+ Not as bad as some of the reviews would suggest, great concept, some ok gameplay and storytelling ideas
- Almost every aspect of the game's execution is not as good as it should be, short and repetitive, shallow
Too Human, materialising after 10 years in the void, is a flop. However, the game's premise is an interesting one and deserves some attention, more than its many flaws might suggest. The storyline treats Norse mythology as if it were historical actuality; its setting is a futuristic dystopia, a cold and desolate metropolis threatened by the first signs of Ragnarok. The technology bears some loose relationship to the mythology, such as high-tech versions of melee weapons wielded by 'berserkers' to accompany the usual space marine cliches. Perhaps the most interesting concept of all is Aesir Corp., a corporation run by the Norse Gods which allows them to maintain a competitive advantage against their opponents through cybernetic modification, R&D, etc. Even more odd is how 'cyberspace' is a natural environment that preserves an image of the world as it was before it started to decay thanks to the cyclical running down of historical time suggested by the original myths.
This rather ambitious storyline, little more than sketched out, suggests sweeping ambition and an extensive plotline that does more than simply update Norse mythology but adds some human drama to the mix; it attempts to discuss philosophically the nature of identity and memory via Baldur's flashbacks as well as his split allegiance between his duty as a God and his 'all too human' emotions. The cutscenes in which these story snippets are delivered are probably the most acceptable part of the game. What detracts from them the most is the annoying adolescent machismo of the voice-acting and dialogue for Baldur. In future sequels the 'human interest' story needs to be integrated into the world's universe in a more meaningful way. The difference between being a human and a god could've been subject to some interesting Nietzschean discussion (perhaps the Gods aren't gods, but rather a technological elite of Ubermenschen who rule humanity behind the scenes). One doesn't have much sense of the world beyond the fact that there are Gods and warfare and it's meant to be cool because, hey look, it's Thor.
However, the greatest disappointment is how broken the gameplay is. I believe what Silicon Knights was attempting to achieve was a novel synthesis of various gameplay elements from some very successful franchises. That the game was 10 years in the making is reflected in how disparate these influences are, as if SK attempted to jump on the bandwagon of every industry success. However, in attempting such a synthesis they courted disaster in the attempt to combine too many elements: the simple yet rewarding combat, skill trees, and loot drops of Diablo and WoW-esque MMORPGs, the squad combat and dynamic AI for marines and enemies to be found in Halo, and the twitchy combat of 3rd-person action games along the lines of Devil May Cry or God of War. In addition to all that, 'cyberspace' that can be explored adding an adventure or light puzzle-solving element to break up the combat. In addition, Too Human features some very large-scale environments such as the dynamic yet seemingly unfinished world of Aesir Corp. Very little can actually be done there between missions so it seems rather sterile. Instead of delivering an impressive gameplay experience what results is an incoherent pastiche of genre conventions.
The biggest problem lies in the combat. The controls are unresponsive and delayed. As you attack one enemy you will often be subject to a barrage of ranged attacks from enemies which are (a) hard to hit with ranged weapons because of an auto-lock-on system or (b) waiting out of range if you use melee attacks, which are virtually obligatory because Baldur moves more slowly than almost all of the enemies. If you don't have the right skills or equipment you will find yourself dying again and again with very little to be done to correct things. That there is no way to restore health in the game besides random health drops would be unfortunate if it actually mattered. If you die there is virtually no penalty except equipment degradation, a slap on the wrist. Death is frustrating, punctuated by the notoriously unskippable Valkyrie cutscene, but meaningless and without penalty. Curtailing the player's ability to avoid their imminent death is always an unwise design decision, infinite respawns or no. The greater failure however is that Too Human becomes monotonous despite its incredibly short length. 10 years of development time = a game easily beat in 10-12 hours. The 4 levels are comprised of relentless enemy swarms and a boss with very little variation. By the time the game is completed it will have probably outlasted its welcome.
That the game is short would be acceptable if it actually were a decent Diablo/WoW clone where replayability either online or offline is a factor. That was clearly the idea as you can play through a new game+ with the same character as well as with other players on the 2-3 servers online (when I last played it, I'm going to guess there are none now). Ultimately, whether you derive anything from Too Human is a question of expectation. As I had low expectations and retrieved it from the bargain bin, I got enough entertainment from the experience for it to be construed as mildy enjoyable. The main reason to play this game would be with the hope that the next 2 games in the series will turn things around and do more with some of the very good concepts on display here. Nothing is certain though, as the sequels seem to be up in the air after the horrible showing of the first installment. I hope that this game will not be the last: Too Human has too many potentially good ideas implicitly behind it for it to be entirely bad and forgettable.
