Evolve Stage 2 (PC) Review

Evolve lives up to its name.

When it first came out in 2015, Evolve was a fairly controversial game. This was mainly due to the fact that the amount of DLC and microtransactions the game had was nothing short of absurd. Turtle Rock was more focused on advertising the DLC than the game itself, which cost even more than the game. As a result, even though the game got good reviews, consumers panned it and left its servers empty. However, the game was recently retooled as a F2P game with major gameplay changes. The question to ask now is will Evolve Stage 2 be good enough to have more staying power?

What’s it about?

Evolve’s story is rather simple and mainly used for background flavoring. It’s set in the future on a frontier planet called Shear, which humanity has colonized. Giant monsters have emerged from nowhere and are attacking human settlements with intelligent ferocity. Hunters have been called in to deal with the monsters and defend the settlements. That’s about it really.

The monsters have little personality outside of their appearance and their attacks, but the
hunters are more colorful. They have personalities that, while not complex, are identifiable and enjoyable. There are nice character building moments before the start of each match. Hunters not only have unique conversations with each other, but we see their lockers with each hunter having marked their property in their own unique way. Added in with most of them being amusing in one way or another, they all manage to be fairly likable.

How does it work?

The gameplay, though, is where the meat of Evolve is. Initially it had a single player mode, but that no longer is present, making it purely multiplayer. Matches are a four versus one affair, with four hunters facing one monster. Each match consists of the monster attempting to eat wildlife to grow stronger while evading the hunters, and the hunters trying to hunt down and kill the monsters. The match ends when one side is dead, the timer runs out, or the monster destroys the generator.

The monster plays from a first person perspective, and initially plays the role of the hunted. The monster’s goal is to kill and eat as many native animals as possible. The monster gains armor with every meal, and once enough prey are killed, it can evolve. When it evolves, it grows much stronger and is more well equipped to fight the hunters. Upon reaching stage three, with it starting at stage one, the monster goes on the offensive. It is given a generator to destroy, and the hunters are forced to defend it from a much more powerful foe than they started with.

The hunters, on the other hand, are split into four groups. Assault, which focuses on dealing damage, support, which buffs allies, medic, which heals, and trapper, which tracks the monster and slows it down. They chase after the monster while it feeds, and trap it in a deployable dome when they find it. Once the dome is up, they need to kill it the monster can escape and feed again. It’s in the hunters best interest to kill the monster before it can evolve and becomes too much to handle.

How does it feel?

The gameplay is a good, fast paced, adrenaline rush. Both sides are constantly moving and the pressure is usually high. The monster is worried that each moment wasted brings the hunters closer, and the hunters are worried that each second they don’t find the monster, it grows stronger. The fights are even better, being outright chaotic as the monster rampages around the dome. The hunters ducking and weaving as they whittle it down, making sure it doesn’t break their formation.

The part where the game truly shines and comes onto its own is how different each side feels. It’s a good example of asymmetrical multiplayer and how it can work. The hunters and the monster couldn’t feel more different, with the hunters relying on each other and the monster being more of a lone wolf. It even goes to the point where the hunters are first person and the monster is third person.

There are a good variety of characters to choose from, hunter and monster. There are around half a dozen monsters and just as many hunters for each class. Each of them has their own unique set of abilities and looks, making them feel unique. Even if they fit into similar roles. Although the Behemoth monster is currently not available, as it is being worked on. Four hunters and one monster are available for free a week, and all can be unlocked with in game currency. The prices are high, but manageable.

A noticeable part of the new Evolve is the dedicated support system. Skins, monsters and hunters could not be bought before, and now that they can, there’s a lot of ways to earn money. Leveling up, completing challenges, and daily sign ins, the latter sometimes even rewarding characters. Oddly enough, there aren’t microtransactions to buy the in game currency (yet), which is usually the norm for F2P games. After the massive DLC pushing, this is a very welcome change.

What’s wrong with it?

The game is not without problems though. One common complaint about the first version is still prominent here. There is only one game mode, and it can quickly become repetitive. It is fun, but there are only so many ways the hunter vs monster mode can go down. There are some variants if there are different monsters, but the core game is still the same. More modes would go a long way to giving the game more staying power.

Another problem with the game’s is that the matches rarely goes to stage three. The monster feels a little too powerful, as even at stage one it can score a victory. To be fair, this might be because of how new most of the players are. The hunters require a large amount of coordination, needing four skilled players while the monster only needs one. And even if the hunters come out on top, games rarely go beyond stage two. Perhaps this will change as the players grow more skilled. If not, Turtle Rock may wish to look into rebalancing the game.

Conclusion?

Evolve Stage Two has billed itself as a beta, and that’s probably for the best. The game is accessible and a heck of a lot of fun, being much more user friendly this time around. It needs work though, the game can still get repetitive and matches can be too short. Fun as it may be, Turtle Rock needs a way to give it staying power. They also need to appease the players who actually payed for the original game. I honestly hope they do find a way. In the meantime, while not perfect, Evolve is more than worth checking out.