| Title | EvoLand 1 |
| Platform: | Steam / Windows |
| Available on OS: | Windows |
| Genre: | retro, rpg, action rpg |
| Game number: | 1 of 50 or so GoG games |
Summary review:
Graphics: Purposefully spanning multiple eras. Always appropriate for the setting.
Music: Similar to graphics in its purpose, not memorable however.
Controls: No complaints with controlling the character
Replayability: I’m not sure I can recommend playing this once never mind multiple times.
Total score: 45 / 100 – In theory this is a really fantastic idea. I read that this game started as an entry in a “code jam” and I think it shows in the second half of the game. Evoland 2 is much more highly regarded and that is what I recommend getting instead, completely skipping Evoland 1.
This game is a really fun and fantastic idea on face of it: start out as a primitive game with grey scale graphics and no sound, music and no weapon for the player. As more treasure chests are encountered more abilities are unlocked and more dimensions and details are added.
For instance when the game starts it looks like a GameBoy game from 1990 with no music or sound effects and the player can only move to the right (where a chest is unlocked for moving left). Eventually the player finds sound effects and music, then enemies and graphics are upgraded the NES-era.
The game goes on like this: SNES graphics, an over world (reference to Final Fantasy games) and so forth.
Towards the end of the game the player can actually swap back and forth between older 2D graphics and 3D graphics to make it over obstacles. Kind of a puzzle solving thing.
Unfortunately, due to its origins as a code fest game, there isn’t really a story or over all arc to the game.
And the final boss feels like it was just tacked on at the end. No need to accumulate anything that can restore health because those items are not usable during the final boss.
I did find the final boss quite challenging but that was because I didn’t know how to fight the boss and it was such a departure from the game up to that point. I think that took longer than any other single part of the game.
Ultimately I do not recommend this game as it just doesn’t play that well. Perhaps as freeware it would be entertaining for a little while but as long as Evoland 2 is just as accessible as this one I do not recommend Evoland 1.
Metadata
| Method of control used | XBox One gamepad (USB/off-brand) |
| Controllable via both one analog stick or digital four-way (“HAT”) | analog stick only |
| Hardware requirements: | Ran on low-2012 era discreet graphics GPU |
| PCs tried on | ~2013 era core i7 laptop/nVidia GPU at 1080p (full screen) running windows 7 |
| Works with 4:3 screens | untested (no reason to test) |
| Initial setup required | |
| GoG UID | https://www.gog.com/game/evoland |
| Mouse visible during play | yes |
Tildes on the side 