Scurge: Hive

Isn't it about time the DS conquers the world of action/RPGs?

The Legend of Zelda is still a ways off, but there's no reason to get upset. (Well, maybe a little.) Scurge: Hive is a new, unlikely action/RPG that combines the best of the PSone's finest with the best of Nintendo's leading FPS – Metroid Prime. 

Scurge's action takes place from an isometric view. It's not my favorite angle, but when a game does it right, I quickly forget about my preferences. That's the case here, and it's not the only thing worth noting. From the moment the game begins you'll feel like you've been in this world before. Not necessarily because of the way it looks, but by the way you're drawn into the journey.

Trapped in what appears to be a giant space station, Jenosa Arma is a bounty hunter commissioned to retrieve any technology left behind. She'll have to breach areas that have been locked down, and figure out how to navigate a confusing and unfamiliar locale. As the one in her control, players can expect to fight dozens of different enemies. Large, monstrous beasts make boss encounters a dangerous scenario.

But stay strong – Jenosa is equipped to handle these kinds of situations. She's ready to take charge with a blaster weapon that eliminates alien life forms faster than you can say, "destroy all humans!" Her weapon of choice is not common for an action/RPG, which typically involves a lot of close encounters. Hand-to-hand and sword-to-flesh combat, things like that.

Jenosa, on the other hand, is a bit more versatile. She will have to deal with close enemy encounters. Slugs, beasts, bugs, and other enemies will seek out and chase Jenosa whenever she enters their territory. Running to the edge of an area will not prevent them from coming. In many cases you'll be firing her weapon right until the very last creature is about to strike.

Assuming you were fast enough, all enemies will have been destroyed and you'll walk away like a James Bond martini – a little shaken, not stirred, and definitely alive. Had you moved any slower, however, the bugs would have gotten to you, penetrating your defenses. 

Getting attacked is not immediate death. Jenosa's life bar is fairly sturdy, and will be reinforced repeatedly as you defeat enemies and level up. The first few levels are easy to reach. EXP appears to be in great abundance, and with enemies re-spawning every time you leave and re-enter a room, you could spend a few minutes leveling up right now.

After that the game shows that the developers knew what we were going to do: cheapen the difficulty by gaining easy levels. The game puts a stop to that by greatly increasing the amount of EXP that must be obtained to reach the next level. Theoretically you could still gain additional levels by fighting the same weak enemies. You could spend all day doing it and prove you're the best leveler ever. Or you could continue, fight the next batch of enemies, and increase your stats the way the game intended.

Scurge's worlds and environments are a lot like those found in the Metroid series, not just Prime 1 and 2. The spaceship interiors and alien lands are interesting, to say the least. Their success is location-based. You'll have to solve puzzles and figure out how each locale functions in order to bypass force fields, locked doors, and other impenetrable barriers.

The Scurge Infection – a mysterious virus that turns all living organisms into something fierce and sickly – has filled the air. That explains why the monsters are so powerful. They'd be normal animals if it weren't for the infection. It also explains why Jenosa is constantly in danger. Her protective spacesuit, provided by her employer, can only withstand so much. She's safe for a couple of minutes (much less if she stands in a toxin-infested area). But once the suit reaches 100%, she starts to feel the effects of the infection. It'll slowly wear down her immune system, leaving her lifeless the minute her health bar reaches zero.

There is a way to protect her though. By visiting special hubs in the game (which, after each hub is discovered, will be marked on your map), Jenosa can decontaminate her suit. Decontamination hubs reduce infection exposure to 1% while replenishing your health to 100%.

My only complaint is more of a problem with the DS than the game itself. Scurge requires you to shoot in multiple directions. The D-pad only gives you eight position points. That's acceptable in most battles, but it's not very precise. I can't angle the D-pad to aim exactly where I want, whenever I want. I have to push down and to the corner, and sometimes readjust until Jenosa is lined up with my enemy. It's not a huge problem, but it's one that could've been easily addressed by an analog stick. That, unfortunately, was up to the handheld's manufacturer – not individual game developers.

Gameplay: 8.2
Scurge: Hive is a terrific action/RPG that's a ton of fun to play. Players will be instantly immersed in the shooter-heavy experience, enjoy solving the puzzles, and have a great time exploring the various worlds.

Graphics: 6
Scurge’s graphics are at the quality of an isometric RPG for the SNES. It works well for this style of play, but you should know that the game began its development on the GBA.

Sound: 7.9
Deep, ambient music mixed with the sounds of a 16-bit action game.

Difficulty: Medium
Unless you cheapen the difficulty by leveling up, Scurge’s enemies should provide quite a challenge to most players.

Concept: 7.5
Not entirely original, but still one of the most exciting action/RPGs around. I urge every Zelda and Metroid fan to play Scurge.

Overall: 8
One part action, one part RPG. One part Metroid, one part Zelda, one part reminiscent of the PSone era. Technically this is a GBA title, and unfortunately does not take advantage of everything the DS has to offer. But that doesn’t prevent the game from blasting through. Scurge: Hive dives into the world of isometric action/RPGs, delivering an experience of intelligent puzzles, thrilling action, and monumental entertainment.