izigame.me

Binary Domain was released in 2012, among an ocean of third-person action shooters, a very popular genre at that period. Transplanted from consoles, control has a bit of junkiness as most transplanted games from that era have, but the game really outdoes its counterparts by providing ample and useful settings like the FOV slider. It is a very fun shooter, though gameplaywise, it is not very different from other TPS at the time.
What stands out for me mechanically are two things: the game can be played like a cover shooter as the cover mechanic is integrated, though I find myself didn’t use it as much; and there is the companion system, which is the most distinct mechanic. At the start of each session, players choose who to bring into action from six teammates with different specialties, all of whom players can upgrade, customize perks, give commands and build up trust.
To make companions more authentic, the game has an integrated voice command that can recognize simple commands through the microphone, though I never bothered to check it out. Companions also actively engage players in conversations, which I really enjoy and also affects the level of trust.
Trust shapes up combat difficulty and ending, and it dynamically changes with action and conversation, such as doing great in combat, accidentally shooting teammates, or saying something companions like/dislike. This design along with the plot giving enough screen time, make characters much more present than many games.
The story is the strength of the game and makes this game so special. Binary Domain sets in a world where humans heavily rely on robots as labor. One day, people discover a new type of robot called Hollow Child, who has been disguising as humans and living among them for decades, without knowing they aren’t human. A multi-national team is sent to investigate the culprit in the country-wise locked-down Japan, which looks a lot like Final Fantasy 7 and things take an unexpected turn.
The premise is very compelling and thought-provoking, especially when seeing how people persecuted an innocent Hollow Child to death simply because he is not human. What even adds more dynamic is the protagonist Dan, who is like an anime male protagonist or a male version of Mary Sue that things always turn out as he wants. He is kind of a dikhead, cocky, reckless, and really hates robots for some reason, but he is not one-dimensional as the story dives into his dark childhood.
It is a pity that even till the end his past was not fully explained. I really wish the story could have explored deeper into it as well as the persecution, since these are very interesting ideas that can easily spur a movie or an entire season of TV episodes. But in the meantime, I realize these are too big for the scope of an early 2010s mid-budget video game, perhaps it is why these ideas never came to fruition, even though more were teased for a sequel that never came out.
I suspect this also resulted in a change of script since writing quality declines mid-game. As a result, Dan is the only one who gets character development, but that comes as rushed and hasty because his development resolves around Faye, whose sub-plots are also rushed and hasty like a cartoon: her relationship with Dan is utterly unconvincing as it develops so fast and easy; her later wavering stands is even worse for lacking some serious setups to back it up.
The story has an over-the-top Japanese anime tone and doesn’t fully explore the potential, but it is the unconvincing plot with Faye that really damages the story. It really is a shame that the story never achieves the height it could have been. That being said, the story is still entertaining and the game plays very nice. It is a 10-hour or so quality time you won’t regret, especially considering its low price when on sale.