In the upcoming shooter 'Evolve,' will you be the hunter or the hunted?

(From Turtlerockstudios.com)

The realm of first person shooters these days has gotten a bit stagnant. It seems as though most companies are content sticking to the tried and true tropes of the genre – reimagining historical conflicts or creating new ones with a focus on realism – rather than trying to create a new experience with the genre. The Left 4 Dead series used the genre to present a different take on first-person shooters, placing more emphasis on teamwork and survival than on competition with other players. It’s fitting then that the next big shake up in the world of FPS games would also come from Turtle Rock Studios, the creators of the original Left 4 Dead.

Evolve, a new cooperative/competitive FPS from Turtle Rock Studios, promises a completely unique experience that will appeal to gamers who love the competitive nature of online shooters as well as those who have a stronger drive toward working with friends to accomplish a goal. The hook of Evolve is its unique 4-vs-1 dynamic where four human players hunt for a lone player in the role of a huge monster with varying abilities.

It’s an interesting take on the FPS genre, one that has its roots in the Left 4 Dead series. In L4D, four players must work to traverse a large, open environment where there are countless enemies looking to kill and maim your party. L4D also features a Versus mode where humans can take on the role of the undead masses to try and stop the humans from completing the level. Evolve is very similar to L4D’s Versus mode, but with several exciting twists.

In Evolve, players take on the role of a “planet-tamer” seeking to exterminate nasty wild life that threatens human settlements on newly colonized planets. The team of humans features four unique characters – Griffin, Markov, Val and Hank – with specific skills and weapons.

The team of hunters (from left) are Val (medic, Markov (assault), Griffin (trapper) and Hank (support). (From IGN.com)

Griffin is the trapper of the group and is tasked with tracking down the beast and as such will need to have a keen eye for clues in the environment which can clue you in on where the monster is going or where it could be hiding. He also has equipment, like sensors, which will create on-screen waypoints to direct your group to the monsters location when tripped. He can also utilize a harpoon weapon to slow down the monster and prevent it from escaping when found. But his most interesting piece of gear is the mobile arena, which creates a large forcefield around a small area, trapping the monster inside. You’d want to use the forcefield when the monster is smaller and weaker, since you’ll be trapped inside the field with it.

The other members of the team sport more familiar abilities. Markov is the assault character, utilizing heavy weaponry to take down the beast once discovered. Val is the medic and can heal teammates while also able to inject the monster with a special serum to slow him down and make him visible on-screen. Val is also the sniper and will usually want to operate at a distance with the final member of the group, Hank, the support specialist. Hank employs a shield generator, which can be projected distances to protect players targeted by the monster. He also has a cloaking device that can extend to teammates if you need to regroup for another attack. Hank has offensive abilities too, namely a large orbital bombardment that deals massive damage if timed right. Each player is also equipped with a jetpack to help offset the naturally faster movement speed of the monster.

It might seem like a 4-vs-1 fight wouldn’t be very fair to the lone player, but the monster can be a very formidable opponent. There will be several different beasts to choose from in the final game but so far, the only known monster is Goliath. As Goliath, you’ll start out by trying to evade the human hunters and stalk your own prey, which can be consumed to upgrade your abilities. As you upgrade, Goliath becomes larger and more durable as well as unlocking new abilities and attacks. Eventually, Goliath will be able to go on the offensive and hunt down the human players and can even attack and destroy the settlements the humans were sent to protect.

When I first heard about Evolve, I wasn’t entirely sold on the concept. A 4-vs-1 game didn’t seem very appealing and I couldn’t wrap my mind around how a match would play out. But as I’ve read up on information and watched the available preview videos, Evolve is becoming more and more interesting and the dynamic of humans-vs-monster means that the strategies needed for success on either team will be wildly varying. Thanks to the naturally higher endurance and strength of the monster and the unique abilities and weapons of the humans, matches in Evolve will basically become real-time chess matches where teams attack and evade, needing to carefully plan their next move in order to be successful.

Evolve is scheduled to be released in the summer/early fall of 2014 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.