EVO - The Search for Eden

"A less successful attempt by Enix at world creation"

Enix must have some sort of deity fixation, because they love to create games concerning world creation. ''EVO'' was released in 1993, making its appearance right in between ''Soul Blazer'' and ''Illusion of Gaia''. Although this is a relatively obscure title, it could be considered the illegitimate prequal to the ''Soul Blazer'' trilogy. However, it does slightly fail to measure up to the other creation games by Enix and will probably always live in obscurity.

GRAPHICS: 9/10

This is one part of the game that was actually done quite well. The cut scenes with Gaia were very stunning for an early SNES title and the battle screens (if you can call them that) were also very good. The backgrounds had much less of a blocky feel to them and the game sprites showed the jump that Enix had made in graphics design. One of the only real flaws were the world map views. When taking this overhead view a gamer could virtually count the pixels of the game's character and continents. All in all, Enix did make great use of the SNES graphical capabilities very early on in the game.

SOUND: 7/10

If I had wanted to listen to ''Soul Blazer'' music again, I would have. ''EVO'' sounds as if they copied the tracks from ''Soul Blazer'' verbatim. While they did an incredible job with the improvement to the graphics, sound was still left far back in the dust. Tracks seemed very stale, synthesized, and at many times repetitive. Enix eventually gets sound to work in their games, but not in this one.

CONTROL: 10/10

While it may be lacking in the sound department, ''EVO'' had a control system that was flawless. As your character evolved from fish to four-legged beast, the moves that were gained were as simple as the touch of a button. When certain aspects of this game became difficult, it was never from awkward control. From dashing, to biting, to kicking, the control the gamer has over the main character is always very natural and fun.

GAMEPLAY: 8/10

''EVO'' is a title that could have gotten a perfect score in this category if it weren't for one thing. The same tragic flaw that ruined ''The 7th Saga'' also brought down this would be classic. Each new area of the game required a good bit of leveling up. New enemies could kill you very quickly, and doing a little evolving was always necessary. And while none of this was to the same extent as in ''7th Saga'', it was still enough to bring the gameplay down a couple notches.

Besides this, though, the rest of the gameplay was very innovative. The game is an action RPG that takes place in a 2-D side-scrolling world. The main character evolves throughout the course of the game from a fish to a land animal, and each form has its own evolutions. Enemies are killed through bites, kicking, ramming, and other forms of physical abuse. When killed they leave a piece of meat that replenishes life and rewards experience points. These points can be used to improve armor, biting power, and other bodily aspects. This is a system that was not only innovative, but it never stopped being fun throughout the whole game.

STORY: 8/10

This will be the last time that I give this story a good score. The story is basically that you are sent to earth by the current deity to fix things and ensure creation. It starts in about 500 million B.C. and goes from there. The problem is that Enix uses this exact story of a deity sending down a hero for creation in at least four of their RPGs for the SNES, and it starts to get a little old. However, in ''EVO's'' case it is only the second time they use it and it is still a relatively good idea.

Recap:

So, in the end Enix creates another title about the story of creation. Unlike the other games, though, I would only recommend renting this one. You could beat it in a weekend, and the odds of wanting to play it again are slim. The first time through is pretty good, though, and unlike any other game out there.

GRAPHICS: 9/10
SOUND: 7/10
CONTROL: 10/10
GAMEPLAY: 8/10
STORY: 8/10

TOTAL: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/03, Updated 11/17/05