These endeavors do get a little long, though. Hunts can last upwards of 15 minutes at times and Nest battles often tip over the 10 minute mark. Devoting an hour to playing through the whole thing can be tricky for some, not to mention a little constraining when you’re playing this game to have fun. There is a glimmer of light over this little issue though, because if someone drops out the not-too-bad AI steps in to save the day.
When we say save the day, we mean try to not completely screw everything up.
While more prevalent in Evolve‘s solo mode, its AI can be something of a nuisance when you’re forced to play with it at times. When you’re a Monster, AI opponents act like you’d expect humans do and display enough intelligence for you to forget you’re not playing against people. When you’re on the side of the Hunters though, this story can sometimes be different. An AI companion will always follow a player-controlled Hunter. Sounds like a good thing at first. It’ll stop them being a pain and getting themselves killed, you’d think. Well, no, because their incessant need to follow you makes you feel like there’s a constant concern of keeping that AI useful while you’re trying to do everything in your power to survive.
Even with Evolve‘s AI issues, often bland (but immensely pretty in their own right) visuals, personality-deprived Hunters, and brain-draining progression system, it shines out as a beacon. A light for players who love to play as a team or as a single entity against their fellow homo sapiens. The AI isn’t even all that terrible at times and can make playing the game alone as a Hunter quite enjoyable – every so often.
Where the magic lies is in the multiplayer on offer. Evolve sets itself apart from its peers as something all together special in this world. We’ve got traditional MOBAs coming out of our noses that gets wiped away on slightly less traditional first person shooters. There isn’t a day goes by where you don’t hear of someone crying for their favorite single player game to have a multiplayer option. Evolve brings something that proves Darwin’s Theory of Evolution perfectly. The survival of the fittest is a real thing in this gaming climate we’re living in, and Evolve has all of the tools it needs to live on for months if not years to come.
That is of course, if the community remains active. Reviewing games that focus themselves so centrally on a mutliplayer environment is difficult. Evolve is great now, but it will only make its way to incredible if the players keep on playing. Should they get bored or be distracted by another game, Evolve stands to suffer a great deal. Luckily for Evolve, it has the wide open gameplay and variety of options for both teams available that people are unlikely to go away any time soon.
