Evolve Preview - PAX East 2014
We try out the fresh multiplayer design of the upcoming shooter
Turtle Rock Studios’ follow up to Left 4 Dead claims to be “the next evolution in multiplayer gaming.” I am not sure if this new first-person shooter warrants such hyperbole, but there is some merit to the boast. Evolve is a multiplayer-only game, stripping away any single-player content, much like Respawn’s Titanfall. In Evolve, four players assume the roles of hunters, a team of different specialists - medic, assault, support, and trapper - whose objective is to kill a giant, alien predator, controlled by a fifth player.
Before going hands-on, the people of 2K sat us down for a theatrical presentation, impressing upon us the strategies required in order to be victorious. For the player-controlled monster, they must devour surrounding wildlife to gain strength and level up. Upon reaching their third level, they will be at their most powerful and ready to take the hunters head-on. In a perfect world, the hunters would attempt to find the monster before it can reach its top level, but more likely they will have to work as a team in order to bring down a vicious, powerful animal.
Everyone has their own assumptions about the how these strategies alter the balance of the game. Is it easier for the hunters, as there are four people who can swarm their enemy? Is it annoying to be pitted against a team of four? Is it hard to work as a team, remaining in-sync with your team’s strategy? Is it better to be a lone wolf, solely responsible for your own objectives? The split ideologies likely mean Turtle Rock is on the right track, dividing audiences on what will be the most fun.
After the theatre presentation we got hands-on time with Evolve, breaking into 4 vs. 1 teams and assuming the character roles. The medic’s role is pretty straightforward, to try and heal teammates using a healing gun from afar; they can also resuscitate their teammates from a distance whereas other players have to be within arm reach of their fallen friend. Support provides shielding for the group, helping withstand the damage of the powerful prey. Last is the trapper, who can use a harpoon gun to hold the monster in place, making it easier for the hunters to attack the stationary beast. I drew the role of assault, the damage dealer of the group.
Myself and three teammates stand in a drop-ship, waiting for the bay doors to open and to be dropped into a dark jungle. The fire-breathing alien, named Goliath, gets a few minutes head-start in order to begin its leveling process, feeding on the dangerous wildlife of the jungle. After the wait, we drop down as well to begin the hunt.
Instantly we spot tracks, highlighted in blue so they stand out in the dark foliage of the jungle. There are other visual tracking cues, a red circle indicates a group of birds, startled by the monster, and once the Goliath is spotted an indicator points it out to other players. Communication and coordination are key, however as I played with strangers everyone kept silent, giving the monster an instant advantage. Luckily, the visual cues can substitute for actual team communication, but playing with teammates who are ready to vocalize their strategies is still preferable.
As we track the Goliath we are attacked by other wildlife inhabiting the jungle. Two legged carnivores resembling raptors and other animals can either be drawn to attack by shooting at them or might just attack on sight, depending on their mood. There are other, larger creatures resembling the Goliath which can be hunted. Attacking them can be dangerous but yield bonuses like double damage.
We get eyes on the Goliath, so an icon pops up for the entire team and we can head toward the beast. I move as fast as I can, but there isn’t a lot of speed to Evolve. Traversal can be a slow, plodding affair. A jet pack can help you reach places you would think were out of your grasp, but it doesn’t improve your speed. In the end, the Goliath escapes and the hunt continues. While the icon disappears once all four of the hunters lose sight of the monster, we at least know his general direction of travel.
As we continue to work through the woods, a notification appears that the monster has reached level 3, its most powerful state. Now the hunters become the hunted as the Goliath turns his attention to my teammates and me. Once the Goliath descends on my team, we panic and attack randomly. The Goliath takes advantage of the chaos and breaks up the group, doing surprisingly high amounts of damage, a couple strong hits without aid can send you into the respawn queue. We try to reform, but coordinating strategies is hard amidst strangers. Before we even know what’s happening, myself and another teammate are dead, waiting to respawn.
The remaining teammates attempt to defend the monster’s objective: a power generator, protecting a nearby town. The hunters pick at the Goliath, attempting to lure him from the generator. They are somewhat successful, but the Goliath has already done significant damage.
Finally, me and my other fallen comrade are dropping back down into the combat. Our team is smarter, having learned from the early beating the Goliath dished out. We work together this time, the trapper locks on to the Goliath, holding it in place, the support uses its shield to aid those in danger, the medic helps heal those in trouble, and I unleash my firepower on the beast. As we all work together, it becomes more difficult for the Goliath to pick us apart. Soon the tide of the battle has turned and the Goliath is on the run.
The battle goes back and forth for bit, but we’ve got the Goliath where we want him. Slowly we chip away until his health is depleted and we’re victorious, pulling off our headsets and celebrating the victory. While we seemed to pull it back together and win rather handily, other teams were less fortunate. There was a fair amount of Goliaths who defeated their hunters, proving it can be hard to work as a team with strangers. I still had questions about how hard the game would be for a Goliath. Sure, at PAX East where you have dozens of strangers playing against each other, it might be hard for teams to coordinate, but if Evolve’s community grows and numerous teams of hunters begin building repertoire, will it become frustrating being the monster? I didn’t get chance to play with the Goliath, but it left me with concerns about the game’s balance.
Evolve taps into your adrenaline, during combat, turning itself from a slow game about the hunt to a first-person thrill-ride. The game has similar qualities to this year’s earlier release, Titanfall. Both games organically create cinematic moments shared between friends, inspiring teamwork and strategy. It is an impressive package and I am excited to see more of it from Turtle Rock Studios. Evolve is expected to be released this year on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.