QCF: Evolve

Disclaimer: The following review of Evolve is from a press build of the game on PC. Because of the lack of online play with a large amount of players, this review is on the offline mode of the game. There was gameplay online with other players with early access, however because this title will be mainly a game with a online multiplayer focus, the final review score will not factor in the online play. We at Press Pause Radio will revise this review as necessary once the final build of the game has released. Thank you.

urtle Rock Studio’s upcoming shooter Evolve has been creating plenty of buzz since last summer when it won the Best of Show award at E3 as well as the Best of Gamescom award, the only title to win both prestigious accolades. After an alpha test on the various platforms and a beta run on Xbox One, the title is now set to release with it’s interesting concept of four human players playing against a fifth player taking on the role of the enemy boss. The brainchild from the same developers as Left 4 Dead has accomplished the goal in creating a multiplayer experience that has a large amount of recapitulation and depth, but the online component will be what decides if the title can live up to it’s potential.

The battle is set on the planet of Shear, where a group of highly trained hunters are sent to take out an unknown species of mega fauna as they assist in the evacuation of the civilians that are being wiped out.  The player can choose to step into the role of Assault, Trapper, Medic or Support, each having their own special abilities to provide assistance to the other members of the team in combat. Alternatively the opposing side can also be controlled, as the Monster will feed upon wildlife and attack the hunters thus becoming powerful enough to wipe out any hope of survival. A well-formed team of hunters can do some massive damage with a coordinated effort, employing class abilities like the mobile arena and healing burst to ensure that each combatant is able to withstand the monster’s onslaught. However if the monster is able to evolve quickly enough to the third level and its final form, the so-called heroes will become prey to a fire breathing Goliath, an electrified Kraken or the teleporting Wraith.

The game’s menus are separated between the online multiplayer modes and the offline modes. To the benefit of players looking for a purely solo experience, all of the game modes are able to be played sans internet connection with the use of AI controlled bots. The player can also switch roles in battle at any time, or just stick to one class and let the other hunters fend for themselves. This was a good way to improve and learn the mechanics early on, however the lack of human interaction and irregular gameplay took something away from the experience. The real excitement comes from a group of players attempting to take out a monster that is controlled by a human player that can make mistakes, exploit abilities or just be completely unpredictable. That allows the game to stay fresh, one match unable to ever be the same encounter as the previous.

Similar to other multiplayer focused titles such as Titanfall, the game’s “campaign” Evacuation is five missions that are a mixture of the various modes Hunt, Rescue, Nest and then the final mission Defend. The hunters will have five days to save and help evacuate as many survivors as possible before the evac ship leaves. The monster will have to prevent these excursions throughout the five days, and then destroy the generators and refueling of the ship before the survivors have a chance to escape. The difference with Evolve though is that after each win or defeat, the winning side will have a dynamic occurrence happen within the map that will further assist in their battle, such as a hovering ship that can spot out the monster or toxic gas that can slow down and hurt the group of hunters.

Any experience earned through Evacuation will be complied at the end of the defend mission, and a breakdown of all the events will be presented in a battle summary. Sadly for any player looking for a deep and elaborate story with lore and character development that explains the true struggle between humans and the alien monsters they fight, Evolve is not that game.

In my fourteen plus hours with the press build of Evolve, online play was not available at various points of play through. Most of the time played was in offline mode with bots, and in that time if there was one element that I did not enjoy was the sheer amount of time needed to unlock the various hunters and monsters that could be controlled in the game. In order to unlock additional hunters and monsters, the player must first rank with at least one star in mastery of each of the attacks unique to that class. My time was mostly spent with the Assault class, so utilizing the lightning gun and personal shield gained experience much quicker than if I were playing a class I did not enjoy as much and attempting to complete each mastery.

The grind of trying to unlock all the different characters, as well as other in game items like player icons and elite skins for each hunter can add to the longevity of the game and it’s replay value, however it does seem like it could take a long time before things begin to become available.

Then there is the elephant in the room that has been surrounding Evolve for the last few months which is the DLC content that will be available after the launch of the game. I will spare you all any kind of soapbox tirade in this review, as I’m sure that it is nothing that our readers have not heard already but I am glad that Turtle Rock has at least taken a firm stand on their intentions. The developer has guaranteed that all new maps and modes for the game will be free of charge after the game’s launch and that the additional content of new hunters and monsters will not make the game unbalanced or give anyone the option of a pay to win model. Basically the purchase of additional content will be just for players that want cooler looking characters and monsters, with, like sweet flame decals or crazy Team Fortress style hats.

I don’t know I doubt any of that will happen but the main idea is that it is optional and will be a refreshing change of pace for multiplayer games that for the longest time have committed players to purchasing a game twice over in order to get all the content necessary to play with the online community.

As the rest of the world waits for the official release of Evolve, the main thing that the game will need to do in order to be successful is to have an active and unified community of players. Whether it is a group of friends combining their efforts to take down all the worst alien life forms that the universe has to offer, or one monster ripping and chewing through any opposition that stands in its way this title will have all the right mechanics and replay value to keep players continuing the hunt for a long time to come. As the online component begins to grow and emerge we at Press Pause Radio will continue to play along with the community and support this great cooperative multiplayer experience. I’m so glad I didn’t say evolve in that last sentence, I really wanted to but I know I would have hated myself. Oh, the score. Right, sorry about that.