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Evolution: The World of Sacred Device Review
Noel Brady
00/12/0000
Evolution is part of the new breed of RPG's targetted at a mainstream audience rather than trainspotting anoracks.
Evolution is part of the new breed of RPG\'s targetted at a mainstream audience rather than trainspotting anoracks. Nowadays we just won\'t put up with crap graphics, a good user interface and some scraps with orcs and the like. Evolution is the first RPG on Dreamcast so gamers are bound to snap it up, but Ubisoft have also made sure that the game is accessible to gamers who don\'t know their Cloud Strife from their Squall Lionheart.
The plot revolves around the youthful duo of Mag Launcher and Linear Cannon. Mag is the acting head of a famous adventuring family while his father\'s away on a quest. The last time he heard from his father was three years ago in a letter delivered by Linear. The letter asked Mag to look after her, and since then she\'s been his constant companion. In order to pay off the Launcher family\'s huge debts, Mag and Linear have been going on quests for the local archeological society. They have been mostly unsuccessfull if their adventures and this is why they need your help.
As the game begins, Mag and Linear are off on one such adventure, but things are about to get a whole lot more complicated, as the 8th Imperial Army arrives in Pannama Town, in search of a legendary artefact known as Evolutia. It so happens that the Launcher family throughout the generations has been seeking out this very artefact as well; in fact, Magās father was out in search of Evolutia when he disappeared and sent Linear with the letter to Mag. Throughout the course of the game, Mag, Linear and their chosen partner will clash with the 8th Imperial Army as all try to figure out the mystery behind Evolutia.
Mag\'s home, Pannam Town, is surrounded by the mysterious ruins of an ancient civilisation. The bulk of Evolution sees you exploring the ruins slaying monsters, collecting treasures and avoiding traps- all the usual RPG things, in other words. There are initially five ruins to explore, each with a different theme: icy, volcanic, mossy and so on, so forth. At the end of each one lurks an enormous boss. After it\'s been despatched, you return to Pannamto collect your reward, watch a cut-scene, and then set off on another quest.
Besides Mag and Linear, you can also take along a third character to help out. There\'s Chain Gun, a hot headed tomboy; Pepper Box, a gun-toting maniac and Gre Made, the Launcher family butler. In the usual mould, each have their own individual traits and abilities that are useful throughout the various journeys. You may have noticed that all the main characters have names taken from various forms of munitions, this is so they fit into the machine-based world of the game.
The dungeons are, clearly, the main area of the game, and they are massive, ranging from ten to twenty floors. Twisting paths loaded with traps abound, and stepping upon a trap will send characters into blindness or confusion, warp them to different areas of the map, or result in various other effects, some good and some bad. An on-screen auto map feature makes navigating the dungeons easy, but the later dungeons become tedious after the tenth floor. Interestingly enough, the dungeons are randomly generated, so if you leave a given floor and return to it later, youāll end up going through a completely different floor.
The dungeons of the ruins are full of all sorts of spells and items which can be used throughout the game and especially in battles, hidden away in chests which are liberally scattered around the various levels of the ruins. The whole idea of a young adventurer is reminiscent of Zelda as are the magna-styled graphics and musical accompaniment and, although Evolution isn\'t nearly as huge in its expanse, it is still great fun to play once you\'ve allowed yourself to be swallowed up by the whole archaeological crusading thing.
Combat in Evolution takes place via an effective turn-based system: characters can move, put up thier guard, attack, cast a spell or use a special item. As you progress, your characters gain more experience points, enabling them to learn new spells and survive longer in battle. Items picked up along the way can be used, or sold for cash to buy better weapons. You might think that all sounds pretty familiar and bog-standard so far, but there\'s more to Evolution than meets the eye. Ubisoft has added a bit of strategy to the battles by using a grid-based positional system, with characters and enemies placed in one of three positions: near, medium, and far. A character in the near position will unleash stronger attacks, but is more susceptible to damage. Likewise, a character in the far position unleashes a weaker attack, but is less likely to incur damage. The positional stuff does work its way into the game system, as some characters can do moves that force opponents into different positions.
Battles are made further interesting through the use of the CyFrame, a mechanical device that attaches to a given character. Located throughout the Evolution world are parts that can be connected to the CyFrame, and when doing so will give a character special powers. Mag, for instance, can equip a Boulder CyFrame, which gives him a series of boulder attacks, or he can equip a restoration CyFrame which makes available to him a series of restoration moves. You can go into a shop in tow and upgrade the CyFrame to include multiple slots and give an individual port more power.
Running around the traditional quest plot is an involving storyline centred around Mag\'s growing awareness of his family history and the mysteries of the ancient civilisation. There\'s also the interference of the decidely dodgy Crown Prince Eugene, who wants Linear for his girlfriend. But the mark of a classic is when it gets you involved with the characters. Evolution does this, with every character feeling like a full rounded personality rather than just a selection of statistics. This is partly down to the carfeully crafted animation in the battle scenes, where every character has their own distinct style.
Evolution is shot through with a streak that might put off some adult gamers, and it\'s Japanese sense of humour doesn\'t always translate well. As for the game Eugene/Linear storyline, it\'s anyone\'s guess what an Irish audience will make of a twenty-something man trying to woo a pre-pubscent teenage girl. the cultural differences don\'t ruin the game but it\'s something to bear in mind when playing throughout. Some of the occurences are just way too off-the-wall for us Westerners to understand.
As RPGs go, Evolution is a fine first effort for the Dreamcast although there is obviously room for improvement for future products-- indeed the second instalment is already on its way in Japan. For the most part the graphics look really good with some effective and smooth camera action, and this is something which is complimented with some superb control. The gameplay is all that you would expect from an RPG, it is split into two different parts - one for exploring and one for fighting. Once you\'ve spent half an hour indulging in the wonderfully rendered environments you won\'t want to pull the plug until you\'ve found as much treasure as you\'re able to cram into your pockets.
