I remember playing Metal Gear Solid on PSOne in 1999. It was the first game I’ve ever played that employed stealth tactics. Usually in video games you have to fight enemies, but in Metal Gear Solid you are encouraged to avoid them.
The success of Metal Gear Solid led to other stealth series to follow, giving rise to the Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell games. But sadly, the stealth genre has declined in recent years thanks to the explosion in popularity of the soul genre.
Well, the stealth genre isn’t dead yet, as a new game called Evotinction has arrived. The game was developed by Spikewave Games, an independent Chinese studio. Although this game is the studio’s first work, Evotinction looks graphically sleek and modern due to its futuristic setting.
Anyway, in Evotinction you can take on the role of a character named Dr. Thomas Liu. He is the head of AI development at a future state-of-the-art facility called HERE. Things get weird when the main AI controlling the facility goes out of control and releases something called the Red Virus.
The Red Virus destroys a robot drone called the Genie, causing a lockdown and everyone dies. Thomas Liu and a friendly robot named Oz must not only find out what happened to the AI, but also find out if there are any survivors.
Evotinction is essentially a stealth game. That’s because Thomas Liu has to hack, decommission, and evade the aforementioned demons as he roams around a dilapidated facility. Hacking is very easy as no mini-games are required. Not to mention, there are more enemy types later in the game, such as flying drones wearing invisibility cloaks.
When it comes to combat, Thomas Liu can hack drones and blind them. Other abilities include disabling drones and hacking them so that they can no longer be heard. Many other abilities become available as you unlock them later in the game. My favorite ability in this game is hacking drones into the ground.
Thomas Liu is also given a gun called the E-Blaster, which he can use to shoot electricity to disable the drone, or sneak up behind him and scan a barcode to stop the drone. You can also. Guns are also used in the game’s boss fights, but these are rare.
Thomas Liu also has a special attack on Evotinction called DDOS, which can only be used when a special meter is full. This attack temporarily hacks all drones in the area, allowing you to shoot them with the aforementioned E-blaster. This is a useful technique as it does not use up all of your E-Blaster’s battery.
Another combat item available is throwing items called chips. One chip generates an annoying sound that distracts the drone, and the other chip creates a hologram of Thomas Liu. My favorite thrown item in the game is the magnetic chip, which you stick to your drone and instantly disable it.
As mentioned earlier, the game uses augmented reality to simulate different locations, so Evotinction’s visuals are pretty cool. Some of the places Thomas Liu can explore include a flashy futuristic museum, a shopping mall, an aquarium, and even an arcade with games. Unfortunately, you can’t play it at the game center…
While I enjoyed a lot of what Evotinction has to offer, the game is not without some annoying flaws. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I will just say that the final boss is annoying and extremely frustrating. It took quite a while, but I was able to defeat it in the end.
Speaking of the end, some may think that Evotinction is a fairly short game. I was able to complete the game in just 6 hours. That being said, the game is available at a discounted price of just $54.95 for New Zealand residents.
Another small drawback is that some people may find the story a little confusing at first. However, as you move forward and near the end, the mysteries of the story begin to be revealed.
Overall, Evotinction is a fun little stealth title with unique game mechanics and surprisingly good graphics. This game may not be for everyone, but I think it’s worth checking out if you want to try something new for a change of pace.
Verdict: 7.0/10
