June 16, 2014 by Vinnie Leduc
Who doesn’t like being part of some 4-player co-op action? Maybe the fifth player that those first four players are ganging up on, but some gamers welcome that solo challenge… especially when it’s played as a huge, growing monster!
This 4-v-1 boss battle is the premise of Evolve, the upcoming FPS from publisher 2K Games and developer Turtle Rock Studios. Known for the popular zombie series Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock has a proven track record of co-op shooters, and after getting our hands on the demo at E3, we can confirm that Turtle Rock may be onto something here.
One team of four hunters, each a different class with its own unique abilities and weapons, must work together to find and kill one player-controlled monster that over the course of the battle can evolve into a bigger and more powerful creature by eating other smaller animals roaming the arena. Of course, these littler beasts can be destroyed by the hunters to prevent monster evolution, but they can be minor threats themselves.
A trapper class hunter can use a hound-like pet to track down the whereabouts of the monster, then set a temporary dome-like cage of energy to confine the monster in a focused area. The assault class hunter carries the big guns and more firepower for administering punishment. The medic class hunter keeps the others alive, revives them if they’re down, and exposes the monster’s weak spots with sniper shots. The support class hunter aids the rest of the team with its own set of tools, such as highlighting monster footprints or sending out an aerial camera.
The match may begin quietly with players not knowing what to expect as the monster scrambles to prepare for its pursuers, but once everybody comes together, it can be pure chaos. Hunters obviously must work together to defeat the monster, especially since the monster itself is quite large. Its sheer power should not be underestimated, let alone its special abilities. These abilities are specific to the monster as well; in our match against a tentacled Kraken, we got owned by dark vortexes and tangles of lightning.
Turtle Rock Studios’ new take on multiplayer gaming is a simply interesting twist on what gamers already love and are familiar with. We wanted more, and we’re betting gamers will, too, after Evolve is released on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on October 21, 2014.
