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Many a comparison has been made between Scurge: Hive and Metroid, and while the comparison isn't perfect, it is useful. Scurge
is about a female bounty hunter named Jenosa Arma, it
is about exploring a planet with the intent to destroy an alien species, and it
is about collecting upgrades. On the other hand, it's presented from an isometric perspective, it has a few RPG elements, and it features a time limit of sorts. So I guess you might call it a tribute to Metroid - is it a worthy one?
I picked up the DS version, it was $30 CDN, putting it more in line with Game Boy prices than DS; that's good thing, since the game is very much an upgraded GBA title. The graphics are good and functional but not flashy - the sprites are small and special effects are few. The small sprites actually turn out to be a bit of a boon since they give a better view of the action, and the backgrounds are nice - this is pretty good by GBA standards but not up to par with high quality DS games.
The sound effects and music are similar to the graphics: functional, fairly well done, but still obviously a generation behind what the DS is really capable of. You can hear an almost eerie similarity to Metroid in some of the short sound effect musical pieces, but the overall soundtrack tends to be more techno-pop than Metroid.
The game features less exploration than Metroid, rather the focus is on shooting with a little platforming and puzzle-solving mixed in. The weapon enhancements form a rock-paper-scissors cycle with the enemies - use the wrong one and the enemy will gain power, use the right one and the enemy will die faster and create combos if other enemies of the same type touch him. It's clever but it gets used for evil later on, when constant, tedious weapon swapping is required. Other enhancements allow Jenosa to access new areas and solve puzzles much like Metroid. It all works pretty well.
Where Scurge doesn't work quite so well is in the aiming. There are 8 directions to shoot in so you have to get just the right angle, and then the enemy will move forcing you to readjust everything. It's forgivable but it bogs things down, maybe more forgiving hit detection is in order, or maybe isometric shooters are just a bad idea by nature. Orbital Media gets some credit for differentiating the game from Metroid, but it loses the credit for having less fun gameplay.
The other important thing about the design is the timer. Jenosa is infected by the "Scurge" as soon as she lands on the planet, and the player must constantly seek out "decontamination chambers" which double as save points. How you react to this part of the game is largely a matter of taste - some will be frustrated that their exploration time is limited, others may enjoy the added tension. Personally I found it acceptable but a little frustrating at times. The good thing is it means there are a ton of save points, a plus for any portable game.
Even on regular mode the game offers a decent challenge and probably 12 hours of gameplay. There are four difficulty levels in all but frankly, I don't find myself very motivated to go back. It was a good play the first time, but I can't bring myself to spend another 30-plus hours playing and replaying the game just to fight progressively toughter enemies and unlock a few bonuses.
On a final note, the final boss featurs a nasty design flaw - any time the best strategy for beating
an enemy is to let it suck away 99% of your life there's a problem.
At the end of the day, Scurge: Hive is a game to look out for on the cheap. The overall experience isn't as polished as some other DS games. The budget-minded buyer should look for the GBA version since all the DS seems to add is a map and more screen space - both nice additions for this game, but probably not worth the extra money. I was happy, but I didn't say wow.
Rating: 7/10 (buy it cheap)
Topic: Scurge: Hive (Read 2342 times)
