by E.V.O. The Search for Eden was an unusual platformer game made by Enix before their merger with Squaresoft to become Square Enix. Back then, they focused primarily on RPGs, but they still had more titles in other genres, such as puzzle games, mystery games, party games, and yes, platformers.
In E.V.O., your goal is to marry the beautiful Gaia. To accomplish this goal, you must go through a contest of survival of the fittest through the ages set up by her father, the sun. Win this contest and you not only get the right to marry her, but to live in Eden forever.
So, will E.V.O. The Search for Eden prove itself the fittest game to recommend, or should it have stayed in the primordial soup of ideas? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
Let’s start with the controls. The D-pad moves you. Double-tapping the D-pad lets you dash. A will cancel a dash (which is more important than it sounds), B jumps, Y bites/attacks, and X eats. Start pauses the game, and Select opens up a menu. On the overworld map, this menu lets you save the game and check your evolution progress. In a level, you get access to your Evolution, Capability, Record Evolution, and Review Evolution options.
Evolution lets you buy new features, such as jaws, tails, fins, etc., for your body. Capability lets you check your stats, such as HP, bite strength, jump strength, etc., using EVO P. You get EVO P. from killing and eating enemies. Record Evolution lets you record a copy of your current body to use later, and Review Evolution lets you use a special crystal to reuse a saved evolution even if it is no longer available in that age.
Since you start in the Age of Fish, you don’t do any platforming for the first few stages. Instead, you will be swimming. Your starter form is slow and weak, which incentivizes you to earn as many EVO P. as possible so you can upgrade to a stronger and faster form. Which is satisfying, if a bit grindy, especially if you want to max everything out.
As you progress through the ages, more evolution options will be unlocked as life gets more complex. Let’s go over some of the evolution options here. Jaws increase bite strength. Tails increase speed and jump height. Fins increase speed. Horns usually allow you to turn a dash into a ram attack. Body lets you do everything, from increasing/decreasing your body size to increasing/decreasing your neck length, to changing between 2 or 4 legs, and increasing your defense.
You’ll be pretty fast and powerful by the time you finish an area, but don’t get too used to it, as you’ll have your EVO P. taken from you and your form set to the weakest one for the corresponding age. This is thematically fitting and a bit of a bummer since you worked to become so powerful only to lose it all. At least you are usually more powerful than the starter form of the previous age.
This game is all about evolving and upgrading your character. When you are upgraded, it is a blast. When you aren’t, it can be a bit of a slog at times. Fortunately, it only takes an upgrade or two before an age feels better to play.
Overall, I give the gameplay an 8.5/10. I would give it a 9/10 but it feels a bit too grindy.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty solid. They aren’t going to blow anyone away, but the game has a fun cartoony art style with solid environments and enemy designs. The backgrounds and parallax effect really help the environment feel more expansive than it is, since most stages are actually very short; this is a nice touch.
The boss designs, and maxed-out evolutions are particularly nice. E.V.O. isn’t going to win any awards for graphics, but they more than do the job.
Overall, I give the graphics a 7.5/10.
Music
The music is a mixed bag. Some of it is pretty good, like the overworld map. It’s very relaxing and somewhat catchy. One track in the Age of Reptiles, I would finish the level faster to get away from it. There was just something about it that bothered me.
I give the music a 6.5/10.
Difficulty
Most of the game really isn’t that difficult. It’s more a matter of patience than mechanical skill. If you happen to die, you lose half of your EVO P because Gaia is sweet on you, that’s not a joke either. It’s the in-game explanation for why you don’t die. Due to the way age transitions work, you’re going to be losing EVO P. anyway. So, it’s not a big deal.
The only thing that makes the game actually difficult in places is that you have no I-frames, which can lead to some frustrating stun locks. This is made up for by the fact that you can use your EVO P. to buy a new evolution and refill to full health. If you’ve stocked up on EVO P., then you can trivialize any boss if you know what you’re doing. You will probably die a few times, but this is no Ninja Gaiden or Battletoads.
Final Score
My overall score is 7.5. It’s a fun but grindy platformer where you can customize your character into an ultimate killing machine. I recommend giving it a shot if you have the chance. Just remember that it is $287 for a loose copy.
