Evolve (Alpha)
Set in the distant future where humans have long outgrown their years with Mother Earth, Evolve starts off with the same Sci-Fi setting as so many other futuristic action games and novels. In search of land and resources, humanity turns its gaze on Shear, a planet with lush vegetation and many species of wildlife. Yet unlike James Cameron’s Avatar, some of Shear’s natives are not quite as submissive as the Na’vi. There are monsters on the loose and it’s your job as part of an elite hunter squad to head down and wipe them out, before the monster gets big enough to wipe you out. While the “big alpha” is only for online play, the actual game will feature a single player campaign that will presumably advance the plot, which is only hinted at during inter-character dialogue in the alpha.
The game places 5 people into a lobby and allocates them a class based on their preferences: monster, assault, medic, trapper or support. Within each class are multiple characters who have different play styles and abilities. I prefer the medic, specifically Val, a battle hardened woman who is far more than just a white mage donning out HP. Val is a sniper who uses her range to shoot tranquilliser darts, helping the team both see and catch up to the monster. Once the rest of the team is in range, she can quickly swap to her armour piercing sniper rifle, bringing up silver bull’s-eyes for the rest of the team to target and deal bonus damage. Her other 2 abilities are both for healing, one short and the other long ranged. Others may prefer Hank, a support whose abilities range from shielding units from impending damage or simply calling down airstrikes for massive damage on an unsuspecting monster. No matter who you choose, every character has enough diversity and importance that none feel redundant or boring – a testament to the game’s great design.
Teamwork in Evolve is very much a double-edged sword. Every member of the team is vital to hunting down the monster, and if even one member cocks up, you could easily lose. The monster wins either by wiping out the entire squad of hunters, or by destroying a particular objective, such as a power plant. Without a medic to constantly heal everyone and slow down the enemy monster, you could never get up close and personal with him. Without a trapper, the monster can simply leap away at low health, feast and heal up. Without an assault, no matter how good your team is, it will lacks the damage needed for killing the monster. The monster, on the other hand, needs to capitalise on the flaws in the enemy’s teamwork, stealthily picking off stragglers. In a way, Evolve is very similar to League of Legends, which raises a question: What sort of community will play this game? Will we have another community of flamers? Turtle Rock Studios have implemented a push-to-talk in-game voice chat system so players wanting to rage will have to do it verbally, without that sense of anonymity that the Internet brings. Furthermore, while text chat is available, the game is too fast paced to allow someone to stand and type out messages.
Sadly, Evolve’s strategy is a little linear. The longer the game goes on, the stronger the monster becomes. While the monster is only at stage 1 the game is very much akin to hide and seek, where the Monster stealthily hides from both the native animals and the hunters, never staying still for too long. At stage 3, however, hide and seek becomes seek and destroy. as the monster now packs enough wipe out the entire hunter squad without any problems. Nonetheless, only one monster character (the Goliath) is currently available for play. Perhaps with the release of other monsters, such as the Kraken, the meta will change. Personally, I would love to see a monster that utilises stealth, swiftly picking off the hunters before disappearing into the darkness once more.
The monster’s ability to hide from the Hunters is aided by the dark ambience of the game; the natural movement of the plants and animals help to mask the monster’s presence. Hunters have the ability to ping the location of anything they spot. The trouble however is spotting the monster in the first place. Evolve’s maps are extremely well made – utilising the 4th gen CryEngine to maximum effect – for example, the monster’s footprints are visible throughout the map and following them can lead you right to the monster… Or perhaps a trap. Each map contains multiple environments, from large open areas, to small hills that the monster can easily duck behind – as well as manmade, maze like structures that a human can use to hide and ambush the monster. Sadly, the importance of listening for the monster’s iconic, low growl means that music plays a relatively small part to the experience. As a result, the well made soundtrack is likely going to be under-appreciated.
Evolve is a fantastic game that forces players to actually utilise teamwork, while removing the raging and trolling that often comes with the anonymity of the internet. With each instance lasting from 5 to 45 minutes, the game can always have an unexpected twist. Whether you prefer playing as a Hunter or the monster, there is a dynamic mind-game between the two. Sometimes, the obvious route isn’t the best option. The versatility of the map allows for highly advanced strategy from both sides. This game may still be in its Alpha, however, I am avidly looking forward to the full release, featuring a single player campaign as well as a greater range of Hunters and monsters.
