The latest game to receive a companion app for a console game is Evolve: Hunters Quest. Evolve is a 4 versus 1 multiplayer FPS/Third Person Shooter hybrid, that is now available for XBox One, PS4 and on Steam. The game is designed by Turtle Rock Studios, the creators of Left for Dead, and published by 2K Games. The 4 versus 1 multiplayer aspect is unique in that you can choose to be one of four hunters, or the beast in the game that is being hunted. The companion app Evolve: Hunters Quest, is a collaboration between 2K Games and Cat Daddy Studios. What is the companion app game play comprised of? Believe it or not, it is a match-3 type puzzle game, but it is one of the best I have encountered.
Weekend Play Game Reviews gives Droid Gamers an opportunity to highlight some games that may have been overlooked in a busy week of game releases. Some of the games may have been released a couple of weeks ago, but they still merit reviewing, so you can have an opportunity to catch up on some good gaming during your weekend.
I have spent several hours playing Evolve: Hunters Quest. I was initially going to pass on playing the game, but I have to admit, looking at the visuals of the game play drew me in, so I downloaded it on my tablet and my phone. It took quite some time to download the required assets before being able to play the game. The wait was frustrating. Firing the game up again after an update, in preparation to play again prior to this review, the same thing occurred. Why? Because the graphics and video are so well done in this game.
The opening video is simply fantastic. I felt like I was watching an intro from a Blizzard game like StarCraft. The graphics are amazing and are a great prelude into the story of four hunters on the planet Shear, that are hunting different beasts. I mentioned before that this is a match-3 puzzle game. In its concept, it is like any other match-3 game. You must align 3 tokens of a particular color to help clear the board. Match 3 or more for a power-up and so on. What makes this game have much greater depth, is that it is turn-based, and each color token aligns with one of the four hunters in the game. There are monster tokens as well, which you don’t want to align, because that gives the beasts in the game a power-up that can wreak havoc on the whole board. There is far more strategy than I ever expected in playing a game of this type. What makes it more interesting is that you see the battles played out before you, as the screen is split one third to two-thirds, between the game board and the visuals of your choices acted out by each of your hunters.
There are four different types of hunters. They are Assault, Trapper, Medic and Support. Each player has HP (health points or hit points), as well as the ability to level up their character. As the game begins, you are introduced to Markov, Maggie, Val and Hank in their respective classes. There is generally a map that has six or seven locations on it. You receive intel from a commander, who tells you what is going on in each location of the map. Within each location or spot on the map, you will have 1-6 rounds of game play. Did I say the game play is pretty deep? Yes, you can play this game for quite a while. Each hunter has three different abilities. The more times you are successful in matching-3 or more tokens with a particular hunter, like the Medic (Val), your meter fills. At first you gain the Armor-Piercing Sniper Rifle, then the Medgun, which restores health to your teammates, and then finally, the tranquilizer gun. Each power up has higher HP which helps you attack the different beasts in the game. The medic is probably one of the most important hunters, but also the one with the lowest HP, which can make the game challenging. Take my word for it. Keep your Medic alive at all costs or it is game over pretty quickly.
You will encounter many different beasts on the planet Shear. If you are successful in taking down the beasts, crates are dropped. In the crates are either rare bones from different beasts, common bones (Which there are far too many.) or mastery points, which can be used to purchase boosts for your hunters. Boosts include Stim Packs, Heal a Hunter, Heal All Hunters, Hunter Revive, or Team Revive. You can also use coins for these boosts as well. Coins are given throughout the game as well, once you complete certain maps/levels. The primary goal of the game is to find and collect bones from all the different beasts. In the game there is a Bestiary Index which helps you determine what is out there on planet Shear. There are multiple locations that are split into four regions where you will do your hunting. They are labeled as forest, desert, ice and acid. In all, there are 57 different beasts to find and unlock in the bestiary index. For example, to unlock the Soot Swarmer, you have to collect enough bones from the Desert Biome or map. To unlock some wildlife/beasts you have to combine bones. Depending on what is dropped in the crates, this could take quite a while. As I mentioned earlier, many of the crate drops had common bones in them, which is unfortunate considering how many drops occur during the game. However, once you unlock a beast in a particular area, you are given quite a few mastery points, which you will really need while playing the game.
For a companion app and a match-3 type game, Evolve: Hunters Quest has a lot going for it. There are multiple maps, different quests and many opportunities to get into some amazing firefights with different beasts. There are some levels where you are required to rescue civilians from the beasts. They start at the back of your screen, and based on their color, the matches that you make, move them closer to the ship to be rescued. This was the beginning of where the frustration set in with the game play. It seems on those maps, you are unable to rescue civilians without using a boost for a head start, or continues for 30 more seconds by using coins or mastery points. This is where the free to play model began to crumble under the weight of a great game, that in places, is poorly balanced, and favors the Free to Play structure, over the enjoyment that could be had by the player.
As an example, the first region of the map has you playing with the four hunters I mentioned earlier, Markov, Maggie, Val and Hank. I grew attached to my team. They had their repetitive sayings in the game, but it wasn’t bad. It made you feel like you were playing so much more than a match-3 game, and in many ways you are. However, much to my disappointment, when I got to region two, the game started you over with all new hunters, and their levels were reset to one, which meant lower HP. Yet, the beasts that you encounter are greater and more difficult to take down than in region one. That is a big problem. It means you can’t beat the beasts, unless you use boosts, which require the so few gained coins, or the more accessible mastery points. The bad part about it is that you can’t really grind in the earlier levels in region two to level up your characters, because you start losing before you gain ground on level 2, or the second region. To gain more mastery points, it is easier to go back to region one, but who wants to do that? Especially because the first region isn’t all that easy. I do not mind difficult games, I actually enjoy them, but don’t make the game fight against me unnecessarily. I don’t mind grinding in a game every now and then, but it is difficult to do, when you perceive it is because of the Free to Play structure in place.
Evolve: Hunters Quest is a really good game. The production values are high, the strategy involved is extremely fun, and as a companion app, I cannot imagine one that is more fulfilling. You can actually play this game without ever playing Evolve. However, doing so provides greater strategy to your multiplayer games on your consoles and PC. Should you give it a try? My answer is absolutely! If nothing else, you should download it just to see what a great companion app to a console game could be. The only downside is that you may not be able to play it long, before you have to toss out a few dollars to progress further into the game. I did, just to see how it would affect my game play. It certainly helped, but it didn’t last for long, which in my opinion is not a good thing. With in-app purchases up to $49.99, my opinion is this, get the app to enjoy the game when you have some spare moments. Try it and kick the tires a bit. Then, if you have an XBox One, PS4 or a PC with Steam, that can run Evolve the game, your money is better spent there. Think about it, $49.99 is over halfway to owning the actual game, versus the app which has a much shorter shelf life. I commend Cat Daddy Studios and 2K Games for creating an amazing match-3 game based on a much larger story. I just wish they would balance it more in favor of the player, versus the Free to Play structure that it is built upon. There is always hope. The game has received a few updates, and they say they are listening to the gamers. Let’s hope they continue to balance the game in favor of the player. Only time will tell.
