The main appeal of Evoland - the ability to experience the history of Video Game developments in one game- is surprisingly fun and engaging. And its second appeal -discovering all the references to other games- is even more, provided you catch them- many may go over younger players' heads, though you can always look for them online.
The graphics and sounds start pretty crappy, but that is the idea- it's one of the things that improves as you open chests in the game; by the end, they're pretty snazzy indeed.
The game is a combination of Zelda-esque real-time action RPG with turn-based RPG combat, depending on the main character's location (and what you unlock.) Curiously, even after you unlock new styles of combat, certain areas still retain the old ones, which can be a bit jarring.
(On the other hand, the game also features an *incredibly* clever way to re-use your old graphics later on. Kudos to the design team on that.)
My only complaints would have to be a) the inclusion of a few choices-that-are-not-choices (though this IS a classic RPG trope, admittedly) and b) the game is too short; if you're really good at these kind of games you can probably finish it in a day. The game does have the additional challenge of 100% completion (by finding hidden chests, mostly) but I suspect it won't add that much length to the game.
(An additional problem I had was that my PC wasn't able to keep playing the game after a certain point, due to not having the appropriate video capacity, but that was more my fault than the game's. I had to watch the final part on a Youtube Let's Play. Make sure your PC meets all its requirements before you buy it.)
Some versions of the game came out with bugs -for example, Kaeris' attack spell tends to freeze the game sometimes; if you find any, check out its maker's websites for fixes.
Overall, Evoland was a pleasant surprise and a joy to play, especially for an old gamer such as myself. Recommended.
A Very Inventive Game
The main appeal of Evoland - the ability to experience the history of Video Game developments in one game- is surprisingly fun and engaging. And its second appeal -discovering all the references to other games- is even more, provided you catch them- many may go over younger players' heads, though you can always look for them online.
The graphics and sounds start pretty crappy, but that is the idea- it's one of the things that improves as you open chests in the game; by the end, they're pretty snazzy indeed.
The game is a combination of Zelda-esque real-time action RPG with turn-based RPG combat, depending on the main character's location (and what you unlock.) Curiously, even after you unlock new styles of combat, certain areas still retain the old ones, which can be a bit jarring.
(On the other hand, the game also features an *incredibly* clever way to re-use your old graphics later on. Kudos to the design team on that.)
My only complaints would have to be a) the inclusion of a few choices-that-are-not-choices (though this IS a classic RPG trope, admittedly) and b) the game is too short; if you're really good at these kind of games you can probably finish it in a day. The game does have the additional challenge of 100% completion (by finding hidden chests, mostly) but I suspect it won't add that much length to the game.
(An additional problem I had was that my PC wasn't able to keep playing the game after a certain point, due to not having the appropriate video capacity, but that was more my fault than the game's. I had to watch the final part on a Youtube Let's Play. Make sure your PC meets all its requirements before you buy it.)
Some versions of the game came out with bugs -for example, Kaeris' attack spell tends to freeze the game sometimes; if you find any, check out its maker's websites for fixes.
Overall, Evoland was a pleasant surprise and a joy to play, especially for an old gamer such as myself. Recommended.