E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy

E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy is an FPS/RPG hybrid developed by the otherwise unknown indie studio 'Streum on Studio' based in France. Hybridized in the style of games like Deus Ex, it is a title that at first glance seems to openly aspire to be as deep and intimidating, yet as versatile as possible. The result is hideously inconsistent in many regards including inadequate enemy AI and an interface that can take some time to get used to in the best case scenario, and yet delivers an experience that doesn't quite qualify as being more than the sum of its parts, but that comes darned close as a rather fully-fledged and flexible experience.

The impenetrable plot of E.Y.E. is just one of the factors that may initially discourage one's entrance into the game. The setting is a dystopian future where humanity's most publicized issue is its war with the 'Metastreumonic Force,' an alien race whose origins are unclear; with the theories ranging from their being mere mutants to being creatures shaped by the negative thoughts and instincts of their opponents. This is not the main subject though, as the game instead focuses on an internal power struggle within the Secreta Secretorum, also known as the titular E.Y.E., a society of elite cybernetically enhanced warriors of which the player is a member.

There is a lot of backstory to absorb, much of which is offered as reading material in-game. The plot suffers from inconsistent delivery and pacing, and a dearth of character development. Most of the focus is set on the two characters representing the opposing ends of the spectrum in E.Y.E.'s internal power struggle: your Mentor and Commander Rimanah, but other than their intentions and tidbits of background information from the main plot’s dialogue, they come across as little more than poster boys for their respective ambitions.

While the lack of character development is a major issue, E.Y.E.'s plot does at times hint at delving into more complex subject matter, such as contemplating the differences between reality and illusion. (This is especially apparent in the handling of the game's multiple endings) The exact mileage the player may get from contemplating these concepts will vary though, as their presentation suffers from many of the same delivery issues as the core plot does in general. There are definitely some interesting details to be seen with E.Y.E.'s overall universe- but they are few and far between if you just stick to the central plot.

The way E.Y.E. effectively asks the player to figure things out on their own does not end with the plot, for E.Y.E. expects you to make your way forward with many of the gameplay elements on your own as well. This is made even more apparent by the fact that the only real tutorial in the game is a collection of in-game videos and a few briefs on the basic controls in the introductory level. For some, this approach will be a major turn off, while others may see it as an open invitation for experimentation with the games many menus.

Before you can do anything in E.Y.E., you must create a character through the insertion of a set number of predefined DNA types the game offers. It is a system that seemingly gives players less control over their initial stats and skills than something like Deus Ex or even non-hybrid RPGs, but at the same time it can in fact prove to be more versatile.

Despite this initial setup, if there is anything E.Y.E. does not completely stumble with in its presentation, it is the game's character development. Flexibility becomes the word of the day once you get used to how the game’s menus are organized, as the options for improving your character are numerous. The effects your stats have in-game range from basic elements you would expect, like improving basic ranged or melee weapon usage, to unlocking psi powers, or expanding the number of devices you can purchase from the Temple, which serves as the central hub of the game. It certainly helps that leveling up in-game occurs rather swiftly throughout the early portions of an initial playthrough, allowing for the versatility of the system to become more easily apparent. The game even allows you to effectively purchase certain stat boosts with money rather than skill points through the cybertech menu, though the options here are a bit more limited than what standard leveling and skill points will eventually allow you to achieve.

You are expected to figure out and experiment with most everything else around the central character development systems on your own, with the game’s research menu being the most isolated. Some of the options presented in that menu are self-explanatory, such as the option to unlock the game's medkit item or certain weapons for yourself. Others aren't so obvious in their purpose until after you've already made the investment. This is especially the case with most of the research packages you find dropped by enemies mid-level. Even with this obtuse outlier though, the emphasis on flexibility in E.Y.E.'s character development can really extend its replay value.

Outside of character development, the player is sent into free-roaming levels that often allow for different courses to the various objectives presented. Some of these objectives have multiple solutions as well, which can alter the course of the mission or even the storyline itself for example, affecting which map you are sent to next. It is a good thing E.Y.E. excels at being entertaining through offering a decent variety of options to get by, because the actual combat may leave some players disappointed.

E.Y.E. plays very much like a traditional FPS with the RPG elements coming to light in a few forms. With all the abilities one can gain through character development, E.Y.E. provides a customizable sphere menu for quick shortcuts to whatever abilities you prefer. Unlike similar systems like the power wheel from Mass Effect though, opening this menu does not slow the game down at all. As a result, combat seems to lean more toward the FPS genre than RPG, more often than not emphasizing quick thinking rather than contemplated decisions. It combines iron sights into a system where critical and failed hits are both present factors.

This results in combat that can feel disturbingly inconsistent, but further inspection can show that E.Y.E. does seem to have at least a partial sense of how it wanted to balance its two disparate genres. The combat is not completely dice-driven. And failed attacks still cause damage, so your own accuracy and weapon selection are more important than the randomness factor. As with so many of E.Y.E.’s other elements; however, the game doesn’t do a terribly good job of introducing or displaying this balance consistently.

There is a decent level of enemy variety ranging from melee monsters and basic soldiers to towering behemoths with chainguns and aerial interceptors highly reminiscent of the hunter-killers from the Terminator franchise. Unfortunately, this variety is hampered by the game’s poor AI and inconsistent feedback. The AI's behavior is extremely simplistic, emphasizing damaging the player by charging at them in a straight line or simply getting a clear shot. With this single minded approach to combat, the AI never seems to actually react to the player’s own movements and attacks. The AI can also act in a cheap manner at times, targeting you from beyond your draw distance with an occasionally disturbing level of accuracy and staring at you when you have a cloak activated (Later patches have made it so both of these don't occur quite as often as they originally did).

E.Y.E. offers a relatively traditional assortment of weapons for players to utilize, ranging from cybernetically enhanced katanas that make enemies explode on contact, to traditional ranged weapons including SMGs, pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, and others. Against human-sized enemies, many of the ranged weapons feel efficient in usage, especially if you have a character leveled specifically for ranged combat. However, there is generally a lack of adequate feedback against the game's larger enemies, sometimes making it tricky to determine how well you are doing against them, or why they can fall so quickly in an unsatisfying manner to sniper rifles. The game’s melee weapons are relatively more consistent than the ranged weapons, as some of them such as the Damocles Katana must be noted for their tendency to make enemies explode and send them flying through the air.

Despite its combat being sub-par, E.Y.E offers many settings and modes for players to access. This includes boons such as E.Y.E.'s implementation of two difficulty sliders that can be changed mid-level rather than just one, with one controlling the strength of the enemies themselves and the other controlling how often groups of them are spawned, and additional single player and multiplayer modes. In single player, maps that have been beaten in the main campaign can be replayed with random sets of secondary objectives for standalone play. Both these standalone missions and the main campaign can be played in co-op as well. Since the game’s character profiles are used for both single and multiplayer, any experience and money gained from multiplayer can be taken back to your own solo playthrough.

No amount of options would change E.Y.E.'s overall graphical quality though. Powered by the long-running Steam engine, E.Y.E. has some decent character models, though they look best when standing still since their animations range from jerky to merely mediocre. Similarly, the particle effects and weapon models of the game can vary greatly from one another in quality. Credit must be given to E.Y.E.’s shockwave effect and sound for landing after a high jump though, as it almost seems to dare the player to improve their character’s jumping capabilities.

The game does have an adequate variety of environments, some of which benefit from a good amount of detail. Once again though, the level of detail tends to vary greatly from level to level, with some of them suffering more from high numbers of low-resolution textures than others. The Mars level is the worst offender by a notable margin, featuring large empty fields and canyons of low-resolution textures and a horrible draw distance.

Unlike the graphics, E.Y.E.’s sound design is relatively consistent, though in a woefully unimpressive manner. The game has no voice acting whatsoever other than the alternate language and grunts that are occasionally used. The game’s music is treated almost in a similar manner, with several of the levels having no music at all. The music that is here generally fits the tone of their respective levels, but isn’t notable otherwise.

Even with its presentation and gameplay being inconsistent on several different levels, E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy is still able to come across with its own style. Its methods with flexibility as an FPS/RPG hybrid are not for everyone, but those who stick with it will undoubtedly notice the Deus Ex-based aspirations the game was aiming for. E.Y.E. may be a far cry from the perfectly honed experience that could have matched, or even exceeded those aspirations, but at least it doesn't let those missed aspirations completely overshadow its own merits.