Re-leash the Beast
The day I Am Your Beast released, I was walking the trails of the woods with my dog, when I noticed a nest, filled with baby birds, had fallen off the branch it had been resting on. My dog was the first to notice, sniffing around the poor fledglings, causing those that could to flutter a few feet away. As I collected the birds to place back into their nest, their mother was constantly swooping in and out, trying to stop me from harassing the children. After a few minutes, I managed to place the nest in a safe holding spot nearby and got everyone back inside. Feeling pretty good about what we had done, my dog and I made our way back home. Over the last few days, I've gone and checked on those birds, they all seem happy and healthy.
It is nothing more than coincidence or happenstance that I found those birds, much like it was only by coincidence that I found this game, or by happenstance that the game itself starts off with our character, Harding, stumbling upon some soldiers who had just killed an innocent bird. Sometimes, random events can lead to big changes in our lives. For Harding, it not only created a whirlwind of death and destruction, but also a journey of healing and friendship.
Publisher: Strange Scaffold, Frosty Pop Developer: Strange Scaffold Platform: Played on PC Availability: Released September 10, 2024 on Steam. |
I Am Your Beast is the latest game from indie developer Strange Scaffold, creators of titles such as Clickholding and El Paso, Elsewhere. This entry, however, might be their most exciting yet. As a high-energy first person shooter, I Am Your Beast combines brutal action with ruthless efficiency to create a wonderfully frenetic experience. I often found myself on the edge of my seat, trying to scrape time off each bite-sized mission, aiming for my best score yet. The basics are this: each level is a short excursion with an objective (kill guys, reach a destination, etc), you receive a grade score based on the time it takes to complete a level, and there are bonus objectives in each level. Your "time” can be reduced through killing enemies, with different methods offering different time bonuses.
Getting through the story levels the first time is always easy enough - there's very rarely a need to be exacting in your methods in the first go. But the real meat of the game comes from replaying the levels and trying to sand off the edges of your run. Getting that S rank can often be a real test of not only your skill, but your patience as well. Luckily, there's no real randomness to these levels - enemies, equipment, and objectives are always in the same place. So, the onus lies on you to find the best route and rack up your score where you can, using the tools at your disposal. There are also challenge levels that offer some fun scenarios outside of the scope of the story. I did not complete all of the available challenges in my time with the game, but the ones I played were just as fun and exciting as everything we got in the story experience. Strange Scaffold has made some promises to add content to the game, so if you enjoy what is here already, it feels pretty safe to say you're in for even more frenzied fun down the line.
Beyond the core gameplay loop itself, there remains a lot to love about this game. Something as simple as the hitstun/ brief stoppage when you land a headshot can really add to the experience. In many ways, the little flourishes in animation and sound that happen as you race through a level elevate the totality of the experience. There's just such a POP to everything going on here that I could help but laugh as I blew up a helicopter, or rocketed a group of agents unaware of my presence, watching them disperse into bits. I Am Your Beast always remains a visceral, merciless barrage of bullets and blood at hyperspeed, and I am enthralled by every moment. Each design choice feels like the right one, every ounce of this game belies a clarity of purpose in form and function. From the placement of items or objectives, to the way the colors blend or contrast, there's a real deliberate effort to make everything you need discernable.
The music in I Am Your Beast is probably not its high point, but it is very good, nonetheless. Each track fits the moods the story or scenarios intend to create. High-energy sounds for those fast paced levels, somber or tense tones when needed. I would say that it serves its purpose well, but I didn't come away with any particular sounds that stuck with me beyond my time in game. There is a lot going for the game in other sound design aspects, however. Every shot from my gun, or barrel explosion, or leap from a tree was accentuated by what the sound design team put in place.
I Am Your Beast also has a story, but I fear it is pretty barebones. The player character, Harding, is once again called to action by his former boss, but Harding declines. This sets in motion a plot revolving around Harding's former boss trying to rope him back into the fold, and Harding battling his commander's guerrilla army in avoidance of that. While there not be much going on in terms of storytelling, they really deliver on the other aspects of the scenes. The voicework and writing is exemplary, both in the cutscenes themselves and beyond. In the story scenes particularly, we are given a great range of emotions, all delivered well, and the dialogue just feels so natural. In the missions themselves, we are treated to so many laugh-out-loud one-liners, I found myself smiling even when I was struggling with the mission itself.
An assortment of deadly encounters await you in the missions and challenges I Am Your Beast provides.
And so, I guess that leaves us with another question: If the story of I Am Your Beast is so thin, and the game doesn't seem to be saying much at all - is it still an artistic experience worth having? I'm here to tell you, yes. I Am Your Beast is pure art. This game made me feel joy, anxiety, excitement, and even frustration. Not every game, movie, or song has to have a deeper meaning to be worthwhile. Sometimes, it's good enough to just bust some heads, and, much like my experience with the birds, sometimes you just come away feeling like you were really good today.
They lived.
Verdict I Am Your Beast is a visceral, exciting, and often silly first-person shooter that is worth every bit of your time and then some. Responsive controls, a unique visual flair, and an enthralling pace create a joyous experience that gives you just as much as you are willing to put into it. The game has a simple design that leaves something to be desired in terms of narrative and music, but make no mistake – these short form excursions are wildly entertaining.  |
Image Credits: Strange Scaffold and Taylor Rioux
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