6
This review contains spoilers
, click expand to view
.
The selling point of this game is its different game types. Similar to the first game, you ‘evolve’ the world by unlocking different aspects of the gaming world. In the first game you use this a few times as a puzzle solving tool, but in this game it is mearly a tool to set up the story and then the concept is droped; favoring plot points to change the gameplay. Its an interesting concept, but it falls flat when it is left behind in favor for the games bland story.
The game types themselves are much more varied in this game as opposed to the first. Unfortunately, they are executed very poorly. The game sets itself up as a RPG, but throughout the game different events will change the game type for brief moments before the game unceremoniously drops you back into the main game playstyle. While the idea of the playstyle changing to fit the plot is an amazing idea, this game manages to mess it up. Outside of the RPG style (which has its own issues) each segment is poorly cobbled togeather caricatures of iconic game genres. Each one plays as the worse of each genre it imitates to the point that some segments are practically unplayable in their intended form. Each segment comes up unexpectidly and is gone again before you get the hang of what you are doing, which is a blessing in disguise because you will soon realize that each one is worse than the last.
Eventually you will realize that all you want to do is play the RPG segments without bothering with everything else and here in lies the main issue regarding the game. The RPG aspect of the game is the only part that is remotely polished, but it is only used as an inbetween for the secondary playstyles. The RPG segments are only a go-between for the secondary segments. It fragments the play experience. The secondary segments become obstacle for the main gameplay, instead of a reward for playing well and figuring out whatever puzzle in the main game. The RPG segments feel more like running between minigames in a poorly designed Wii game’s overworld.
The plot does this game no favors. It is unoriginal at best. An almost direct ripoff of Chrono Trigger at worst. It’s generic, bland and adds nothing to the gameplay besides giving you another place to go. Instead of taking the interesting concept of this game and creating a well thought out and clever story around it, the game tells the same store any other 16-bit RPG tells. Go here, find this, save her. The story could have been so much more; giving an actual commentary about the motifs of the genres that this game emulates.
Gameplay issues aside, the game does have some upsides. The visual assets look amazing. The art direction is on point and follows through to almost all aspects of the game, despite the various styles. The FX are decent, but the music falls a little flat. At best it’s forgetable background music.
The performance issues are really the final nail in this game’s coffin. There is no excuse for a game like this for function so poorly. The game itself lags (horribly at times) despite not being a particularly taxing game. There a few platforming segments that are practically unplayable because of this. Turning the graphics settings all the way down lessens some issues, but really there is no excuse. It shouldn’t be an issue in the first place.
The main complaint about the first game is that it was too short, but after seeing this one, I would say that was for the best. In playing Evoland 2 you will realize what you loved about old games. They did what they did, and they did it well. This game does none of that, instead opting to play on your nostalgia in the hopes that you don’t realize how mediocre this game is.
TL;DR The games alright if you really need the nostalgia fix, but even then, there are better option. It’s a quaint idea, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired. 6/10
…
