Evolve is out now for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC from Turtle Rock Studios – the team that created Left 4 Dead.  Evolve is a fast-paced science fiction action shooter that adds something new to the realm of gaming.  It has a unique 4v1 gameplay system in which you and three other friends can team up to fight off a giant monster or you can flip things around and play as a monster against your 4 friends.

Originally I imagined Evolve to be a multiplayer online only experience but it turns out that single player is there and just as fun.  There’s even sort of a single player campaign mode called Evacuation where you take on different challenges – witness varying cut scenes and the outcome of the matches determine how the balance of power will shift or not – not far from Shadow of Mordor‘s ‘Nemesis System’.

Like most modern games – you start off with a simple squad of different capabilities like Assault, Medic, Support and Trapper.  Each class has upgrades and if you are playing single-player you can swap on the fly between troops.  The monsters in the game also have upgrades and different classes like Goliath, Kraken and Wraith – each with their own special brand of destruction.

PROS:

  • Jet packs – all games with military and tech involved should have ’em!
  • Sweet graphics and pretty fluid (on the PS4).
  • Monster designs – some are definitely inspired from the aliens in Pitch Black others may remind you of the classic arcade game Rampage.
  • Fast gameplay – generally you’ll be in a firefight, hunt or retreat within a short time span.
  • The action is pretty frantic and you’ll feel the blood pumping as you lay into the monster (or evade their attacks).

CONS:

  • No melee combat for the Hunters? Monsters have ’em though.
  • Screen/display way too busy – hard to absorb all the information at once
  • No sound ques for when special weapons/abilities recharge — who wants to continuously look up on screen to check status?
  • Fighting as a monster – not quite as fun as you may think because the humans are so tiny – would have preferred a more even perspective.
  • Too much on the loading screens – never have a loading screen then show a cut scene then another loading screen – takes you out of the narrative.

So is Evolve amazing and the ‘next best amazing next-gen title to drop in 2015’….. not so much.  But it is a crazy fun ride and most likely will retain an audience over the next couple of months as people pick up the game and figure out some of the nuances in working together as a team and traits to upgrade.

Evolve Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaKHWQJgAtg