For almost a week, I had the opportunity to thoroughly test Evolve, the latest shooter from Turtle Rock Studios, gather experiences, stomp hunters into the ground, and to be defeated just as often.
Evolve has embraced the principle of “4 against 1,” which is the core of every game mode.
The Basic Classes Explained Quickly
4 players take on the role of a hunter. There are 4 different classes, each with three men or women to choose from.
- The “Assault” possesses heavy weapons and is mainly responsible for damage.
- The Trapper captures the monster and restricts its movement options.
- The Medic is responsible for healing the group and placing weak points on the monster.
- Finally, the Support takes care of the “tactical advantage” of the group, whether it’s a protective shield, strong turrets, or large-scale reconnaissance.
And then there is the monster. Three different specimens are available – of course, it is also controlled by a player.
- The Goliath fights with brute strength in close combat, throws rocks, and breathes fire on its enemies.
- The Kraken can fly, focuses on ranged combat, and hurls lightning at the hunters from afar.
- Finally, there’s the Wraith, a rogue who isolates and dismantles individual hunters before the team can react.
No matter which role you play: Each character is different and varies greatly from their colleagues. Regardless of whether hunter or monster.
A Round in Hunt Mode
From the Monster’s Perspective
After the roles are selected, the monster gets a 30-second head start before the hunters arrive. You can start the match in many possible ways: Either the monster sprints away as fast as it can, but then leaves clear tracks. Alternatively, you can also sneak away, moving slowly, leaving hardly any signs of where you’ve gone.
If someone wants to go all out, they can also directly search for food without regard – because the monster starts at “Stage 1” and needs to eat to grow bigger. At the beginning, it is helplessly outmatched by the hunters. The map is scattered with wildlife that the monster can kill and then eat – this generates armor on one side, but also energy, which is needed to reach the next stage. Then you gain additional ability points, more health, and grow bigger.
In general, health is an important aspect – as a monster, you cannot regenerate health, but armor can. In battles, you must be cautious and preferably only attack when you have reached Stage 3 unharmed. Evolving takes a whole 10 seconds during which you are very vulnerable to damage. If you carelessly hit “V” to initiate evolution, you might already be shot before the process is complete.
From the Hunters’ Perspective
After landing, the search for the monster begins. Footprints, carcasses, and uprooted trees provide clues as to where the opponent is located. If there are absolutely no clues, birds occasionally appear to reveal the exact position of the monster.
The goal is now to trap and kill the monster with the help of the Trapper before it becomes too powerful. Even if you deal only a few percent of the monster’s HP in every fight, you make progress. It’s best to never give the creature a moment of peace because if it can’t feed in peace, it can’t evolve – and then it loses after 20 minutes automatically.
If the monster reaches Stage 3 without you inflicting damage, it becomes very difficult to turn the outcome of the round. Because from then on, the generator on the map becomes attackable – an optional target for the monster that it must destroy. The hunters are now the hunted, and it’s often a race against time to survive until reinforcements arrive. A hunter that has been killed respawns after 2 minutes. However, if all hunters die in this time frame, the monster wins as well.
If you want to learn more about the gameplay and different classes, you should take a look at our two guides, one for the beginner hunter and one for the Goliath.
Why My Eyes Hurt
[intense_blockquote color=”#ffffff” font_color=”#f24343″ width=”30%” rightalign=”1″]It is the first time I have really come close to the saying, “Played until my eyes bled.”[/intense_blockquote]
After the first two days of Evolve, I had incredible eye pain. I had to think for a while about what caused that. Were the colors too bright for me? Too strong “flashing” effects? Too fast camera changes? None of that.
The reason was incredibly simple: The atmosphere of the game is so intense and good that I simply forgot to blink during the ongoing matches. No matter what one may think of the rest of the game: Such an intense experience is definitely worth a look – in this case, a very long one. It is the first time I have really come close to the saying “Played until my eyes bled.”
