Evolve (video game)

Evolve

Developer(s) Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher(s) 2K Games
Distributor(s) Take-Two Interactive
Composer(s) Jason Graves[1][2]
Engine CryEngine 3
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release date(s) February 10, 2015[3]
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer (co-op)
Distribution Optical disc, download

Evolve (stylized as EVOLvE to hint at its 4v1 asymmetric gameplay)is an asymmetrical first-person shooter video game developed by Turtle Rock Studios, published by 2K Games and distributed by Take-Two Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on February 10, 2015.

Gameplay

Evolve is an asymmetrical multiplayer game, pitting four player-controlled Hunters against one alien Monster, controlled by a fifth player. The Hunters are tasked with killing the Monster; while the Monster must either kill all four Hunters, or complete a secondary objective such as destroying a human base or power plant. The game features a variety of maps, one of which being a large jungle, with some industrial elements where players can take shelter.

Both Hunters and Monsters can use unique abilities during the game.[4] The Monster player can kill other smaller creatures to evolve and become stronger by entering a cocoon stage, leaving itself vulnerable for a short duration. There are various power-ups that both Hunters and Monsters can obtain by killing the local wildlife. The wildlife can also attack and slow down either side.

The Hunters' team is always made up of one player from each of four classes: a trapper, a support, a medic, and an assault class. Each class will contain a variety of different Hunters with different abilities and play-styles. The Monster player will also be able to choose from a variety of monsters; so far, only four of these monsters have been revealed, including "Goliath", "Kraken",[5] "Wraith"[6] and "Behemoth".

Game modes

Hunt
The Hunters must kill the Monster before it can destroy the power relay located in the map. The Monster must reach stage 3 in order to destroy the relay, though it can also opt to kill all of the Hunters to finish the match.[7]
Nest
Six Monster eggs are located in random locations on the map. The Monster must protect them from the Hunters for 18 minutes, and can hatch one of the eggs to spawn a minion to help it. The Hunters must destroy all six eggs, as well as any minions, within the time limit to win.[8]
Rescue
Injured colonists trying to escape the Monsters are placed randomly on the map. Hunters need to locate, revive and protect them as they make their escape. The monster needs to kill as many of these colonists as possible and keep them from getting away. Whoever saves—or kills—five colonists first wins.[9]
Defend
A starship's refueling station comes under the assault of a player-controlled fully evolved monster and smaller Goliath minions. The hunters must stop the monster from causing a catastrophic accident by protecting the power generators until the ship is fully powered, while the monster must destroy two generators to reach the ship's power source.[10]

Evolve provides two different structures to these game modes: Quick Play, which enables single matches; and Evacuation, which serves as a five-match multiplayer story mode. In Evacuation, each subsequent match gives the winning side an advantage in the next map (such as a destroyed power plant releasing toxic gas the monster is immune to or a saved one powering autonomous turrets to assist the hunters), ending with a Defend match.[11]

Normally, five players play in a standard round of Evolve, with four Hunters fighting one Monster. But playing with less than five players, including single player, is possible in all modes due to implementation of computer-controlled bots. These bots can control up to four of the protagonists, allowing one to five players in any game mode. However, there is no single-player only campaign.[12]

Story

Evolve is set on Shear, a distant planet located in the "Far Arm" of space, that humanity has traveled to in the distant future. The established colonies, considered the most valuable in this region of space, are soon attacked by malevolent alien Monsters.[13] As the Monsters destroy the colonies on Shear, a former planet tamer named William Cabot is brought out of retirement to deal with the threat, in order to evacuate the remaining colonists from Shear. In response, Cabot assembles a team of Hunters—consisting of war veterans, psychopaths, professionals, and expendables—to eliminate the Monsters, setting the main conflict of Evolve.[11][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Development

In May 2011, THQ acquired the publishing rights to an untitled first-person shooter game being developed by Turtle Rock Studios, then due to be released in 2013. THQ head Danny Bilson was enthusiastic about the project, commenting that "Those guys are really smart. They were the Left 4 Dead team and that was fun. This one's wild. I can't wait to share that one. People are going to go nuts. It's the most well-thought out design from the beginning I've ever seen." In October 2011, a job listing and subsequent Twitter post by the studio confirmed that the game was, at the time, built on CryEngine 3.[20][21]

In December 2012, THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the game appeared under the title Evolve in THQ's filing, described as a "co-op multiplayer action game".[22] Publishing rights to Evolve were acquired by Take-Two Interactive for US$10.8 million in the resulting auction of THQ assets.[23]

The February 2014 issue of Game Informer featured a cover story that officially unveiled Evolve and the first major details about the game, alongside the announcement that it would be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in late 2014.;[4] those who pre-order will receive a free DLC character and a Savage Goliath skin.[24] Turtle Rock Studios has also announced that there will be more than one "monster" at launch. On May 22, 2014, Turtle Rock Studios announced an all-new set of hunters named Lazarus, Bucket, Maggie, and Hyde. They all feature new abilities and weapons. Turtle Rock Studios also announced a new map named "The Dam".

At E3 2014, 2K Games revealed an all-new monster, the "Kraken". Also at E3 2014, 2K announced that there will be three monsters at launch alongside over a dozen maps and 12 total hunters. But 2K also confirmed that there will be multiple DLC packs to expand the game after it is released. At Gamescom 2014, a Beta exclusive to the Xbox One was announced during the Microsoft Conference and will come in January, 2015. An Alpha for the game was also announced on 9 October 2014, and was released for the Xbox One on October 30, 2014, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows on 31 October 2014.

On November 4, 2014 IGN officially revealed the 3rd trapper, Abe. On November 6, 2014, 2K announced an all-new map called "Orbital Drill". The map features dynamic acid rain that impacts the hunter's ability to track the monster, such as washing away its prints. This rain also makes it harder for the monster player to see its surroundings, therefore making it more difficult to find prey and evolve.

On November 21, 2014 Turtle Rock Studios co-founder Phil Robb confirmed with IGN that all DLC maps will be free of charge. Robb stated the reason for this is "to allow people who don't have the DLC, to still play against those who do, the only difference is that they can't play as those hunters or monsters".[25]

On January 5, 2015, Turtle Rock Studios confirmed that the game had been declared gold, indicating it was being prepared for duplication and release.[26]

Release

Evolve was scheduled to be released worldwide on October 21, 2014, but was later delayed until February 10, 2015.[3] In spite of delays, Evolve was released to select PC gamers, as well as players on the Xbox One, during the Big Alpha event of November 1, 2014 through November 4, 2014.[27]

A closed beta, started on January 16, 2015, also took place for PC players of Evolve, while open beta trials of Evolve on Xbox One happened on January 15, 2015 through to January 19, 2015, and eligible PlayStation 4 users gained access to the closed beta on January 17, 2015.[28]

Despite Turtle Rock claiming that all downloadable content (DLC) maps would be free to all players, the high number of paid DLCs has attracted criticism from fans who feel that it constitutes a large amount of content being deliberately withheld to be sold separately as a market strategy to make more money from the game. Turtle Rock Studios countered this by claiming that as much content as possible was packaged with the main game, with DLC only including content created after the completion of Evolve‍ '​s development.[29] At release, Evolve launched with 44 different paid-DLC skin packs.[30]

Soundtrack

BAFTA-winner Jason Graves composed the official soundtrack for Evolve. Turtle Rock Studios released the soundtrack in February 2015 on SoundCloud.[31]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PS4) 74.52%[32]
(PC) 74.10%[33]
(XONE) 71.68%[34]
Metacritic(PC) 77/100[35]
(PS4) 76/100[36]
(XONE) 74/100[37]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid6/10[38]
Game Informer8.5/10[39]
GameSpot8/10[40]
GamesRadar[41]
GameTrailers8.6/10[42]
IGN9.0/10[43]
PC Gamer (US)83/100[44]
Polygon8/10[45]
VideoGamer.com6/10[46]
Digital Trends[47]
Hardcore Gamer3.5/5[48]
The Huffington Post[49]
Independent[50]
Metro.co.uk6/10[51]
VentureBeat72/100[52]

Pre-release

On July 1, Evolve was awarded the Best of E3 2014 "Best of Show", and another three awards: "Best Console Game", "Best Action Game" and "Best Online Multiplayer".[53]

On August 15, at the 2014 Gamescom Awards, Evolve was the game that received the most awards. Along with the "Best of Gamescom Award", the Take-Two team won the awards for best action game, online multiplayer game, best game for PC and best game for Xbox.[54]

Post-release

Evolve received mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 74.52% based on 31 reviews and 76/100 based on 46 reviews,[32][36] the Microsoft Windows version 74.10% based on 21 reviews and 77/100 based on 38 reviews[33][35] and the Xbox One version 71.68% based on 28 reviews and 74/100 based on 31 reviews.[34][37]

Writing for IGN, Vince Ingenito gave the game a 9/10, praising its unique concept, intense, thrilling and tactical gameplay, memorable classes, well written dialogues and smart AI. He summarized the review by saying that "Turtle Rock has created a smart, asymmetric, multiplayer monster-hunting game that plays unlike anything else. It's tactically deep, bursting with character, and it offers a level of nuance rarely found in multiplayer shooters."[43] Jeff Marchiafava from Game Informer gave the game an 8.5/10. He praised the high replay value, balanced multiplayer-design, sense of victory and defeat delivered when a match ended, smartly-designed control, as well as the huge variety of playable characters, abilities, and match-affecting bonuses featured in the game. However, he criticized the repetitive narrative, as well as the game for being too limited as the game fail to offer enough variety and challenges. He summarized the review by saying that "As it is, Evolve does its one thing remarkably well, and few problems don't dampen my enthusiasm for playing more. Evolve's matchups offer a lot of replayability and competitive thrills"[39] Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot gave the game a 8/10, praising the fulfilling and engaging evolution of the monster, vertical map-design, refreshing gameplay, unique classes, fantastic audio and atmospheric visual. He also praised the AI, saying "[it] is strong enough to make playing offline matches rewarding on its own terms".[40]

Nic Rowen from Destructoid gave the game a 6/10, praising the graphics, detailed environment and character models, unique character design, enjoyable interactions between classes and satisfying gameplay. He also praised the game's multiplayer design as he stated "It's like taking all the best parts of your favorite multiplayer titles, dumping them all out on the floor, and collaborating with your buddies to build something new and wonderful out of them". However, he criticized the game for delivering a frustrating experience if the player is playing with randoms, repetitive co-op Evacuation mode, unbalanced class, as well as multiple technical issues such as bugs, glitches, as well as connection issues, which lead to frustration. He stated that "If you're a loner by nature but are still kind of curious about giant monsters and cool-looking harpoon guns, this is your warning -- Evolve has nothing for you."[38] David Meikleham from GamesRadar gave the game a 3.5/5, criticizing the repetitive leveling system, frustratingly chaotic and overly hectic action, bland and indistinct maps, overly effective AI and the limited content.[41] Brett Phipps from VideoGamer.com gave the game a 6/10, criticizing a series of strange design choices, as well as the overly complicated mechanics, unreactive AI, dark and dingy environments, lack of significantly unique locations, insufficient dialogue, long loading screens and locked characters. The progression system, about which he stated "[The system leads to an] over-complicated grind which feels like a thinly-veiled attempt to hide the limited amount of characters in the game. He also criticized the game for constantly forcing the player to focus on one aspect of the skill tree. He also stated that there are great moments to be found in the game, but they are often "few and far between".[46]

Sales

Evolve debuted in No. 1 in UK software-sales chart, becoming the first title 2K Games has published to take the No. 1 spot since March 2013.[55]

Financial analyst Doug Creutz of the Cowen Group estimated only 300,000 physical copies were sold in Evolve's launch month, and by its current sales rate, even a "generous" estimation puts less than a total of 1.5 million physical and digital copies to be sold by the end of the year, a well-below average figure for the AAA gaming industry. Creutz stated that Evolve may be "too niche to reach a wide audience", adding that the negative reception to its "confusing and over-elaborate DLC plan" has hindered its success considerably. Despite such estimations, Karl Slatoff, CEO of the publisher Take-Two Interactive, stated that Evolve has achieved an “incredibly successful" launch and that the company was very satisfied with the sales of the game.[56]

References

  1. ↑ Greening, Chris (23 April 2014). "Game Release Calendar: Composer Assignments 2014". Game Music Online. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Savage Music: Jason Graves and the audio for Evolve". evolvegame.com. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Schreier, Jason (5 August 2014). "Evolve Delayed To February 2015". Kotaku. Retrieved 5 August 2015. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Marchiafava, Jeff (7 January 2014). "February Cover Revealed – Evolve". Game Informer. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Evolve - Game Informer February 2014". Game Informer. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Wraith: The Third Evolve Monster, Revealed!". evolvegame.com.
  7. ↑ "Evolve Tutorial Hunt". YouTube. 16 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Evolve Tutorial Nest". YouTube. 16 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Evolve Tutorial Rescue". YouTube. 16 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Evolve Tutorial Defend". YouTube. 16 December 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Evolve's Evacuation, Explained". evolvegame.com. Retrieved 4 December 2014. There’s a lot more to the hunt in Evolve. In fact, up until right now, all you’ve seen is just one mode that’s part of a bigger picture – Evacuation. Altogether it's a combination of modes, maps, and campaign effects that provide over 800,000 possible paths, giving you a ridiculous amount of variety for a different experience almost every time you play Evacuation. [...] While it isn’t a campaign in the classic sense, there is a story to tell: The planet Shear is getting overrun by Monsters. Within five days, the battle for Shear will be won or lost depending on the actions of four Hunters…and, of course, one mutating Monster. Those five days are broken up into five rounds as you fight your way across the planet. The first round is always Hunt, on a randomly chosen map. [...] Remember that “800,000 variables” number we were throwing around up top? Every time that you win a match, there is a campaign affect applied to the next map you choose. So, as one example, the Dam is saved and the Hunters win for that day.As a result, the workers are able to power up Perimeter Fences, which cut neighboring maps into half sized portions, creating an interesting advantage for the Hunters. That’s just one possible game-changing outcome from one map.
  12. ↑ "Hands-on with Evolve's singleplayer mode and terrifying third monster". pcworld.com.
  13. ↑ "Evolve — Evacuation Story Trailer". YouTube. Turtle Rock Studios. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014. Cabot: This is the greatest team of Hunters ever assembled. We were hired to protect the most valuable colony in the Far Arm. Or at least, it was..until these things [the Monsters] showed up. [...] This is no longer a wildlife problem. It's a full-scale evacuation. Gear up. We're goin' in.
  14. ↑ "Cabot". evolvegame.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014. If we judge a man by the friends he keeps, then Cabot has some explaining to do. As the wrangler of this motley crew, Cabot helps teammates by using his Dust Tagging to track the Monster and his Rail Gun to put it down. But there's nothing more helpful than his trusty Damage Amp, which makes his squad pack an even bigger punch.
  15. ↑ "Introducing Cabot, the Leader". evolvegame.com. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Assault". evolvegame.com.
  17. ↑ "Trapper". evolvegame.com.
  18. ↑ "Medic". evolvegame.com.
  19. ↑ "Support". evolvegame.com.
  20. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (10 June 2011). "Left 4 Dead creator's new FPS is "wild"". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  21. ↑ Dutton, Fred (20 October 2011). "New Turtle Rock FPS uses CryEngine". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  22. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (19 December 2012). "THQ Documents Reveal Unannounced Games". IGN. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  23. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (23 January 2013). "THQ Dissolved, Saints Row, Company of Heroes Devs Acquired". IGN. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  24. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (14 January 2014). "Turtle Rock's Evolve now available for pre-order". Polygon. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  25. ↑ Te, Zorine (9 October 2014). "Evolve Alpha Launches on Oct 30 Starting With Xbox One". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  26. ↑ Eddie Makuch (2015-01-09). "Evolve Goes Gold, Watch Intro Cinematic Trailer Now". GameSpot. Retrieved 2015-01-09.
  27. ↑ "Big Alpha Trailer". IGN. 2K Games, Turtlerock Studios. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "Evolve Closed Technical Testing". 2K Games Support. 2K Games. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  29. ↑ Jenna Pitcher (2015-01-16). "Turtle Rock Addresses community concern about Evolve DLC model". IGN. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
  30. ↑ Eddie Makuch (2015-02-11). "Evolve Launches With Lots and Lots of DLC". GameSpot. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  31. ↑ "Get A Taste Of Jason Graves’ ‘Evolve’ OST". BD. BD. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Evolve for PlayStation 4". GameRankings. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Evolve for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Evolve for Xbox One". GameRankings. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Evolve for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Evolve for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Evolve for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Rowen, Nic (February 13, 2015). "Review: Evolve". Destructoid. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Marchiafava, Jeff (February 11, 2015). "Homing In On The Hunt - Evolve - PlayStation 4 Review". Game Informer. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 VanOrd, Kevin (February 9, 2015). "Evolve Review". GameSpot. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Meikleham, David (February 12, 2015). "Evolve review". GamesRadar. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  42. ↑ Moore, Ben (February 13, 2015). "Evolve Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Ingenito, Vince (February 11, 2015). "Evolve Review". IGN. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  44. ↑ Lahti, Evan (February 14, 2015). "Evolve review". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  45. ↑ Gies, Arthur (February 9, 2015). "Evolve review: monster squad". Polygon. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Phipps, Brett (February 12, 2015). "Evolve Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  47. ↑ Agnello, Anthony John (February 10, 2015). "Evolve review". Digital Trends. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  48. ↑ Whittaker, Matt (February 13, 2015). "Review: Evolve". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  49. ↑ Rundle, Michael (February 13, 2015). "'Evolve' Review: Monster Mulch". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  50. ↑ Wallis, Max (February 12, 2015). "Evolve review: There's no doubt this is a game people should play". Independent. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  51. ↑ Hargreaves, Roger (February 12, 2015). "Evolve review – an evolutionary dead end?". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  52. ↑ Appleton, Rory (February 13, 2015). "Evolve’s brilliant combat and MOBA-like design delight, but its thrills die too soon". VentureBeat. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  53. ↑ Jordan Devore (2014-07-01). "Evolve, No Man's Sky win big at the E3 Game Critics Awards". Destructoid. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  54. ↑ David Scammell (2014-08-18). "Evolve wins big at Gamescom 2014 awards". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  55. ↑ Rob Crossley (2015-02-16). "UK Chart: Evolve and Majora’s Mask Clear Out the Old". GameSpot. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  56. ↑ Saed, Sherif. "Evolve publisher pleased with sales as analyst predicts 300K copies sold on launch". vg247. vg247. Retrieved 18 March 2015.

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