Evolve

Sometimes they succeed and make a hell of a game that people rave about, sometimes they don’t. 2K Games and Turtle-Rock Studios have tried just that with Evolve, a first person shooter mainly aimed for multiplayer gaming but it does have a solo campaign too.

Set on “Shear”, a distant planet which is attacked and overrun with alien monsters. Their desire is for one thing; destroy and eat everything. It’s up to a team of hunters to take them out...as a team. Evolve is entirely multiplayer focused as is the solo modes. Yeah you play alone but the other members of your team are computer controlled, sometimes its better that way.

Only four game modes are available to keep you busy. The main game mode is Hunt, a team of four human hunters play against one player controlling a monster.  The four hunters each have their own role to play; this is where an impressive bit of depth comes in. Medics keep the team alive, Trappers can use their arsenal to keep the monster reachable, Assault tries to kill the monster using heavy weaponry and Support buffs the team. Working together is key which can be troublesome online. There are some numpties out there that think they can Rambo the monster to death going it alone although a lot of the times, games are fun as all players want the same result. Playing as a monster is a game changer. Your powerful and fast with the ability to Assassins Creed climb any terrain. You can attack using flamer breath and rock throw taking out pretty much anything that moves quickly. My issues start here. Your goal as monster is killing and eat the local wildlife to gain the ability to evolve through three stages each making you more powerful. Easier said than done as you are constantly tracked by the player controlled humans. You can’t escape as your footprints are illuminated on their HUD’s and ones that aren’t don’t matter as the Trappers pet Trap jaw, Daisy, is constantly on your tail so staying on the move is a must.

Other game modes are Nest which monsters must protect eggs scattered on the map, Rescue which hunters must locate and revive colonists and monsters have to kill as many as possible and Defend where hunters have to defend power generators against a horde of smaller monsters. They all keep Evolve feeling fresh but there isn’t enough here to maintain interest, maybe add a monster free for all or a hunter team death match? The hunter versus monster premise doesn’t have to be stapled in.

During matches, things like healing a set amount of health or a set amount of damage dealt with the monsters rock throw is recorded and helps with levelling up which in turn unlocks new weapons and characters as only one in each role is unlocked at the start. Although Evolve is a step in a new direction for multiplayer gaming, I still could only play for short stints; there just wasn’t enough in here to keep my interest for long periods.

Pros

Playing as a monster is way different than playing as a hunter.

Tense hunting in Hunt mode on both sides.

Beautiful harsh looking environments.

Gameplay is fantastic fun when playing with a tight knit team...

Cons

...but its stressful as hell when you’re not.

Monster versus hunters only

Very little content

Summary

Turtle Rock Studios have successfully built a game that differs from the multiplayer pack. Only problem is, they didn’t pack enough in here to keep the player playing. Matches are fun and exciting but ultimately pan out the same way. Evolve is not a bad game by a long shot but it’s not a brilliant one either.