Evolution: The World of Sacred Device Review

After the opening FMV you know the game is going to be special. Introducing the game well, it shows the hero Mag Launcher, and damsel in distress (well - not quite) called Linear Cannon inside the temple. The temple very quickly becomes a popular bit of imagery in the game, which is just as well, as it looks awesome. Some block touches a sacred object, whenceupon all hell breaks loose. After running into the surrounding woods, the building they just left falls in a huge crash of smoke and stuff, and you're pitted straight into battle.

Making for a great introductory fight, and letting you familiarise yourself with the controls, which are both responsive and logical. I'm not an RPG man, but it felt instinctive enough to me. After the battle, a long sequence is played out with another ancient building crashing. The camera pans and zooms, adding that admirable Panzer Saga-style cinematic quality to the proceedings.

After another cut scene, you finally get the freedom to roam around where you like. I finally realised how spectacular the open areas could look, and how great the analogue control really was. Well textured and animated incredibly, the graphics are full of life. Grandia fans will like what they see, that's for sure. You can rotate the perspective, and the scene is set for some fabulous gaming action.

The controls, now in more detail. Simple yet effective, the system is the ideal user-game interface. Button A is the command button; it makes your character jump, converse and pick up objects, that kind of stuff. Button X calls up the menu, with your usual sub-menus. How effective these are I have yet to conclude. It seems complex enough, but I think only extensive playtesting will reveal whether or not it's up to the standard of Grandia's. B acts as the 'back' button, to cancel selections and such like.

Evolution's sound is excellent. The music is cinematic (like the visuals) and you often get the changing tone to fit with the action. Not streamed from the CD, and with added Q-Sound effects, we're talking a superlative music quality here. Boss sequences and battles are all the more spectacular with music morphing in similar faultless splendour as the graphics. It's a joy to behold. Like Sonic Adventure, the different characters have different themes, the sound effects are expectedly crisp, and it all works very well indeed.

The language barrier is high. There's masses of Japanese text and spoken words, thus the storyline is difficult to grasp in its entirety, and some annoying moments of not knowing what to do are present. But if you're hardcore enough to consider buying this game - or read this review, then it probably won't bother you. It adds challenge and life to the game if anything, and nothing beats playing (and conquering) a rock-solid Japanese RPG. Apparently the storyline IS great, and I've seen enough evidence to convince me considerably, but I await the full-on translation eagerly.

At the end of the day, Evolution can only be described as a classy, stylish and damn phenomenal RPG. It isn't quite as revolutionary as Grandia or Zelda, but there's NO denying that there's plenty of substance to get your teeth into. Couple that with stunning visuals, addictive sound and brilliant gameplay, and it is quite clear that Sting have done a fantastic job with their first Dreamcast offering.