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| Behold the majesty of space. The vacuum has never looked so beautiful as in Genesis Rising | Inside the genetics lab players can mutate their ships to include extra weapons and options. Despite having a cool explanation, this is actually pretty tedious |
It’s very rare that a science fiction concept comes along and creates a whole new mythology overnight, spawning a host of rabid, cult fanatics dissecting its every premise and prostrating themselves at the alter of its inimitable individuality. Despite a few nice story tweaks, some impressive visual ingenuity and for trying really really hard, Genesis Rising is not one of them.
Metamorf has put together a decent addition to the space quest/real time strategy genre, branding its game with enough distinctiveness that it certainly won’t be confused with any other current galaxy based warmongery that’s hyperspacing around the virtual stars inside your PC. Neither has it created one that will make it through any review without being compared to, and placed securely behind, the likes of Homeworld or Nexus; a matter I’d like to get out of the way before going any further. Also, for any aging gamers like myself out there, it’s worth pointing a knowing finger at the distinct parallels that can be drawn between this game and the age old Amiga/Atari ST classic, Captain Blood (though Genesis Rising isn’t handled with the same wonderful, character led surrealism that oozed from Blood).
An overly expository introduction sets the scene for the ensuing, manufactured conflict of Genesis Rising. In the long distant, dystopian future, the human race has become the dominant species in the known universe. This dominance has brought with it a misguided sense of divinity within our species, considering all other forms of life to be inferior and worthy only of worshipping us, or littering the cosmos with the debris of their extinction. A religion (which, in all honesty, I couldn’t quite fathom the mechanics of) has sprung up and is held central to the game’s themes, wherein humanity appears to worship itself; complete with celestial temples, sectarian clergy and hymns.
During our evolution into dominance and delusion, the human race developed an entirely new form of technology for galactic travel and exerting our will upon the inferior universe. Genetically engineered living spacecraft form the nucleus of our technology, with the extraordinary ability to mutate themselves using all manner of bolt-on genes. Blood, which powers all forms of bio-tech, has become the most valuable resource in the universe, and adds a rather unique slant to an otherwise basic RTS; but more about that in a moment.
The whole genetic technology, bio-mechanical, neuro- gynaecologyical (ok, I made that last one up, but it sounds the part, eh?) back story has won over more than a few critics, but from a personal standpoint it comes over as rather trite. Most everything about this scenario is entirely interchangeable with ordinary concepts of technology (electronics, titanium casings, plasma coils and stuff) to the point at which it appears to be a superficial afterthought. Kind of like when people cover something made of plastic with gloss paint; it sticks to the original material and it changes the colour quite nicely, but the slightest scratch and it begins to peel.
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| Surely one of the coolest explosions ever seen in an RTS. Destroying a living ship with a massive gun sends blood flying half way across the galaxy! Wicked! | Just look at this fool. He’s in charge of everything, too. I mean, who’d sit around at work all day wearing all that clobber? |
Genetics used to be very much the realm of sci-fi technicians, but the uninspired use bio-talk (such as my impressive attempt above) quickly becomes a poor man’s substitution for imagination. This universe altering technology actually has nothing to do with the real, quest initiating story the gamer takes part in, and although the visuals are, to be frank, quite superb, they were even more superb in the 1970s when H.R. Giger first drew them. If Metamorf or the publisher, Dreamcatcher Interactive, holds the player in such low esteem as to think a bit of bio-babble is sufficient to distract people from the emptiness of the game’s core then I shall choose to take this gene-based nonsense as the insult it is, ah-thank ya very much.
Because once the thin gloss of majestic, living spaceships has gone all flaky and fallen off, the remaining story and its presentation are far less refined. Voice acting that’s shamed by 1970s Dutch porn films aside, the purpose of the game’s underlying quest (something about a Universal Heart which allow humanity to finally take full control of the galaxy, or something) does little to inspire players to bound into action, and leaves the nature of the antagonist all too ambiguous.
But, there are some face saving factors embedded in Genesis Rising. While a little black and white, there is some choice of conversational response during the cut scenes which has a (limited) effect on the game. But the tedious minutes standing around on the holo-intercom waxing lyrical about religion and destroying aliens isn’t the crux of Genesis Rising by a long shot (which is just as well, as the big-shot general is simply laughable, sat there on a throne in such massive, pointy and elaborate armour it’d make a Tolkienian Dwarf balk). Space battle is why anyone would buy this game, and if they’re a fan, they most likely won’t be disappointed. Most likely.
Small fleets of varying bio-ships are micromanaged by the player as they hyperspace from one quadrant to the next menacing all who cross their path. The mother ship, in this case, is quite literally that; it gives birth to other types of smaller vessels, such as fighters, labs, frigates and other space dwelling transport animals. Coming back to the whole genetic nonsense of the back story, the concept of a mutate-able ship begins to take shape (ba-dum-bum tish!). Most other species seem to have adopted a similar technology to humans, and once defeated, the valuable blood from the ship’s decaying carcass can be harnessed by your own fleet and used to replenish life and energy for construction of more ships.
This is, without doubt, the best part of Genesis Rising, and hats go off to the team for the nastiness of this endeavour. Siphoning off the vital juices of another ship is done exactly as one would assume an insect might; a long, pointy, straw type appendage extrudes from your ship and punctures the downed enemy vessel, sucking the blood from it directly (complete with wonderfully sickening slurpy noises!). As well as blood, various new genes can be harvested for addition to your arsenal, used to mutate whichever ship they’re applied to and giving it extra weapons or abilities. A nice touch, but again, this needn’t have been all “genetical” to impress.
After getting used to tiresome manufacturing and mutation processes of Genesis Rising and it comes to waging war, the game slows to a sudden crawl. A long and unnecessary flight through space to reach the enemies at the far side of the quadrant does nothing for momentum, which swings back the other way just as abruptly once battle commences. While the notion of stripping technology out of defeated space craft is great, putting it into practice is a little fumbling, especially during a conflict. The fight continues as you attempt to equip your fighters with new technology (often critical to completing the mission, which would be a nice touch if it worked a little more smoothly), leaving your fleet unattended and doing little to defend itself. Irksome, to say the least.
I’m the first to admit that my RTS playing style needs more than a little refining, but much of the battle soon deteriorates into a standoff between the two small fleets (although the intro shows a vast armada of ships, due to the nature of play only a small contingent is ever in actual use) exchanging fire and attempting to eat each other’s dead bodies. Managing the battle, even with experience, is an uphill struggle with the cluttered playing area, limited options and clumsy, unrefined controls.
Along with the nice slurping noises, there’s some pretty atmospheric music, however, and genuinely outstanding visuals. Strangely enough, the most immediately noticeable feature of Genesis Rising’s graphics is that of empty space. Rather than simply having a big black expanse riddled with stars, the designers have literally filled space with terrific, atmospheric effects. Vast, swirling nebulae illuminate the cosmos, while asteroids swirl majestically and barren, desiccated planets suffer in isolation. Space has never been so attractive and full of character as in Genesis Rising.
In fact, the visuals alone make Genesis Rising worth a good look, even if gameplay doesn’t quite manage to enthral. Superb effects and crawling, moist ship designs are a joy to behold. Of special note is the destruction of a bio-ship. While the weapons explode in an awesome, blinding spectacle, it’s nothing compared to the gory splendour of millions of particles of blood spattering the cosmos when the creature’s dead body bursts open. Thick red liquid launches out into a gruesome sphere of living tissue, coating nearby ships in its macabre crimson paint – truly outstanding!
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| The bio-ships look smart enough, especially set against the impressive galactic backgrounds, but they fly like pigs in space | Another great scene is watching your living spaceship drink the juices from a defeated enemy. The gross out sound effects really add to the experience |
And yet, it doesn’t make up for the unshakable feeling that Genesis Rising in no way reaches the potential it has bubbling beneath the surface, released all too soon and unnecessarily plastered with imperceptive, charmless patina. Something this reviewer feels to be saying all too often these days applies once again to Genesis Rising: this is a game for staunch fans of the genre, but will disappoint the casual gamer.
Top Game Moment:
TOP GAME MOMENT
Without a doubt, Genesis Rising will impress with its unique visuals, especially when players hear themselves simultaneously laugh and groan in disgust as a bio-ship bursts in all its iridescent, gory glory.
