EVO - The Search for Eden

"They grow up so fast."

Introduction
EVO: The Search for Eden is an action RPG that isn't like others of its genre. Why is that, you ask? Well, for one, instead of playing as some heroic knight or warrior who wields a magnificent blade, you play as a fish trying to survive in the wilds of the prehistoric era. Your form as a fish will eventually evolve into more advanced species. The idea of “leveling up” is completely redone and made into a new, more customized style of improving your status. This game had some interesting fresh concepts that worked out well and made the game stand out.

Story- 9/10
I've never seen a story that even resembled this one. It all begins with the sun, who decided to create the nine planets. For some reason, he named the third one Gaia and gave her an important mission. She was to have children called “life”, and every billion years a new era would begin. One living creature would help Gaia through the periods of time so that the two could become partners in Eden. Quite an unusual story, I'll give it that, but it sure has originality. So you begin as a fish, after Gaia explains everything to you, and set off on a journey that will test your limits as you fight many other species and evolve multiple times to eventually beat out the others and dominate the survival of the fittest. A great story that was a refreshing break from the “save the world” premise that has been seen quite often.

Gameplay and Control- 8/10
Like most other action RPGs, the gameplay consists of moving about and fighting stray enemies for experience. EVO: The Search for Eden is no different, simply because you make your way through side-scrolling levels and using your sharp jaws to chomp away the foe's HP. However, unlike other games of this genre, instead of collecting experience points, you gain EVO points. Once you've collected enough, you can chose which part of your body you want to evolve, and each decision has its own effects. For example, if you upgrade jaws, your attack power will go up, and if you upgrade body size, your defense will rise. You are given a vast amount of options to customize your creature the way you want it. This is what makes the game truly unique. The way your character increases in power is done in a completely new way. Instead of the programmers, you are the one who decides if your character has high speed, attack, or defense. It is a truly amazing concept that hasn't seen the appreciation it deserves.

As for controls, there really are no complaints here. The controls are responsive and usually work out the way you planned. Once in a while, however, they'll get on your nerves and you'll be dashing when you wanted to walk, causing you to ram into the wall, losing you time and leaving yourself vulnerable. And admittedly, some of the jumping is a bit uncontrollable, but overall the controls are smooth and easy to handle.

Music and Sound- 6/10
This is by far the game's lowest point. Nearly every level has the same, upbeat tune. At first, you'll find it fun and nice to listen to, but then your ears will start to hurt and the volume will be lowered. The music in the levels gets extremely repetitive; it loops nearly every five seconds. While I'll admit, the boss theme is exciting and well-composed, and the world map screen has a likeable tune, but the regular levels can get annoying very fast. Definitely not one of the game's better aspects.

Graphics- 7/10
The graphics in this game are pretty good, nothing to be amazed over. The best sprites by far are those of your creature, who can transform into some pretty sleek looking beasts that are brought out by the colorful graphics. The backgrounds, however, could use some work, as some areas seem to be just a bleak pattern that does not attract your eyes at all. The bosses look amazing, large and filled with bright colors and overall great graphics. The regular enemies, however, seem to be a bit more bland and simple. All in all, the graphics of this game have its high and low points.

Replay Value- 10/10
This is an RPG that truly has excellent replay value. Other RPGs (especially turn-based) force you to do the same thing, have the same moves, and use the same people over and over again with each file you create, but this game opens up a wide variety of choices. Because of all the different types of evolution you can use, each time you restart the game will almost be like playing the game for the first time again. You can create almost completely new creatures every time, and that is why this is the RPG with the greatest replay value.

Closing
EVO: The Search for Eden is an original, interesting game that excels at unique gameplay and story. It created a new, more customized leveling up system that made the game stand out. It also provides more replay value than every other RPG combined. However, it does not seem to receive the kind of glory that other RPGs get. I highly recommend that you at least give this game a try. It truly is one of a kind.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/06