Evolve has quietly slipped out of obscurity, given itself the new name “Evolve Stage 2” and has launched directly into beta on PC. Now available on Steam as a free-to-play title, player numbers are skyrocketing. Is it worth taking a look at the game?
The hunt is the core of Evolve
Evolve is at its heart the hunt mode. For those who are unfamiliar: 4 hunters set out to hunt a monster. The monster starts at “Stage 1” and is relatively weak at that point. To change that, it collects food until it can evolve. At “Stage 2” the fight becomes more balanced, and at “Stage 3” it’s the hunters who are fighting for survival.
Since this game mode is the most important, there is only this one available to play in the beta. If desired, players can also participate in “Custom Games” to try out some of the other game modes.
What has improved?
With the beta of Stage 2, a lot has changed for the better. Gone are the days of having many loading screens before the match even begins. Only once all players have selected their characters does the map load.
But many gameplay mechanics have also become “easier” without losing complexity. Now all hunters can use the dome that lasts a proud 5 minutes. However, this time only counts if no hunter goes down during that period; otherwise, it spontaneously loses 3:30 minutes. If the second hunter falls, it collapses immediately. This is meant to prevent the monster from endlessly “hiding” and to ensure that actual wild fights occur in the arena.
Also new is the increase of the timer for the landing ship. When the first hunter dies, they return after just 10 seconds. However, this time becomes longer the more hunters are defeated. Each time the monster levels up a stage, the timer increases by 10 seconds, and it even increases by a whopping 25 seconds for a stage up.
With the customization using perks, it is now possible to shape characters significantly more according to personal preferences. Do I want to be particularly quick, eat quickly or rather plow through my enemies with reduced cooldowns? It’s fun to experiment here. The results vary widely.
Is the game now Pay2Win?
With the switch to free2play, the (not entirely unfounded) question arises as to whether the game is now Pay2Win. My honest opinion on this: No. With the in-game currency that can be earned in the game, you can buy additional perks, and I strongly suspect that this currency will soon also be available for real money. The same goes for new hunters and monsters that can also be earned through this system.
I can already hear people shouting: “But if I don’t have all the hunters, then I can’t counter every monster!” This is already countered by the fact that neither monsters nor hunters know what the other party will choose before the game starts. Only once everyone is logged in will the opposing team be revealed. As for perks, one could indeed say there’s a “purchasable advantage” since they reduce cooldowns.
However, all these perks can also be unlocked in the game by leveling up different characters or purchasing them with in-game currency. By the way, this currency flows in steadily; after just about 2 days, I have accumulated 30,000 Silver Keys.
What has worsened in Evolve Stage 2?
All these changes to the game have also brought some negative aspects. Evolve was a game where I became one with the monster. I was so intensely in it that I sometimes forgot to blink in front of the PC and afterwards rubbed my eyes in pain. When the monster took a deep breath to smell hunters nearby, I too took a deep breath.
This is completely ruined by the new “announcement voice” that announces important events in the game. Is a hunter down? Is the countdown for the hunters’ landing ship running out? A human voice always murmurs something in my ear – the “pure” monster feeling from back then is gone.
Additionally, there has been a change in the wildlife. While Evolve used to feature many different species with various effects and behaviors, it seems that this has been completely dulled. At every “camp” of animals, monsters can now find energy for 2-4 bars. The happy moments of finding a whole pack of “Canyon Strider” and gaining 10 energy at once are gone. The number of elite opponents has also been reduced, and the maps are less threatening for both hunters (but also for the monster).
Lastly: The animals respawn after you are far enough away. Previously, monsters had the problem of finding food and had to venture into “new” regions of the map – the hunters knew this as well. Now you can check old routes again after some distance.
Conclusion: Download on, play monster!
Yes, Evolve Stage 2 is still in beta and yes, Evolve Stage 2 is a lot of fun. The small criticisms do not weigh as heavily as they might seem. I still consider Evolve to be one of the best games of all time and now, with the revived player count, everyone should take a look – no matter if with friends or alone as a monster. It’s free-to-play, what do you have to lose, except a little time? Well: A lot of time. The truth is that after every paragraph I wrote for this article, I first completed my new hourly challenge. As a monster – that goes without saying.
If this isn’t enough for you, you can find more information about the 4vs1 shooter in its old and new version on our Evolve game page.
