14 DAY TRIAL // Our Incoming 2015 series focuses on the most important game launches of the next 12 months and next up we talk about one of the most anticipated all-new shooters of the year – Evolve – coming from Turtle Rock Studios and 2K Games.
What we know
Evolve is an ambitious first-person shooter that promises to combine cooperative and competitive multiplayer experiences. On one side, there's a team of Hunters that need to work together in order to take down an enemy monster.
The Hunters are split into four categories, ranging from Assault, to Trapper, Medic, and Support. Each class has a key role in a match and cooperative is a must if the team wants to take down the hulking beast.
Meanwhile, players who control the monster can choose, at launch, from three different varieties. Goliath is a basic beast that can breathe fire and smash the ground, while Kraken can fly around and deploy lightning strikes, as well as other effects. There's also a third variety, called Wraith, but just a few core details have been revealed. It can move really fast on the battlefield, spawn decoys, and abduct hunters in blazing attacks.
Turtle Rock promises to ensure absolute balance, as Evolve is supposed to let the skills of the player decide who wins or loses in the actual matches.
A fourth monster is set to launch as a free downloadable add-on for those who pre-order the game ahead of its release. The studio also wants to roll out other free DLC in order to keep players hooked on the competitive experience.
Why it matters
Evolve is among the few all-new intellectual properties set to appear this year and developer Turtle Rock has already proven itself adept at creating stellar cooperative and competitive experiences with the original Left 4 Dead.
The title is also looking really good and, after a hands-on session at Gamescom 2014 last August, I came away quite smitten with the multiplayer game, both when it came to playing as a monster, as well as when it came to acting as a team of hunters.
In the end, the balance proposed by Turtle Rock is looking good so let's hope for a great finished product.
You can expect to hear much more about the new title in the following weeks, as we get closer to its launch.
Evolve is set to debut on February 10, worldwide, for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms.
