12th Feb: A new policy is being put in place for TRS threads: If there is no evidence provided in the Opening Post that the page is broken, the thread will be nuked immediately. See Everything You Wanted To Know About Changing Names for what constitutes evidence.
5th Feb: Echo Chamber Season 1 blooper reel on Youtube here
Scurge: Hive is a 2006 action-RPG platform game released simultaneously for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. The gameplay is quite similar to the 2D iterations of the Metroid series, but unlike them uses Isometric Projection.Stop me if any of this sounds familiar. The player takes on the role of Bounty Hunter Jenosa Arma, on assignment from the Confederation. Her mission is to seek out the high security Confederaton Research Lab 56, on planet Inos. 48 hours prior to the start of the game, the base sent out a distress signal. No further contact could be established. Now here's the kicker: the base was designed for the containment and research of a potent infectious life form called the Scurge.The Confeds are reasonably sure that the Scurge has escaped containment and likely infected or killed everyone on base. Therefore, it is stated in the game's introduction/Jenosa's briefing that her mission is one of data retrieval. They've outfitted her with one of the infection-resistant suits used at the base and special energy-projectile gauntlets, as apparently ordinary firearms could be infected by the Scurge.Jenosa arrives in orbit around the planet only to be hit by an unknown type of energy attack from the ground, (Which you learn about later on in the game.) which transfers the infection onto her ship. After the game's first boss fight, her ship's AI, Magellan, informs her that she herself is infected. A new meter appears on your HUD, indicating the level of infection present in Jenosa's body, thus setting up a time limit for the game. Her infection level increases as you play, and if it reaches 100%, will quickly tick away her health. If Jenosa dies in this manner, she transforms into a Scurge host. However, the infection meter is easily reset by visiting a save point.Jenosa flees her ship in an Escape Pod to Inos' surface. What follows is a fun little isometric action-adventure as Jenosa attempts to accomplish her mission and save herself from the Scurge infection.
Scurge: Hive provides examples of:
Abandoned Mine: Area 5, the Mines. No longer actively used, these mines are now overrun with native monsters.
Abnormal Ammo: In addition to your standard energy blast, Jenosa's gauntlets can be upgraded to project fireballs, electromagnetic pulses, and "dissipator" blasts.
After Boss Recovery: Upon defeating a boss, you are rewarded with a large purple blob that confers fully restored health and a generous portion of experience, as well as permanently increasing your energy restoration rate.
And Your Reward Is Clothes: For completing the game once, you are rewarded with the ability to choose from a variety of recolors for Jenosa.
Apocalyptic Log: The first few messages you find are about business as usual at the base, frequently mentioning an upgrade you will soon acquire. However, you soon come across logs made by scientists and security personnel hiding out from the Scurge, in increasing states of fear and despair. One log was left by a man who says that the infection containment system in his suit has failed. He says he will try to use his remaining hours of consciousness to delay the Scurge's escape from Inos.
Arm Cannon: Two, built into Jenosa's gauntlets. Though she only ever appears to be firing one of them.
Bad Ass: Hey, you would be too if you fought your way through a government research base crawling with hostile infected life forms, whilst coming near to succumbing to that same infection far too many times.
Beyond the Impossible: Did you think Normal mode was challenging? Try Hard or Insane.
Body Horror: The Scurge has visibly mutated some creatures. Once the infection takes control, you lose all cognitive ability and become a slave to The Source.
Boss Arena Recovery: A few bosses spawn lesser enemies you can kill for health.
Broken Bridge: Many areas are inaccessible to the player until after Jenosa acquires a given upgrade.
Building Swing: Well, cliff swinging, really. Jenosa's magnetic tether receives a grappler upgrade, allowing her to use specific grapple points to slingshot across longer gaps.
Bullet Time: Courtesy of the Adrenaline Booster upgrade. Used to negotiate areas of falling rocks and to complete some of the timed challenges.
Character Level: Jenosa gains experience by picking up green globules of biomatter left behind by defeated foes. Leveling up confers a higher maximum HP and increased damage from her projectiles.
Copy And Paste Environments: Somewhat. There are a handful of scenery sets made up of predefined components. (Every area has the same doors) There's enough to appear somewhat samey, but not enough to annoy the average player.
Critical Annoyance: Two different types. One is the standard low-life beep when Jenosa's health runs low, the other is a heartbeat sound that begins at 60% infection, then gets much faster at 90%. Quick, get to a Save Point!
Determinator: Jenosa isn't about to let a little thing like a mind-eating virus stop her.
Doppleganger Attack: The Source's final form summons up to three duplicates to attack you, but these duplicates are of Jenosa rather then the boss. It is vital you destroy these duplicates quickly, if all three are around long enough The Source can use it's most powerful attack and drain a significant portion of your health.
Double Jump: Possible, with the aid of an upgrade.
Down the Drain: The Ransol Factory complex has areas of water which Jenosa can swim through, and mechanisms to raise and lower the level of said water, necessary to progress through the area. Swimming prevents Jenosa from attacking, but thankfully the time you spend actually in the water is mercifully brief.
Elaborate Underground Base: Portions of the Research Facility are underground. The entire base is maze-like, and the underground areas are no exception.
Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Not the standard fire/ice/lightning arrangement so much as fire/EMP/"dissipation". The mechanic is identical, however. Each type of enemy (biological, mechanical or energy-based) is weak to one weapon, is strengthened and sped up by another, and takes damage equal to the basic shot from the third.
Final Exam Boss: Well, not the final, but the second-to-last boss requires you to constantly change beams to keep dealing maximum damage to him.
Freeze Ray: Though less of a ray then an area-of-effect attack. A purely defensive measure, as the frozen enemies become impervious to attack. They can be dragged onto pressure plates to activate devices in the environment, however.
You can break the ice and hurt the frozen enemy via the combustion beam. This is especially effective on organic enemies.
Fungus Humongous: The Scurge infests whole areas of walls and ground throughout the base. Touching this red Creep-like substance slows you down and causes your infection meter to tick far more rapidly.
Game-Breaking Bug: The boss of the Deadscape Plains, Jormungand, has one nasty bug in addition to the little ones he sends after you. When fighting him, feel free to use the Combustion weapon For Massive Damage, but DO NOT actually deplete his life meter with it, or the game will freeze. Instead, whittle him down with the Combustion beam and then switch to the regular one (just tap the R button) to finish him off.
Genre Savvy: unusually for this type of plot, the Confederation actually shows a lot of competency in the crisis, automatically assuming the worst and outfitting Jenosa with a virus-resistant Powered Armor.
Grappling-Hook Pistol: The magnetic tether, the first upgrade in the game. Used to drag blocks and frozen enemies onto pressure plates and to sling across gaps once you acquire that upgrade.
Guide Dang It: Averted. Unlike Metroid, this game has no missile/health expansions to find and objects you must locate to continue are clearly marked on your map. You do need to find a lot of keycards, but an intermittent beep alerts you whenever you are in the same room as one, and they are not hidden at all. You will typically have as many as you need by the time you reach a locked door.
You might still have to reach for a guide for the harder bosses however, particularly the final ones.
Heroic Mime: Averted. Unlike Samus (Internal monologues not withstanding) and many other sci-fi/horror game protagonists, Jenosa is rather chatty, and a bit sassy to boot.
HP To One: Once the final boss has got three clones protecting it, it starts using one of these attacks; it's undodgeable and you have no way to heal. Your only hope is to kill the clones fast enough that there are never three at once.
Isometric Projection: The game's viewpoint. Looks cool, but can make platforming a pain due to the lack of perspective shifting.
Kill It With Fire: Possible, once the Combustion upgrade is in your possession. Lethal against biological enemies, but only makes mechanicals stronger.
Male Gaze: Every cinematic shot of Jenosa emphasizes the junk in her trunk. Even her sprite emphasizes it.
Non-Standard Game Over: Dying to enemy attacks results in Jenosa collapsing. Dying due to Scurge infection has her melting into a blob of protoplasm before transforming into another Scurge creature.
One Woman Army: Jenosa is one tough cookie, but she probably had little real idea what she was getting into. That didn't stop her, of course.
Save Point: Triply vital, as in addition to saving your game, they refill your health and reset your infection meter. Referred to as sick bays or decontamination platforms in the map and by Magellan, respectively. The first thing to be marked on your map upon entering a new area.
Shifting Sand Land: The Deadscape Plains, though the area lacks many of the features commonly found in such regions. It does, however, have a Sand Worm boss.
Standard Status Effects: Jenosa can be poisoned by several biological-type enemies, turning her a pulsating green. But she takes only trivial damage from this. She can also be immobilized by the spider brains and Jormungand's web-spit.
Teleporters and Transporters: The Transport Nexuses, as well as related smaller teleport pads. The Nexus in each stage must be activated by finding and dragging six Power Nodes into their respective slots.
Timed Mission: The whole game minus the ship introduction and first boss fight, due to your infection meter. Also, the timed shoot-the-targets challenges you must complete to obtain the upgrades. Don't worry, it's much Better Than It Sounds.
Hub Level: The Biocore Complex. Jenosa arrives here upon first crash-landing on Inos and returns to it after every stage, usually using any upgrades she found in that stage to access new areas in Biocore. It also contains the Transport Nexus that transports you to the game's last two boss fights.
The Virus: The titular Scurge, capable of infecting and taking control of not only organic lifeforms, but robots and energy-based beings as well. Controlled by a Hive Mind and capable of learning.
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