Game Review: Transformers – Devastation (Playstation 4)
Forged with PlatinumGames’ gift for fast-paced action and mesmerizing art design, TRANSFORMERS: Devastation harnesses the unique abilities of its heroes to convert from robot to vehicle form to extraordinary effect. In this incredibly dynamic, combo-fueled experience, players battle as one of five AUTOBOTS – OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, SIDESWIPE, WHEELJACK and GRIMLOCK. Throughout the game, players unlock new skills, forge new weapons, and augment their characters to battle against the vicious DECEPTICONS, including MEGATRON and the powerful combiner DEVASTATOR.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love Transformers. We’ve seen a slew of Transformers games since the launch of the films that show they can make a really good game based on the franchise as well as a really bad game. Never have we seen a Transformers game quite like this though. This game is a lot closer in look and feel to the 1984 animated series which got my attention as soon as I saw the trailer. I love this look so much mainly because of nostalgia and I’m sure that’s the reason plenty of people are going to be attracted to this. Platinum Games managed to take everything that we love about the original cartoon and apply it to the game even down to the movements of each character. They all shuffle a certain way when they run and when I saw that it was translated perfectly I had to take a moment and really appreciate that small detail.
Gameplay is fairly straight forward with nothing too complex to learn but as far as missions go they are fairly simple. There isn’t anything too challenging to boast about. Sure, the difficulty does escalate throughout the game BUT the dynamic of it is very repetitive and you end up fighting in the same environments multiple times. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s boring though. The main thing that makes this game super enjoyable is the hack and slash aspect and that is definitely something that Platinum Games is really good at. Transforming to vehicle mode and driving around is just as fun as robot mode and switching back and forth between the two is so seamless that it’s practically like you’re watching the animated series.
The plot is typically the same story that we’ve all seen before with the Decepticons trying to take over Earth and turn it into a new Cybertron. It’s nothing really new or shocking but it’s still really neat as far as making you feel nostalgic about the series. I appreciated the fact that they managed to slip in A LOT of Transformers in the story that I love (with most of the original voice cast returning) and some that I forget even existed.
There is no doubt that this game is nothing but fan service but I don’t care one single bit. The casual gamer may enjoy it to a certain degree but may find that it isn’t exceptional. Fans of the franchise however will absolutely LOVE this game without a doubt and it will quench their thirst for the famous G1 Transformers without going the “dark and gritty” route. 6/10
