Could Evolve be the next big thing since Left 4 Dead? I sure as hell hope so!



Evolve is a 4v1 shooter coming to PC, XBox One, PS4, and my house on October 21, 2014.

Made by the guys at Turtle Rock Studios, who were behind the first Left 4 Dead, Evolve pits four hunters against one monster. All human controlled.

Let's meet the hunters.


Assault Class: Hyde and Markov
These guys are meant to be in the thick of it. They will be focusing on engaging the monster.


HYDE
"Sadistic. Sociopathic. Deeply disturbed. These are but a few of the compliments Hyde has received from those who've seen his handiwork. What bothers Hyde most about this job isn't the sheer amount of death and destruction the Monster has caused – it's that even with his Minigun, Toxic Grenades, and Flamethrower, it makes him only the second most frightening thing on the planet." -official bio

Loadout: Flamethrower, Minigun, Toxic Grenade, Personal Shield



MARKOV
"We all have dreams. Markov’s just happens to be dying in glorious battle. This explains his desire to go toe-to-toe with giant Monsters. But his deadly arsenal consisting of a Lightning Gun, Arc Mines, and an impenetrable Personal Shield means that dream may never come true – and that’s just fine with his fellow Hunters." -official bio

Loadout: Lightning Gun, Assault Rifle, Arc Mines, Personal Shield


Trapper Class: Maggie and Griffin
Monster specialists. These two will be able to confine the monster to a single area with their traps as well as specializing in dealing with the environments lesser monsters.


MAGGIE
"A quiet woman with a past shrouded in mystery, Maggie is a loner. For years her only companion was Daisy, her faithful pet Trapjaw. Who needs friends when you have a 400-pound alien dogbeast at your side? When Daisy finds their prey, Maggie relies on her Machine Pistol and Harpoon Traps to bring it down." -official bio

Loadout: Machine Pistol, Harpoon Traps, Pet Trapjaw, Mobile Arena



GRIFFIN
"They make horror movies about the things mounted on Griffin’s wall. This veteran Trapper relies on deployable Sound Spikes to keep tabs on the Monster’s movements. But when it’s time to face off with his prey, he breaks out his Harpoon Gun to pin it down – like shooting a giant, angry fish in a space barrel." -official bio

Loadout: Gauss SMG, Harpoon Gun, Sound Spikes, Mobile Arena


Medic Class: Lazarus and Val
These guys will heal and revive fellow Hunters.
They also act as the crew's stealth snipers.


LAZARUS
"What kind of medic purposely lets his comrades die? One with a badass gun and the ability to restore life to the dead. Slipping past predators with a Silenced Sniper Rifle and Personal Cloak, Lazarus brings fallen allies back from death – even if they're now technically zombies." -official bio

Loadout: Silenced Sniper Rifle, Lazarus Device, Personal Cloak, Healing Burst



VAL
"Sniper and Medic. Two jobs that normally don’t show up on the same résumé. Then again, Val doesn’t apply for just any type of position. Her Armor-Piercing Sniper Rifle and Hunter-healing Medgun are the perfect qualifications for someone stalking prey the size of a small asteroid." -official bio

Loadout: Armor-Piercing Sniper Rifle, Medgun, Tranquilizer Gun, Healing Burst


Support Class: Bucket and Hank
These are your heavy hitters. They pack the biggest punch and have deployables to match.


BUCKET
"Normally charged with flying the ship, Bucket uses a modified repair drone chassis when the time comes to support his human comrades on the ground. His Guided Missile Launcher, deployable Sentry Guns, and detachable UAV make him more than a match for anything organic." -official bio

Loadout: Guided Missile Launcher, Sentry Guns, UAV, Cloaking Field



HANK
"Hank believes in the simple things, like the value of a hard day’s work or the joy of indiscriminately firing a Laser Cutter at bloodthirsty predators. Which is why he cherishes the quiet moment after calling down an Orbital Barrage on whatever creature is currently pissing him off. The ensuing bombardment of fiery death really puts things into perspective." -official bio

Loadout: Laser Cutter, Shield Protector, Orbital Barrage, Cloaking Field


With eight hunters to choose from, it looks like everyone will find a character to fit their style. Like playing as a robot. It would seem fair to assume that only one of each character may play together at any time, and possibly even that one of each class must be represented. But while I would expect and welcome the one instance of each character restriction, hopefully they don't require one of each class to be present. That we may find strategies that fit the groups play style rather than playing to fit the game's.

Now for the part that differentiates Evolve from L4D the most. The Monsters.


Monster Class: Kraken and Goliath
The monsters are three staged beasts. These could be thought of as the title characters. As you enter the match, you are small and relatively weak. Then, as you make your way through the map, you consume monsters from the environment and grow and evolve into larger, more powerful forms. Before evolving, a hunter or two could take you out without the rest of the team, but as you grow, it becomes a huge undertaking to bring a monster down.


KRAKEN
"If the dictionary ever decided it needed a new word to describe the mix between waking nightmare and ungodly horror, it would undoubtedly include an image of Kraken. This tentacled monstrosity unleashes electric death on Hunters who get too close and even those who think they are safely out of range." -official bio

Abilities: Lightning Strike, Banshee Mines, Aftershock, Vortex



GOLIATH
"Goliath woke up on the wrong side of angry this morning. Little is known about this Monster because scientists studying the beast wind up getting torn in half. Proving just how unfair natural selection can be, Goliath can not only punch through the hull of a starship, it can also breathe fire." -official bio

Abilities: Fire Breath, Leap Smash, Rock Throw, Charge


The final character is unplayable and that is the environment itself. There are minor monsters just as there are zombies in L4D, and many varieties for each environment. In Evolve, plants and animals alike want to put a hurt on you. The monster can use this to his advantage by leading the hunters into an environmental trap. But the hunters can set up traps of their own with their equipment and lure the monster into them just as well.

Here's some recent gameplay footage.



There hasn't been much talk about single player modes. Hopefully they include the option for a single player campaign assisted by AI as they did in L4D. This game is shaping up to be a real hit. It will not be ignored like so many others in my steam library.

Evolve is available for preoder on PC, PS4, and XBox One.