Jak & Daxter. Jak & Dax. Jaxter. Whatever you may want to call it, it's a fun and addicting series. The subtitle of the first game, "The Precursor Legacy", alludes to the Precursors, god-like beings who create the world and the universe around it as well as Precursor orbs which are a kind of rare currency. Kind of.
The series is difficult to tackle because each game seems to exude a different attitude as both the main characters evolve and grow. The first is more innocent with darker undertones as Jak discovers a lot more about Lurkers and time travel than he ever thought he would. While Daxter has to learn how to cope with being turned into an ottsel after falling into a vat of Dark Eco. Eco being a natural gas Jak's village uses as a source of power, with different properties which can be harvested for different uses, like energy or fuel, or say, secret powers.
For the whole of the game Jak doesn't speak and we have to rely on Daxter's witty observations to get a sense of what Jak may be thinking or feeling. Being best friends they are apparently at the stage where they can practically read each other's minds.
Precursor Legacy is more about discovering and unlocking the hidden abilities that Jak has stowed away in his genes and learning more about what kind of world they come from, which comes in handy once you get to the ending and start up the second game (which picks up right where it left off, pretty much).
As you explore our heros' home island, picking up orbs, waking ancient Precursor statues from their slumber, and helping the other villagers with a few problems, you start to pick up more about the real dangers outside of the sleepy island.
The aforementioned Lurkers seem to be a problem on the next island over and unfortunately you are directed there to help out an artist who lost his muse. His muse being a cute monkey-cat-like creature with magical qualities. Exploring this second, more darker and mistier island uncovers a lot of secrets and also reveals the antagonists of the game.
Not that I'm usually concerned with spoilers but in this instance I would like to keep the identities of the main villains a secret for now, as it adds a lot to the overall story and gives more depth to the game. Let's just say they are not nice people (elves?).
Near the end there's an epic battle with you and Daxter against lurkers, and eco-spewing contraption, and gravity. It was really tough to get a hang of it when I first played and sometimes there's this little panic you get when you know there's a silent countdown going on and you're trying to make it to your goal. When you defeat the foes and save the eco well from being misused, you are rewarded with a rather nice, yet curious, cutscene that just leaves you with more questions. But in a good way.
All those questions and more are answered as soon as you start Jak 2, which was a smart move for Naughty Dog to make for those of us who picked up the games a little late and bought them all at once!
This game, with all it's little flaws and nuances, is more enjoyable than people may expect given the cartoonish look of the characters and their environments. But don't let the cover fool you, inside is the beginnings of something bigger and, dare I say, epic.
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