Clive Barker's Jericho (2007)

I think Clive Barker’s Jericho is a very underrated game. True, it is all over the place, linear and repetitive, but the story, mechanics, graphics and gruesome character designs are great and still hold up today in my humble opinion.

The story of Jericho revolves around The Firstborn, who is freed by an abomination called Arnold Leach, a former General of the US DOW department. The Firstborn is an all-powerful being that, when unleashed, can destroy the world.

The special Jericho squad is summoned to enter the breached prison of the Firstborn, in an attempt to seal it. In the prison, they are warped through different time periods, each with their own horrors and psychological torment. The commander of the Jericho squad is killed by Arnold Leach, but remains a spirit, being able to take over squad mates by possessing them.

The squad eventually reach the Firstborn and fight him, rather than sealing him away again. With their special abilities, they eventually win and save the day.

In terms of gameplay, you control a squad of seven members, switching to another if so desired with the click of a button. Each squad member has its own fighting style and special abilities. Switching between the different abilities in your team can mean winning or losing sometimes. With your team, you make your way through the gruesome environments of the Firstborn prison, going through the twisted versions of the Second World War, the medieval crusades, and the ancient Roman times.

The graphics are still beautiful. They are dark and depressing, perfectly fitting for this game. The animations and First Person perspective with the smooth framerate made a big impression on me back when I played the game.

The sound is creepy and disturbing. The gunfire is fine, so is the voice acting, and the crying and wretched sounds enemies make really makes you feel uncomfortable.

The controls, interfaces and mechanics are easy to understand and work well. You have your primary fire, alternate fire, abilities, squad orders and switch mechanics by pointing at the desired character and press a button. Easy, simple and functional.

A complaint with this game is the AI of your teammates. In a game like this, this should be on point, but the AI is so incredibly stupid sometimes, that you are busy reviving everyone all the time, instead of killing enemies yourself.

Another complaint is the repetitive nature of the enemies. The environments change and provide enough variation in terms of atmosphere, but the enemies are constantly recycled throughout levels. It is always the same enemies, with some time period-specific ones added here and there.

The game is linear, which is okay for me, but it has tight corridors without much space to run around or take cover. There are also no alternate paths to approach enemies from another angle. Lastly, it has traditional kill walls, in which you cannot proceed further until you kill every soul in sight.

In the end, I think Clive Barker’s Jericho is a great game, just not the all-time classic that I hoped it would be.