Sneakin’ up on robots
There are a lot of games releasing right now, so when I got an email about reviewing one called ‘Evotinction’ I was a bit confused. I had not heard of the game prior to that email, and not sure I had seen anyone mention it before. A little investigation led to finding out this is the next entry in the China Hero Project, which immediately piqued my interest. I love checking out these games as they usually do things outside the norm and deliver interesting experiences. Evotinction definitely is not what I expected, and it feels almost like the game was initially something else, but after playing it I am keeping my eye on this developer for future projects.
The setup reminds me of classic sci-fi horror. As Dr. Thomas Liu, you wake up in a research facility where the world’s greatest minds have gathered to work together in shaping the future. Upon his awakening he quickly discovers he is alone. As it turns out the station’s AI system has gone rogue and activated several bots around the facility and killed nearly everyone aboard. It gives real Dead Space vibes from the outset, but instead of mutated creatures, we get AI-controller robots.
MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: PlayStation (reviewed), PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99
It’s worth noting right out of the gate, this is a pure stealth adventure. There is no combat in this game. It never progresses past sneaking past enemies or taking them down. If you are spotted or take too long, it is pretty much game over. Thankfully checkpoints are done well, so I rarely lost a ton of progress. Still, it is worth knowing that this game relies entirely on one mechanic throughout the entire duration.
As for the stealth itself, it is well done. Liu gets a hacking device very early on and it can be upgraded over time for faster hacking and taking down various enemies. Taking them down is of course disabling them so you can move past areas without having to sneak. This is the bulk of the game play. There are also not a ton of characters in the game, and the story is told mostly through conversations with an AI and data logs.
The story is interesting and confusing at the same time. The campaign only runs about seven hours, and it took all of it to fully comprehend what was going on. It doesn’t give little hints at times, and often I was confused as to what was going on.
Liu controls well. This game looks and feels great, but there are instances where things don’t make sense. Liu can sometimes traverse obstacles, and other times cannot get past them. This is the arbitrary invisible wall. It sucks as the world is so well detailed, I wanted to explore, it just didn’t always want to let me do that. Still the game is interesting from beginning to end so it never kept me from pushing forward.
Visually the game looks good. The environments are nicely detailed, and the voice acting is pretty good. The frame rate holds up for the most part with some good animations on the main character. The music is very ambient, but honestly, I forgot it was there most of the time. There are some unique areas but expect the bulk of the journey to be in similar corridors and hallways. It has a nice vibe to it.
Evotinction is a solid first-effort from this developer. The bones are there for a fantastic follow-up. For this adventure though it is worth knowing what you are getting into before diving in. If you enjoy tense stealth adventures, this could be for you. If you are looking for even a remote amount of action, best to look elsewhere. As it stands this curiously titled game is a solid, if lacking adventure that definitely has my eye on Spikewave Games.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
