This is the game I choose to follow up my last "Super Nintendo Sunday:" E.V.O. Search for Eden. This game was Spore before Spore was Spore. But, far from the critical acclaim of Will Wright's evolutionary epic lies E.V.O., and I can only hope that not everyone has played this game so my review of it will make some kind of impact on people. For those who have played it, comparing it to Spore may seem undeserving.
E.V.O. Search for Eden is a surprisingly addicting game. It may be that just the most simple of games are always the most addicting (look at Peggle) but that wouldn't be giving enough credit to the game itself. The point of the game is to grow and evolve. This is done by attacking - eating, I guess - other organisms. The spirit of the Earth has contacted you and hopes for you to grow into the best you can be. She seems like a nice lady, which makes me wonder what was so unimportant about all the creatures you'll spend your time eating. The game starts like you would expect a game about evolution to start: in the ocean as a small fish thing. You begin by eating what you can and running from what you can't, earning points which you use to upgrade yourself. The best bet is usually to buy something to help you attack stronger things, which earns you more points quicker.
Soon enough, you'll be on land with the rest of the more evolved races and you'll be using things your little fish guy never even dreamed of - like feet. From the small, four-legged, cat-from-hell like thing you'll become on land, you continue to find more souls to devour in order to feed your lust for evolution. Always the point is to grow, which I guess makes sense. Do the best you can with what you got, until you can get something better. That can maybe be related to all games, but with the evolution theme of this game, it rings even more truly. I have a feeling that if this game came out today, there would be an uprising among "the right" on account of the unfair presentation (or lack) of the argument for "intelligent design." Anyway, that's neither here nor there, but the fact that this game relies so heavily on something many people see as a hot-button topic remains interesting.
The actual gameplay, however, is not. Like I said, you go around attacking people in order to gain "EVO points" which you use to buy teeth which you use to eat other animals which gain points etc., etc. It's pretty monotonous, but it has its ups and downs. For instance, the process of going from sea, earth, and eventually air and beyond is a lot of fun. There's a sense of satisfaction from evolving into something that can eat bigger and bigger things. I think it's akin to the same feeling one gets in an RPG after you level-up and are finally able the beat that next big boss. What's more than that is how compelled you'll be to keep on going. The task never changes, but you'll always want to do it. Even when it's not fun anymore, you feel a strange urge to keep playing and eating others who aren't as evolved as you. Survival of the fittest in full effect. Maybe it stands as a testament to the major theme of evolution that E.V.O. is not a recognizable title to many people, but there are countless others who know exactly what Spore is.
With E.V.O., the question is, "Is it ok that the game loses its appeal after a while, even though it continues to be played?" The answer is No. Videogames are meant to be enjoyable and no one creates a game in hope that it won't be. I'm sure many people don't expect much from such a dated game, but it's on the SNES, not the Atari 7800. There isn't any dialog worth reading, the soundtrack is easily forgettable and the gameplay never changes. What does change is how you decide to form your own body, which has potential in that there can be many different and creative body types, but loses some ground when you realize that the best weapons (teeth) are still the most helpful. I like the premise, I do, but the game gets tedious. I'm not asking for a non-stop action game or an in-depth RPG with a little humor tossed in. But I am asking for more to a game than just moving and eating, over and over.
3/5 Average Score! Not Too Bad! Not Too Good!
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