Harbinger Review

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Harbinger

Review by KahlisiMarch 2003

“It’s Diablo II in Space”

Locked inside cold walls, trapped on all sides by enemies, one hero becomes unwittingly appointed for a camp’s salvation. Claustrophobic and dimly lit areas mark the spaceship’s holdings. Barely anyone lived, merely ragged merchants to aid a mercenary; here, that seems enough. Welcome to Torvus Junction, final haven aboard Harbinger.

Beneath an overlord’s shadow and between races at war—the Vantir and Scintilla—can the hero survive long enough to escape with or without their comrades? What riches and fame will be found, if any, before death beckons? How long before a proclaimed storm hits? Shall the steely grave, Harbinger, claim another soul? 

“If Ignorance Is Bliss … Then Slap the Grin off My Face” —Solomon Torvus

Amid multitudes of hack-and-slash titles, Harbinger stands out due to its futuristic theme. Based not on swords, explosive spells, or elves, it brings a fresh breath of blasters, electronic gadgets, and robots into an otherwise fantasy-saturated market.

Harbinger begins with the selection of class: the Human—a physical and ranged fighter closer to a Rogue; the Gladiator—an enormous machine with melee and ranged capabilities, better geared toward the former; and the Culibine—a female with energy-blasting attacks and amplifiers. Despite short descriptions, they are quite diversified with four special abilities apiece and class specific weaponry, armor, and goodies.

Quick trips to Ona—the Torvus Junction merchant—with filled holdings garnish a sizeable income early on. If one can no longer hold items but wishes to keep something of value, EZ Stashes are conveniently located (if scarcely) throughout Harbinger’s hulls. Uan (currency) flows well and purchases needed advancements with items. Minus those upgrades, Harbinger suddenly grows difficult after the third quest completion, for each entity, due to large numbers of enemies. One wonders what greater evil is perched around the next bend, takes a deep breath, and plunges ahead. Offensive and defensive modifiers come highly recommended, plus knowledge of the various weaknesses of what lurks about the space shuttle.

A minimal learning curve is required, easy enough for beginners and veterans alike to master quickly. Leveling and point distribution is simple in comparison with other titles. A player gets three stat ticks per level and chooses between four options: for Culibine, Ranged, Radial, Focus, Life; for Gladiator, Melee, Ranged, Override, Life; and for Human, Melee, Ranged, Rigging, Life. Besides these factors, not much is done with character development.

Using the default controls, one left-click and the player is off to slay her first opponent. Problems soon arise, though, when engaged in combat—namely, clicking on a monster and jogging past it instead (pathfinding issue). Thankfully, the precarious control system, although only with ranged weapons, is helped by the shift key/stationary feature. Those who use melee tactics must pay close attention to where they next move unless they wish to run suicidally through a swarm of crazed artificial aliens.  A rigid control reformatting system does not allow for changing mouse options except for inverting clicks.

“Second Chances Are Funny Things, You Know” —Gladiator

“Swarm” would be the smartest descriptor of Harbinger’s enemies. Being bum-rushed by fifteen Gladiators one hour after character creation neither seems like a well thought-out battle system nor gives longevity to the “new game” feel. Be prepared to reload saved games multiple times to complete an area.  Mob sizes increase, and originality in fighting tactics decreases, even though new baddies are introduced regularly. Losses in speed and mouse response occur when these frenzied attackers appear onscreen all at once, despite powerful hardware.

Late in the game, players find themselves practically surrounded and forced to retreat, while multiple health packs are wasted; even after an armor upgrade. Balance between damage done and damage taken weighs heavily in the A.I.’s favor and against the player’s frustration. Run-and-gun tactics do not work and all too often culminate in the “you are dead” screen. Stealth, pull and grab, and landscape usage do assist in toppling the beefy Titans of Titanium. To experienced players of the action/adventure genre, these statements are no shock.

With no multiplayer or large amounts of unique equipment—even with upgraded slots and attachments falling from rolltops—replayability drops to a factor of three: one for each class.

“This Place Needs a Jumpstart Before We All Start Gathering Dust” —Culibine

Harbinger’s story is shallow, with typical, “Kill this, rescue so-and-so, bring me these special items” quests.  Little to no role-playing can be accomplished; this is simply a fast-paced title meant for immediate gratification through the smacking around of nefarious foes. To become “lost in a journey” is laughable because of linear game settings.

Backtracking for an item or special area rarely happens. Players mutilate their way through area after area and discover just enough to continue. Random journals and tidbits bring to light small diversions and information.

Each character does follow separate stories, with ultimately equal results, though they do not rotate when repeat heroes are created. While the plots are tiring, darkly humorous dialogues between townsfolk and the main adventurer are often quite precious.

Sarcastic comments and things not necessarily meant to be funny—more so on the Human side—run rampant. Quest Logs show personalized thoughts of the playable people. Different selectable responses bring more laughs overall, and sometimes rewards, such as added stats.

Background music, on the whole, helps create an eerie setting and rarely distracts from action. It is reminiscent of tribal drums and rhythms during times of battle with techno mixed in.  Strangely, it adds to the sense of depression most nonplayer characters express throughout their dialogues. The musical score—like other items—lacks enough originality to bring Harbinger ahead but not enough to make it unpleasant. Sound effects chime when needed—some fun, others new, and the rest annoying.  Most will be impressed by the game’s voice acting. A comic book idealism and philosophy rests behind the monologue bubbles that pop up occasionally.

Harbinger displays in two resolutions: 800×600 and 1024×768, both exceedingly gorgeous. The interface is simple, natural to navigate, not repeated for the individual personae, and uncluttered. A fine minimap in a transparent green hue shows obstacles announced by pictures, though no feature to scroll along said map is available. Crisp graphics help a two-dimensional isometric view, such as that seen earlier in games like Septerra Core.

Attentiveness to detail is evident on mechanisms like Umbilicals and Portals, the two methods of transportation around the ship.  One sometimes stares at the intricacies of a junk pile in minor awe. Character skins change with upgraded weapons and armor, another keen touch in action/adventure games. Rifles, bladed weapons, gauntlets, amps, injectors, cameras, and mines look distinctively independent, with well-developed ornamentations. Harbinger stands as a fine example of beautiful graphics.

Final Thoughts

Harbinger is worth the modest $29.99 plus tax (if applicable).  Most who purchase the game shall suffer from the “just another five minutes” syndrome until the end screen flashes. Not worthy of any Game of the Year awards, still it is worthy of an avid gamer’s time. It breaks the mold with its setting and manages to stay traditional in gameplay. For diehard hack-and-slash enthusiasts, or those in search of uniqueness, Harbinger is deserving of a hearty recommendation.

The Good

  • Challenging.
  • Witty content.
  • Fast-paced action fix.
  • Hordes of killer robots to destroy.
  • Good voice-overs.
  • Pleasant graphical features.

The Bad

  • Grows boring.
  • No rich plot.
  • PC slowdowns.
  • Hordes of killer robots to destroy.
  • An “it’s been done before” feel. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Silverback Entertainment Publisher: Dreamcatcher Release Date: February 2003

Available for: Windows

Four Fat Chicks Links

Player Feedback

Screenshots

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System Requirements

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP Pentium III 500 128 MB RAM 16 MB DirectX 8.0 compatible 3D accelerator 650 MB free hard drive space 4X CD-ROM drive Keyboard, mouse

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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17 Responses to First Impressions: Heavy Rain

  • Toger

    I hate QTEs, but Heavy Rain is sitting in my Amazon cart waiting for me to push the button. I don’t even own a PS3, but I plan on buying the game anyway. I do have a good friend who’ll let me play at his house. Of course, I’ll have to drive 100 miles, one way, through the snow to get to his house. His chat-happy birds will cheerfully chirp thereby completely disrupting any atmosphere, but I can play.

  • David

    What!?  Heavy Rain is full of QTEs?  I totally did not see that coming.

    The whole dad experience thing sounds intriguing.  I’m already getting odd looks from my girlfriend for exclaiming over cute kids on the bus or at the mall, something like what you described might send my biological clock over the edge.

  • Lewis B

    My sentiments exactly David!

    Mat has been playing the Heavy Rain demo for a while now, and although he admits he is intrigued by the story, he does constantly complain about the control method.

    R2 + Analogue stick to run? *scoff*

  • Gregg B

    @Lew: DEMO?! PS3 DEMO?! *runs off to PS3*

    That sounds like the Batman: Arkham Asylum controls – Crazy Bonkers Design. The sort of design that puts pull handles on push doors.

    @Steerpike: “I despise children. They are disgusting and annoying. They knock things over. They interfere with everything. They’re not useful until they’re at least 13, when you can get them to mow the lawn and stuff. But you can pay a service to do that for just a few hundred bucks a year and the service won’t vomit on you, shit in its diapers, grow up to resent you, or otherwise suck. Don’t flame me and don’t post comments to the contrary: kids are repulsive. Why anyone would want them is beyond my feeble imaginings.”

    HAHAhahaha- I er, – hahahaha – you’re as outspoken as me about demon spawn children.

  • Lewis B

    Yeah its been on the internet for weeks and weeks Greggi.  I think you have to do a couple of online puzzles etc to get the appropriate code or something.

    Search on Kotaku, they first ran with it IIRC.

  • Mat

    The puzzle code was for early access before it hit the PSN Store. It’s been available to all since last week.

    Regarding the demo, it took me around 3 or 4 attempts at it to appreciate it. First time around I couldn’t have been more dissapointed by it, but after the 3rd or 4th I decided I wanted to stick with it. I don’t think the demo is a particularly great example of what the game supposedly does best either – choice. I also HATE the control scheme and some of the voice acting is so wooden. Creating an immersive, realistic game is fine but having characters stumbling into tables and fridges because of the ham fisted controls, and listening to French voice actors impersonate Americans does remove that realism a little!

    Still, I rushed out to buy it this morning and will rush home from work to play it in about an hour!

  • xtal

    @ Toger: I don’t own a PS3 either, and it’s not like Heavy Rain seems to be “that” game which makes you run out and buy one– like Bioshock made me run out and get a 360– and it’s also not like this game looks groundbreaking in any way, because it really doesn’t. It’s just got me curious…and people tend to do crazy things the week after they get their yearly bonus. Soooooo yeah, who knows; maybe I’ll own a PS3 soon, but like hell I would admit that it was for Heavy Rain. Psh. I’d tell people it was because I wanted to watch BSG on blu-ray; though anyone who knows me would see right through that lie since I am an avid non-format-upgrader: I’ll switch my BSG collection from DVD to blu-ray the day I upgrade my copy of Jurassic Park from VHS to DVD. (Hint: never)

  • Toger

    @xtal: I’m in no hurry to upgrade my meagre DVD collection to blu-ray either, but I have to say the movies I’ve watched on my friend’s PS3 are absolutely stunning. Blade Runner was simply breath-taking in blu-ray and it made me want a PS3. I don’t think Heavy Rain will be a system seller for me, but I’m betting the game from the Ico team will.

  • xtal

    A game from the Ico team, you say? Hmmm. I’ve been making rounds on Kijiji and Craigslist looking for a copy of Ico (eBay prices are so shudder-inducing) for a few days now. I really need to play that game after my experience with the indescribable Shadow of the Colossus.

    It’s good to know they haven’t died some Interplay-esque death in the meantime.

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Nope, they’re a small team that works within Sony. Fumito Ueda is the lead and he’s got like ten or so people who’ve worked with him on all his games. Sony pretty much lets them do what they want.

    The Last Guardian is the game that’s coming up from them. It looks more like Ico and less like Shadow of the Colossus to me, which is to say it appears to be focused on platform elements. If I didn’t already have a PS3, it’d be the game that sells it.

  • Gregg B

    @Toger: Ooh, Blade Runner on Blu-ray, gorgeous in all its gorgeosity. In 5.1 it sounds incredible too.

    I bought my PS3 for Team Ico’s unnamed-at-the-time game, Heavy Rain (back when it was just a teaser), LittleBig Planet (yes, yes, I know), Dead Space and Motor Storm: Pacific Rift which sort of pushed me off the fence.

  • Toger

    Gregg, oh yes. The surround sound was spectacular. Did I mention my friend’s HDTV is 72″ (obscene, isn’t it)? It’s like being at a high-class theatre: better food, pauses for bathroom breaks and no one talking through the movie.

    Is Trine up on PSN, yet? If so, that might be my tipping point: Last Guardian, Heavy Rain and Trine.

  • Gregg B

    *spits tea out, despite not drinking any*

    O_O

    72″?! I’m speechless. I can only imagine how awesome that is. Size does matter.

    Not so sure about Trine… hang on. I think it is.

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    I think it is too, Toger. I’ll check.

    To be honest, though, I doubt you’d be disappointed with the purchase even if Trine’s not there yet. I’ve been way happier with my PS3 than with my 360. Demon’s Souls, Valkyria Chronicles, Uncharted, Folklore, even little games like Flower – I’ve had more concentrated fun with the PS3 than with Microsoft’s console, which tends to gather dust for months between game releases.

    72″???? I thought size didn’t matter!

  • Toger

    Size doesn’t matter. 😀

    In my friend’s defense, it was a great deal: opened box, itty-bitty scratch on the case, not a dead pixel to be seen and it was less $$ than the 60″ he originally wanted.

    Thanks for checking guys. I’ve played a tiny bit of Uncharted, but I’m horrible at the combat. Flower intrigues me. As does Demon’s Souls, but I know that game will crush my soul.

  • Gregg B

    There were certain moments in Flower where it just totally succeeded in conveying a feeling that I can’t say I’ve had in many other games, usually when rushing across a field through the grass or through a canyon or just skimming a pond, but it was never anything to do with collecting bloody petals or fulfilling some rudimentary puzzle. I think my problem with it was that it felt like it was trying to be this deeply emotional piece but in the end there seemed to be too many concessions to being a game rather than just running with the emotive side of the experience. One thing I am sure about though, is the trophies. Don’t get me started on the fucking trophies…

    One of my favourite little games on the PS3 is Everyday Shooter. It’s got a brilliant soundtrack that suits its raw visual style and I love how each level requires a certain tactic or strategy to survive it. It’s a very satisfying game in small bursts.

  • Hanover

    Unfortunately Cage mucked up the ending yet again.  The problem is that the mechanic of the game forced them to have to cheat in order to prevent spoiling the mystery of the game.

    There is also a red herring that makes no sense and is obviously put there to misdirect the player.

    90% of the game is awesome, the last 10% while not as bad as the indigo prophecy, is still sloppy.

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