Binary Domain is yet another cover-based shooter from the 7th generation of consoles that was completely overlooked by the players back then, mostly by looking like a Gears of War clone and having generic aesthetics. No one gave a damn.
However, Binary Domain is an excellent game, with great mechanics, intricate characters, and a compelling story.
The story revolves around robots, AI, and the damages they can cause in the wrong hands (yeah, a game from decades ago). Most of it happens because a robot that did not know he was a robot discovered he was, in fact, a robot, and that there are several "human-looking" robots blended into society (Did no one ever got hit and run?). Besides the obvious "Did these people never go to a doctor?" the story is quite well-detailed, full of twists and turns, and even small choices and ending variations.
The cast holds up too, well-dubbed, with believable personalities and genuine development elevating the storytelling to a higher level. Expected, as this is a Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's game. Some characters just vanish tho, without closure, which is a shame.
The gameplay is a standard cover-based shooter, with the difference that you can dismantle robots bit by bit, and it is glorious. Shoot the leg? It falls and stumbles. Shoot the arm? Can't shoot ya back. Shoot the head? Attack anything, even friendlies. Great mechanics. The guns feel punchy and brutal due to the heavy robot mangling they can inflict. There is mouse acceleration, so do yourself a favor and go to pcgamingwiki to download the (frankly) incredible "Binary Domaim" mod by Rollin'Barrel. It will make the game playable.
Graphically, it was not that remarkable back then, but it holds up decently. The scenarios in 2080 Upper Tokyo are very pretty and detailed, kinda reminded me of the Citadel in Mass Effect 1. But the scenarios are varied: slums, labs, factories, exactly what I expected from it.
The game has a "Trust" mechanic that is confusing, and I don't really understand it well. At level 5 I just realized that meleeing enemies made my teammates trust me more, sadly that was a bit too late, and I ended up not 100% Rachel's trust, so I couldn't get the best ending. Very annoying, I wished we made choices with dialogue instead of "melee stuff."
I liked Binary Domain, it tells an interesting story and has satisfying gameplay. Couldn't really ask for more. It deserved way more back then, and it still deserves a lot. Give it a go definitely, you will most likely not lose your humanity :)
