Release Date: February 7, 2019 / August 25, 2015
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch
Publisher: Shiro Unlimited
It's been a while since I played the first Evoland, nine years apparently, and I thought it high time that I played the sequel to a game that I loved on so many levels, but was still not without it's faults. Evoland - Legendary Edition contains both of the games in the Evoland franchise which I picked up from Epic Games some time ago, so I figured this would be how I played the game. My only concern is that I am only 53 minutes in (probably more though since I have died a few times, and there are specific save points so I have had to replay a few areas a couple of times), and while I have gone through three different game platform types, I'm still not sure if I should be writing a First Impressions article yet, but here we are anyway because I wanted to be here.
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If you're not familiar with the Evoland series, I'll bring you up to speed. The first game was designed in a way that started you off with a bare-bones Game Boy-era-looking game with few mechanics and as you progressed through the game, you unlocked new features, mechanics, and improved sound and graphics, all the while playing the same characters in the same story. It felt pretty innovative for 2013 and it was oddly nostalgic as you played through different RPG eras, some a lot faster than others, and recognized specific references. The game itself was short (about 3.5 hours), but that was part of its charm as it even said so in the subtitle.
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Unlike the first game, in Evoland II there is a mix of three different art styles within the first five minutes which feels a little jarring. You first start off in the traditional olive green Game Boy aesthetic, but instead of opening treasure chests to further develop the graphics and mechanics, instead, you are given directions from characters off-screen like you are in some sort of underground test chamber. After a short combat tutorial, you are given some exposition from three mysterious figures, then whisked away to an opening cinematic told in anime-style still art about a war between humans and demons that happened centuries ago and something to do with three nefarious evil-looking figures watching over everything (although they appear to be different than the three who talked to you earlier). Then, when your character awakens, you are in a 16-bit game world with 64-bit-esque character portraits when talking with specific characters.
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I think it all just feels less coherent and cohesive than the first game as far as video game evolution and progression. I understand that there has to be some form of evolution between the two games themselves and that part II can't just be a rehash visually and mechanically of part I. Later in the story, as in maybe 30 minutes, you and another character are transported back in time, which then takes you to something more akin to an 8-bit NES-era game, although the character portraits don't change which feels like a missed opportunity. So now it feels like there is a narrative decision in how the graphics and mechanics switch. Which then leads me to believe that any future graphical improvements will mean that our characters will be in the future.
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Huh.
Huh.
Hmmm. . .
~JWfW/JDub/The Faceplantman/Jaconian
So Hard to Reignite MyselfP.S. I didn't realize it before writing this article for Monday, but it was just over 10 years ago that Dr. Potts posted his article for the first Evoland.P.P.S. I don't know if it's me, but I cannot seem to find how to close out the game from the main menu. There is no "quit to desktop" or similar option and I have tried multiple different button combinations on the controller and keyboard. The only two ways I have gotten the game to close down is to either Alt-F4 or Ctrl-Alt-Del, which doesn't feel like it should be a thing.
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