PREVIEW: A Hands-On Look At EVOLVE

**LocoColt04** · 04-17-2014, 04:59 PM

Turtle Rock Studios has been on a primal tear of late, ripping through news circuits and conventions alike, showing off their new baby, EVOLVE. I had the opportunity today to one-up the teaser trailers and throw down with my colleagues. I killed one of my employees in bloodlust, and it was nothing short of exhilarating.

You may recognize Turtle Rock as the team behind Left 4 Dead, a property that altered the way developers approached cooperative gaming after release in 2008. If you didn't, now you know. There is a core feeling underneath EVOLVE that hearkens back to the old L4D model. Four players, working together, struggling to survive. It lies in wait, skulking about in the shadows, powering itself up not unlike Goliath (pictured below) and other such yet-to-be-announced player-operated monstrosities.

Think staring down this guy is scary? It's just as terrifying being Goliath.

Though there will be more Hunters available to choose from at launch, we have only been introduced to Team A thus far: Markov, the Assault specialist; Griffin, the Trapper; Val, the Medic; and Hank, the Support specialist. Assault and Medic are rather straightforward, and play as expected. Markov carries the heavy guns and deals the most damage, while Val keeps everyone alive via TF2-style regeneration beam. What gives EVOLVE its unique flavor are the other options. The Trapper class carries a harpoon gun and a handful of trap-like tools to slow down Goliath and his beastly brethren, like a force field generator that holds the monster in a large dome preventing it from escaping. The Support class wields a powerful laser that locks onto the monster, guiding allies to its position, and has other abilities allowing him to shield and strengthen his allies.

Leading into the game, Hunters verify their role, confirm equipment (lots of empty slots means lots of unlockables or potentially map-specific items!), and choose one perk. Killing various large-scale AI monsters can grant the entire Hunter team additional perks similar to those their target has, like a heightened sense of smell (which, in game, translates into the ability to click a thumbstick to highlight threats and lifesigns in the area).

Multiply by four and give them gadgets, and suddenly they're a threat.

As with Hunters, there will be more monsters announced as we approach launch, but Goliath is the only one out to the press and public at this time. Goliath is an agile climber, loud and large but stealthy as necessary. He can climb almost any ledge within reach, and his mobility is a major strength when facing off against a team of Hunters. Monsters start out in Stage 1 and have three perk points, granting them abilities such as Fire Breath and Charge. Goliath starts out a little over ten feet tall; menacing, but manageable. He is very strong and quick, but an experienced team of Hunters could take him out in a short amount of time. Even aggressive wildlife in the area could reduce a Goliath to bloody mess with relative ease. Monsters evolve by consuming enough wildlife (or players) to grant them the power to grow. At Stage 2, they gain three more points to strengthen their abilities or select additional ones, and another three at Stage 3. Stage 3 Goliath is more than double his original size, covered in spikes, and incredibly powerful. A direct hit from him can take an unarmored Hunter down to half health like swatting a fly.

Like with players, Monsters can also gain abilities by slaughtering wildlife. Some animals appear as "Elite" foes, and drop perks like increased damage, poison claws, or increased movement speed. As if Goliath wasn't scary enough already. Despite this, a team of Hunters that communicates can still take down a Stage 3 Monster with wits and a little tactical planning.

This likely won't end well for Goliath.

With my hands-on time, I took control of Goliath. Two points in Flame Breath, one point in Charge Attack. Rock Throw and Leap Attack sat on the bench. Faster Feasting perk before loadout. The concept? Reach Stage 2 before the Hunters hit the ground. I was very close to accomplishing this, as the Monster has a 30 second headstart before Hunters are deployed. From the outset, I sniffed around for signs of life and charged for anything blue (docile food, ready to run away or be eaten) or yellow (food that fights back, but presents little resistance). I was one feast away from evolving into Stage 2 by the time the Hunters were on the move.

Across the table, four monitors were set up, and four of my coworkers were sitting there, seeking their prey. Astro, one of my employees, had assumed the role of the Trapper. Robert, another gentleman I've worked with before, had taken charge of the Assault. I blocked out their chatter as they scoured the map looking for me, unaware that I was stalking them for much of the map. I would sniff them out, seek high ground, and sneak around as they ran about chasing the trails I'd intentionally left behind after wading through streams and bounding over rocks to distance myself from the tracks. I evolved into Stage 2 - Flame Breath maxed, a second point in Charge Attack, and a single point in Leap Attack - and all other players got a notification. I went back on the hunt, crouching behind rock formations and attacking all kinds of delicious food while circling the other players.

The Hunters stumbled into a giant crocodile, and were distressed as it caught their Support player in its mouth. I saw the engagement and approached, pondering on the opportunity provided. From high above, I watched them struggle to survive. No, I thought, it's too soon. Not like this. Once I saw that all four players were safe and recovering, I turned away.

I was about 80% of the way to Stage 3 when Astro stumbled into me. I rounded a corner and saw him while I was killing a... whatever delicious thing it was, but accidentally startled a flock of birds to give me away. Within moments they descended from above the hill and were on my position. I was surrounded. My heart raced as I spun the camera (and thus, my Goliath) in a circle to survey my options. I let loose the flames of wrath and swiped at a couple of players. I got backed into a corner and lost over half of my armor before opting to bail out. I leapt over the Hunters and ran off the edge of a cliff, taking a very sharp turn back toward the party from underneath. After just a couple steps, I entered stealth mode and crawled around the bend. The players had given chase, but as I was bounding across rock formations, did not have tracks to follow. Again, I had the advantage.

I came back around from my original location, sniffed around, and located the group. They were close. Very close. But they were moving away. My heart began to race again, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. This is it, I thought. This is my moment. This is my new prey. With that, the Hunters became the hunted.

I hovered at the crest of a small hill behind the players, and watched them climb up a cliff that led away from me. When three of the players had cleared, I saw the Medic drop after missing a jump. Dinnertime. A well-aimed Leap Attack followed by a Flame Breath and three solid punches had her down through her shields and almost out of health entirely. The rest of the group flooded over me from above, but I was determined to finish what I'd started. As I was in mid-swing to land the killing blow, the Support player shielded the Medic and the Trapper (damn you Astro, you are so fired for this) nailed a perfect harpoon preventing me from inching forward to finish her off. I snapped the tether and immediately mauled the Support while the Medic was healing herself. The Assault and Trapper closed in on my position. Traps on the ground. Shields on the players. Bullets everywhere. I felt an overwhelming sense of panic as my devious plan to divide and conquer fell apart before me.

Another harpoon. My stomach turned. I broke the tether. Lasers. Explosions. Force fields. Another harpoon. Another tether to break.

Just as my armor was almost gone, an opportunity presented itself. Assault and Trapper were roughly ten feet away from one another, almost directly in front of me. There was nothing to the sides. I broke the tether, knocked the Assault off his feet, and turned tail to see the Medic and Support practically holding hands. Charge Attack. I barreled through the two of them, still struggling with their own recovery, and knocked them back about forty meters. I leapt after them before the Trapper's harpoon ability was recharged, and completely laid waste to them. Flame Breath, Leap Attack, and another Charge Attack to push them further from their allies. They fell up against a storage structure as I landed the knockout blows to the Medic and Support almost simultaneously.

I needed to keep the others away to prevent revival of their comrades, so I spun back around just as Flame Breath recharged and lit them up. A couple of swipes and a charge later, and the Medic and Support bled out. I had a ninety seconds on the clock until another dropship of Hunters arrived, and needed to make quick work of my real world friends. They scattered, dodging tactically and keeping themselves separated just enough to prevent me from attacking both of them at the same time. Clever prey.

Without a Medic to keep them steady, it was a matter of time before I took enough swipes to ground them both. I broke a sweat as the clock ticked down below fifteen seconds. I could barely breathe. I killed the Trapper. I turned around. I breathed fire. I charged. I killed the Assault.

I leapt up out of the chair. I cheered. The room exploded with noise as our other colleagues looked on.

I was the only player today to kill the Hunters before reaching Stage 3.

EVOLVE seeks to do what so few games (and no first-person shooters) have done in the past - offer a genuine 4v1 experience, while still immersing all five players in a world that contains other hazards. This could be the game that yet again changes the way developers approach the cooperative experience. EVOLVE will be growing your gaming library for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One later this fall.

Images courtesy of the Turtle Rock Studios media page.
Terrible puns courtesy of this guy.
DISCLAIMER: Nobody paid me to write this. Nobody asked me to write this. I was just too excited not to write this.