Evolve has been practically dead for 2 years. Cortyn has ventured into the 4vs1 adventure once again – and misses the game immensely.
Do you remember Evolve? Yes, exactly. The asymmetrical “one monster against 4 hunters” game that was one of the big AAA titles of 2015 – and was ice cold crashed. After the Free2Play switch, development was halted, even though the game is still accessible today.
Evolve had many flaws. The marketing from 2k was a disaster and made the game appear as if it were “DLC – The Game,” even though it never was. The transition to a Free2Play model and listening to “screamers” regarding feedback was also not a wise move.
And yet, in my eyes, Evolve is the best game ever developed. Never has there been gameplay that captivated me so much. Evolve was new. It was more than the usual slurry of games. It was not the twentieth clone of a proven game principle. It was not the tenth “battle royale” or the seventh Minecraft copy. It was a new concept, a completely new gaming experience. It was bold. And it was good!
Evolve was the purest of power fantasies
Evolve allowed players to live out power fantasies as monsters without limits. In the asymmetrical world of Evolve, being a monster was a real threat – a force that you faced hopelessly alone. Compared to games like Dead by Daylight, where the killer can be held back by a single opponent for minutes, the balance of power in Evolve was right. Together, you were strong; alone, you were not.
Yet this very situation meant that hunters could only succeed if they acted as a team, communicated with each other, and planned strategies; in other words: If you had 3 friends playing together. Anyone wanting to succeed as a “solo hunter” in Evolve could not do that.
By now, Evolve has faded into obscurity. The player numbers on Steam fluctuate somewhere between 100 and 500. Finding a lobby can sometimes take a good half hour.
Nevertheless, Evolve exerts such a pull on me that I still have it open at this moment, hoping that four hunters will emerge to pay my little Wraith a visit.
Individual newcomers are still checking out Evolve
Thanks to the Free2Play switch, there are still a few souls wandering into this game now and then. Just today, I encountered at least two dozen newcomers who hadn’t played their hunter past level 3 – which was evident in their gameplay. To prevent scaring them away right off the bat, I offered them an “exciting match” – a one-time beginner bonus.
Even now, nearly 3 years after the release, I still consider Evolve to be the greatest and most intense game I’ve ever had the chance to play. Those who have the time and bring along a few friends should still take a look at the game today – because even though it’s dead, the game looks pretty nice when a lobby is found.
I believe it truly makes me sad that most players never gave Evolve a fair chance and didn’t just spend 1-2 hours engaging intensively with the game. Most players simply don’t know that they should be missing Evolve.
What is your opinion on Evolve? Have you checked it out again in the last years?
