aspects in the game are both serviceable, and the 5 different character classes and class specific items enhance the replay value of the game. The maximum level of 50 is a little disappointing, as items tend to stale once you’ve maxed out your character. The ability to craft one’s own weapons is an interesting and welcome feature, making the character responsible for developing his elite equipment and keeping the item hunting fresh.
The two-player co-op is also decent, while underwhelming at times. I would have enjoyed more than two-player co-op, pushing the number to four or even eight. It is easy to quickly jump into a game on any level, as well as creating a game to play a specific section of a level with a friend. The game itself runs exactly the same whether you’re playing single or multi player, with the only difference being that the single player campaign has cut scenes and story development.
I almost feel disappointed in myself giving this game a 6.5 out of 10, because truth be told I enjoyed it more than that. If you like the Diablo series, which I love, you will find more than enough enjoyment in this game to justify the purchase. Additionally, I am hopeful, as this is the first game in a scheduled trilogy, that Silicon Knights will be able to improve on the shortcomings of this game in future releases of the series. Overall, Too Human is a pretty good game, and is worth at minimum a rental. The potential for the next two entries in the series to be epic games is certainly there. This entry, though enjoyable, falls short of the overwhelming hype it has faced for the last 10 years.
Too Human (PC, 360): 6.5 out of 10. So close to being great, but enjoyable overall.
Patrick Duggan
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