You need to put time into Evolve in order to truly appreciate it.
That’s perhaps why opinions, while positive, seemed mixed at the game's release two months ago. If you play a couple of rounds of Evolve you feel like you already get it- four hunters, one monster, a hunt. It's fairly simple. You might have even had a bad first experience or two, with a match ending almost immediately due to someone not knowing how to control the monster, or one going on forever thanks to someone that knew just what to do and how to hide until he evolved to his final form.
But play for a few dozen hours, level up just as many, and you'll see how deep this game really is. The vast amount of strategy that goes into picking a team isn't immediately obvious; nor do you realize how satisfying it is that nearly everything you do in the game gives you experience towards new characters and perks, so that you always feel like you’re accomplishing something.
After two months of play, we’re convinced that this is one of the best multiplayer games you can currently play, but certainly not one without major issues that sorely need fixing if the community is to stay with it for months (and potentially years) to come.
The biggest challenge? A lack of content, and thus, variety. It seems silly if you take a look at the numbers for the base game- 12 hunters, three monsters, 12 maps, a bajillion skins - what more could you possible ask for?
Well, take the maps. There's an an astonishing lack of differentiation between them, the bland environments lacking any sort of personality. A few have areas that make them stand out but the wide-open nature of most of them means that they're fairly interchangable. It's something that they've thankfully amended with the two free new maps (currently available on Xbox One, coming to PS4 and PC later this month), which offer underground environments and such that offer a complete new feel, but we could have used much more varied environments from out the gate.
Fortunately, they have promised that every new map added to the game will be free.
And while the game was promoted via its main Hunt mode, which sees four players teaming up to take down one monster that can evolve into a massive, unstoppable force, you’ll usually stay away from this mode unless you’re just looking for a quick match.
Evacuation mode is what you will spend all your time playing, and it’s really where Evolve is at its best. You’ll play through a number of levels one after the other, from one of four game modes- Hunt, Nest, Rescue, and Defend. Evacuation always starts with a Hunt match and ends with Defend, which is a thrilling all-out monster attack on a base. Each of these modes are fun on their own but the lack of variety here is a killer. Most groups seem to avoid Rescue missions at any cost, since they can be frustrating for the hunting team, which leaves you with quick Nest modes to break up the Hunt and Defend bookends of the mode. They really, really need new game modes to change things up.
That said, the core gameplay is untouchable, and no matter your preference of character you can have fun with no matter who you choose. It really was a stroke of brilliance to give each hunter their own loadout. Unlike in other games where you choose whoever looks the coolest and fixing them up with your favorite weapons, each character here comes with their own unique skills and weapons, and use in the team. While you will require the aid of each class, certain hunters of each class are better prepared for different games modes- some more adept at hunting or defending, for instance. Maggie is the Tracker you pick if you’re hunting a monster, but her pet trapjaw Daisy is almost useless when defending the base. As you play through each character and unlock new ones you get a feel for the uses of each one, and how they fit into the team.
While squabbles over the price of new content is understandable, the recent release of the first round of DLC (consisting of four new characters and one new monster) shows that Evolve can keep well, changing (what did you think I was going to say?) and going well into the future, even if it will cost you. And truly, it will need to. The weekend challenges are a great idea to keep people playing, since Turtle Rock seems to have no shortage of new skins, but new modes and levels are sorely needed.
There’s also the fact that we have almost no connection to Evolve’s story. Yes, it's understood that these are mercs being sent down to the world to do a single, simple job, but we barely know or care anything about them. In Left 4 Dead you really got a feel for these characters, grew to knew and respect them and even care for them the more you played with them, hearing little snippets from their lives with each game. It's why The Passing DLC was so effective- one of our main characters dying actually meant something!
Here, after dozens of hours spent playing Evolve, I’ve learned more from reading the Art of Evolve book than I have in the actual game. I still wouldn't have known that the monsters were as alien to the planet Shear as the humans are, for instance, and the only backstory these characters generally get is during the match's opening sequence that sees hunters jumping down to the world, and even that is oft-repeated. Monsters get nothing. This world is nowhere near as fascinating or original as Turtle Rock seemed to have hoped, and although the flora and fauna certainly have their own unique look you have no real connection to this world, other than the fact that you want to get the hell away from it.
Some semblance of a story, some sort of new content that provides you with a motive to do what you're doing and care about it- that could be what Evolve needs to (ahem) take it to the next level.
It's a shame it didn't ship with all of this but games being what they are today all of these things can certainly be added on, since the core gameplay is so damn addictive and entertaining. And it really is- there's still nothing like having that perfect team where everyone knows what they're doing and assists each other accordingly, and on the flip side it's so much fun when you get to level up that monster and truly cause chaos.
4v1 is proven to work, so let's see where Turtle Rock can take Evolve in the months to come. We'll still be playing.
