Today, I'm going to review a game I picked up on steam called Evoland. I got turned on to this game by the 8 bit Duke's review of this game. Like he says in that review, it is a short tale of the changes adventure games past. In fact, that's all the game is; you are going through the changes made throughout in adventure RPGs over the last three decades. From getting 2d movement, to smoother scrolling, to a weapon, to color, to introduction of a story, to better graphics to mode 7 graphics that the super nintendo introduced to basic 3d models and so on, it's all about the cliches that have been part of the standard of the adventure RPG over the last three decades.
But the most important thing is the humor of this game. One of the things that they constantly do is point out the tropes they are playing on; for example, when you open the chest that gets you the 16 Color Display, under it, they remark "OMG Color!", and you get these things constantly as you move through the game. From the graphical changes to the upgrades to weapons to the ability to actually name your character, you're getting humorous remarks about the changes that are being made to the gameplay and upgrades to the graphics.
This game is short; you can complete it in two hours, but it's two hours of humor and a story that doesn't take itself seriously. It's simply "you are the good guy, go save the world from the bad guy". That's it. But this game isn't about story; it's about the history of adventure RPGs. It's not deep, and it's not meant to be. It's just a fun ride through the past in a modern form.
This game is also pretty easy, although there are places that kill you repeatedly, and there are some puzzles that left me scratching my head. But that's part of the history, and that's what they are celebrating. And it's done in a way that's not going to eat up a lot of your time.
I completed this game in about four hours, and that's because I got lost in a couple of dungeons (because there is no mini-map until you get the ability late in the game, another commentary on how adventure RPGs have changed.) and died a few times on a boss that was tough until I learned how to cheese it. But I enjoyed it the whole time through; it reminded me of the games I've been playing most of my life.
I picked this up for $2.50 on steam, because it was on sale for that day only. It's now back to being ten dollars. I honestly think it's worth the ten dollars, but only if you go into the game with the right mindset. It's a well controlled, well built game with a LOT of humor inside it. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a lot of replay value; I don't think I'll be playing it for quite a while, except to try it out with my gamepad, since it may control differently with one.
I agree with the 8-bit Duke that the game could be better. There are a LOT of things that this game does right, and there are a lot of things this game could do better. And to be honest, this would be a good way to get children into retro adventure/RPGs; it's short, relatively easy but has parts that doesn't hold your hand. And it's tame too, so you don't have to worry about your kids seeing something you don't want them seeing. For that reason alone, it's worth it, and the ten bucks on steam won't break your bank.
For now, stay beautiful freaks!
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