The Evolve booth was easily one of the most fantastic displays on the floor of PAX East 2014. Fans and media swarmed the giant monster statue all weekend for photo opportunities. The line to play the demo snaked around the booth and into the isles as people waited for hours for a chance to try Turtle Rocks Studios’ upcoming first person shooter.
This all comes as no surprise considering the unbridled success of Left 4 Dead, a franchise which Evolve developer Turtle Rock created. Co-operative multiplayer shooters are kind of their thing, and we’re expecting a lot from Evolve because of that.
The game focuses on the conflict between a team of four hunters and one badass monster; all player controlled. The balance of power shifts as each match progresses, with the early advantage going to the fully equipped hunters, and gradually favoring the monster as it upgrades or “evolves” over time.
Turtle Rock promises a variety of monster types, hunter classes, and match settings at launch. For our demo, we were introduced to the first monster, the Goliath, and four standard hunter classes. I was able to join the hunters as a medic, fighting alongside assault, support, and trapper classes. We were dropped into an exotic jungle on an alien planet and immediately tasked with tracking down the Goliath as soon as possible.
Despite the glowing tracks, remains of animals the Goliath used to increase his power, and environmental cues like circling birds disturbed by the monster’s recent presence, our pack of inexperienced hunters could not coax a confrontation before our enemy reached his final stage of evolution. The planet and its wildlife were more of an obstacle than I’d expected. Carnivorous plants and aggressive packs of creatures hindered our progress at every turn.
The match came to a climax as soon as the monster’s objectives changed from merely surviving and avoiding the hunters, to becoming the predator himself. The Goliath had the upper hand at this point. He could end the match by killing all four hunters, or destroying a power generator in one of the map’s industrial buildings.
This secondary win solution forced us to converge on the generator and finally initiated the fight we’d been looking for.
At stage three, the monster is a massive hulk. He’s fast and strong, and has access to powerful abilities like hurling boulders and breathing fire. No amount of land mines, shields, jet packs or healing rays could save us unfortunately. Without coordinated movements and strategic attacks, we were no match for the impossible power of the maxed out beast.
The battle was short lived, but thrilling none the less. I frantically tried to keep my teammates health as high as possible while trying to not catch the Goliath’s attention. Single melee hits sent me sprawling out of sight, and even though I had a short window to revive recently downed hunters, it was all an exercise in futility.
Fueled by the same engine that ran Crysis 3, the beast was a terrifying sight. The game’s environment and lighting add to the tension. With a few short months until the late summer release date, the game looks and feels solid.
It was disheartening to put up such a poor performance on my first go with the game, but there’s no way one defeat could make me ignore the potential this game has. The possibilities for experimentation with classes and perks are very enticing. Tossing into the mix more monsters and planets to explore could make for a potent combination.
I can’t wait to try out the monster and feel what it’s like on the other side of the battle, something Left 4 Dead fans can probably agree with.
Evolve will debut later this year for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
Check Out the Best Cosplay From PAX East 2014!
PAX East 2014 Cosplay
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