Almost Meets the Eye

Activision announced at E3 2015 that Platinum would be developing a Transformers game. Platinum’s involvement and the short time between reveal and release made it look like Transformers Devastation would end up like last year’s mediocre Legend of Korra game. Thankfully, Devastation is much more of a hit than a miss.

Transformers Devastation’s story is essentially an extended episode of the ‘80s cartoon. Autobots versus Decepticons, Megatron does evil thing, Optimus Prime kicks some butt, and Starscream acts like a little brat. The usual stuff. It is disappointing that nothing original was done with the story. I do not want a deep plot or character development (though that would be nice), but I did hope that some tropes would be played with. However, the game does set up for a sequel, so maybe a more original story will be told then. But for the here and now, Devastation’s story is paint by the numbers.

While taking the structure of the plot from the animated series was a bad idea, taking the character designs from it was not. I have zero nostalgia for the original series, but I do like the simplicity of the character designs and the cel-shaded graphics add to its cartoon-like quality. The quality of the graphics is less than stellar, but the overall aesthetic does compensate for the quality.

Transformers Devastation is a well executed action-game, but does not offer much beyond its core combat. Platinum games usually have some sort of gimmick that the action is based around, such as Blade Mode in Metal Gear Rising or the sliding in Vanquish, and Devastation lacks a mechanic on that level. Yet, Devastation is still a fun game to play. The light-heavy combo system has many variations that feature some epic animations, plus there are several different weapon types to choose from, both melee and ranged, that handle differently and have different attacks. Combo inputs are the same across each weapon, but the actual attack is dependent on the weapon being used. A light-heavy-light combo will be a unique attack for a sword, hammer, and other weapon types. On normal difficulty, memorizing numerous combos will not be a necessity. I used dual swords and a hammer and only used a fraction of the combo options for most of the game. Granted, I played on normal difficulty, which is the second choice of five different difficulty levels.

There are five playable Autobots in the game: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, and Grimlock. Each character has a special ability mapped onto the left bumper along with an ultimate attack. The special abilities are very unique across each character. For instance, Sideswipe can quickly dash to enemies while Wheeljack uses an energy shield. The ultimate attacks are less varied, as they all boil down to some sort of area-of-effect attack. The special abilities do add some depth into combat, and none of them felt superior or inferior to other ones. Grimlock is probably the most unique character because instead of having a vehicle form, he can transform into a tyrannosaurs rex. Other characters can use a dash in vehicle form, then use the momentum to deliver a powerful punch, but Grimlock is constantly attacking in his robot form and his dinosaur form. Personally, I did not like how Grimlock’s dinosaur form controlled, but I appreciate the choice that is being offered.

As I mentioned before, there are several different weapon types in game and each of these weapons are acquired by loot drops. The undesired loot can be used to power up the desirable ones, which creates a constant sense of progression. It may sound like a simple idea on paper, but the loot did get me excited to fight more enemies on top of the already solid combat system. The interface that is used to upgrade weapons is a little clunky, as is the inventory management of the other characters.

Another progression system that is included, but is not as well executed, is the stat system. Each character has several stats that are leveled up as they are used. It is a neat idea, but I still have no clue what the stats do. There is no indication what they are for, and I could never tell if leveling them up made the game easier. As far as I am concerned, the stats can be completely ignored and it seems like a system that was thrown in without much thought.

Devastation is not a long game; it took me 4 hours and 40 minutes to complete the main story the first time through. The short run time does mean the combat never has the time to become mind numbingly boring, but I do think it deserves mentioning, especially since the game is $49.99 at launch. The multiple difficulties, loot system, and even the mediocre combat system do add some replayability to the game. I intend to go back to the game again eventually, but anyone who plans on playing this once and being done with it, should know about the length.

The Verdict: 7.5 out of 10

Transformers Devastation is not Platinum’s best action game, yet it is not its worst. While the combat is somewhat simple, it is still fun to play, and the loot system gives the game a nice sense of progression. The short run time may deter players, but overall the game is a fun experience, and is easy to recommend to people who have a soft spot for the original Transformer animated series.

For more information about what the score means, check out our official review scale.

Riley Berry is an Associate Writer for MONG who wishes he had been around when Transformers was good. You can follow him on Twitter.