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Scurge has been “nearing release” for what seems like forever. Originally just a Game Boy Advance title (you can still get it on that system if you like), it’s garnered a bit of a cult following amongst internet nerdlings, who love to draw comparisons between it and one of gamedom’s real sacred cows – Metroid.

She-Ra

The comparisons are kind of justified in that you play a lone female running through sprawling alien landscapes, fighting enemies, absorbing their energy, and constantly upgrading your suit’s attack ability. It seems obvious that the developers were influenced at least somewhat by Nintendo’s venerable series.

They didn’t get it totally right, though.

Scurge suffers from one major problem, and it’s something that’s entirely the fault of the game’s design – the isometric viewpoint the developers chose (where the camera is set at a 45 degree angle above each room). It requires you to do a lot of diagonal running and aiming, and the digital control cross on the DS (both the older and the Lite versions) just isn’t up to the task.

The “Scurge” of Adventure

OK, there are two major problems. Scurge has an RPG feel to it, where you have to constantly destroy your various enemies to earn experience points, which in turn builds your levels and allows you to move to more difficult areas. However, you’re also “infected” at the beginning of the game by some sort of degenerative disease that’s constantly growing inside you, only stopping and resetting itself whenever you happen across a save point.

Basically, there’s a time limit on everything you do in Scurge.

Normally, this would be a pain in the butt because time limits in games that are based on exploration are generally annoying. Couple that with the fact that the isometric view and the digital control pad don’t like each other – so you’ll constantly be maneuvering for a decent shot at your enemies or having to re-try jumps over and over and over again – and it’s downright infuriating.

No Cure

Scurge: Hive has a lot going for it. The quest is involving; the graphics are very pretty in a Game Boy Advance kind of way (the dual screen stuff is useless, though); and the selection of weapons you earn makes the combat sufficiently engaging later on the in the game. But the major control issues are a hurdle many gamers won’t want to overcome. They ruin what would be an otherwise fun game.

Article by: Greg Sewart
Video produced by: Tim Jennings