Combat Evolved?
Evolve is the latest shooter by Turtle Rock, the team behind the highly successful Left 4 Dead series. This is a very different type of game to working together against hordes of zombies, instead the idea is that 4 players work together against 1 other who is a monster and must defeat it before it becomes too strong. It’s a nice idea and one that is implemented well, but does it have the lasting appeal that you would hope?
It’s hard to tell at this point, Evolve is a good game…when it works. By that I mean, when your team works together and actually communicate with each other, without a headset your chances of success against the monster is slim. Of course, that can play to your advantage if you happen to be playing as the monster and can try and evolve to higher levels with little resistance. It’s really a game of cat and mouse, hunter becoming the hunted and so on. It’s a clever concept and one that works well; I just have doubts wherever gamers will still be playing in the upcoming months, which will cripple the game.
There is a campaign, which you can play solo if you so wish. But as with L4D, it’s so much better with real players. Matches can last anywhere from 10-25 minutes as you either try and hunt down the monster across tough terrains of jungle, or on the flipside try and stay away from the hunters so you can level up to be an unstoppable force against them. There’s also a much better distinction between the character classes than in other shooters, you don’t just fire bullets at the monster, but lay traps, poison grenades and heal your squad depending on your class.
There’s a nice variety of modes to choose from, my only quibble is the lack of choice when it comes to maps. The maps that are there are great and vast, but they do seem to blend in to one another slightly. Visually, the game looks impressive and definitely has the L4D look to it, but some areas look bland while others look superb. It’s a mixed bag sadly, as is the voice-acting.
The Verdict
Evolve is still a “wait and see” when it comes to its potential. Wherever gamers will embrace the 4v1 shooter is still up in the air, but if they do then there’s nothing stopping it from being amazingly addictive. It may not get everything right, but what it does get right sets it apart from other shooters and that makes it one to keep an eye on.
