It's tough to explain some games. Halo is about Space Marines. Simple enough. Red Dead Redemption: cowboys. But E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy, the new quasi shooter/RPG from French developer Streum On Studio? Now that's not so easy to explain. The game is a mix of ideas, some of which work and some don't, but above all you can't deny that the game is a solid shooter that refuses to take you by the hand - it pushes you in and hopes you can keep up. If you can, you'll have a memorable experience, even if you don't quite know what's going on.

Do me a favor, put on something you like, your favorite movie, song or game. Now turn off the lights and spin in circles for about five straight minutes. Feel that? That's pretty much what it feels like to play E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy; you know there's something you really like going on, it's just a bit hard to figure it out. Here's what I think the game's about, two factions are feuding, and it's your job to take out the other. Things aren't so easy though as your own faction is in the middle of its own problems and seems ready to erupt with tension. Oh, and you shoot people.

"The game has a very strong RPG element to it..."

The first thing you'll do in E.Y.E. is create your character featuring a number of customizable skills. The game has a very strong RPG element to it, but these aspects of the game aren't thought out as well as they could be. You're asked to make decisions about the direction of your character when you have literally no idea just what each stat really does. Yes, it's cool to eventually turn into a weapons expert, or a master gunner, but you have almost no direction as to how to do this. Does it encourage multiple playthroughs? Sure, but it can also be really frustrating.

The core shooting mechanics of E.Y.E. are incredibly stellar, more so than you think they'd be for a game like this. The different weapons feel appropriately weighted and fun to shoot and plus, they make for some pretty cool gory moments. Perhaps it's just me, but I was pretty much ecstatic when I found out that the game lets you lean. It's small, but a very welcome addition. In addition to your weapons, you'll have the ability to use different psychic abilities to take out your enemies. While these can be pretty cool and range from the normal telekinesis to cool new ideas like being able to clone yourself, they too are not as well thought out as they should be. The first problem is that you're never really told how to use these powers, sure there's text to read, but it's so uninviting and the menus are clunky that you're not going to want to spend much time with them.

"...easy to get lost in thanks to the game's terrible pathfinding issues."

The maps in E.Y.E. are quite large and a bit too easy to get lost in thanks to the game's terrible pathfinding issues. It's quite common to find yourself lost in a section which is a bit of a problem since the game has absolutely no idea how difficult it wants to be. One playthrough you'll breeze through rather easy and the next it will be unforgiving and hard. You'll be able to change the difficulty a bit in the options menu, but the game still has a mind of its own, a cold, callous and sinister mind of its own.

Most modern day shooters have a clear direction of what's going on -- E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy does not. It's a gigantic ball of ideas, some that work and some that don't. If you're able to put up with these weird aspects, you'll find a shooter that's better than it should be, just expect a headache if you try to figure out the plot.