EVOLVE

This asymmetric multiplayer didn’t go extinct, its DNA is everywhere. 

- Samantha Greer

NEED TO KNOW

RELEASE February 10, 2015

PUBLISHER 2K

DEVELOPER Turtle Rock Studios

LINK 2k.com

Evolve came along too soon. It was definitely the victim of its own misguided marketing campaign, a push from its publisher 2K to front-load a season pass for DLC before the game had even been released. In our current climate of games saturated with passes of all kinds and microtransactions, Evolve almost seems quaint. It’s more than business practices that came before their time, Evolve was ahead of the curve on a handful of design trends and while it might have died out, its DNA lived on.

2K recently, inexplicably, turned matchmaking back on for the game after years in limbo. It’s in a bit of a sorry state, trapped in a transformation to free-to-play that never completed but once you’re in a game, all these years on, it still absolutely shines. You might not think of it in light of its controversies at the time but Evolve was a unique, thrilling game. The team at the then newly founded Turtle Rock Studios were fresh off their work on Left 4 Dead, and applying it’s knack for co-op shenanigans to a whole new beast. The premise is nicely simple: a team of four hunters are up against an ever evolving monster.

NATURAL SELECTION Its roster of hunters is broken up into a handful of roles. Trappers for tracking and locking the monster down, assault for bringing lots of damage, medics to keep their team alive and support who offer a wide range of buffs or assists. What’s neat as I dive back in is finding that Evolve had something nailed down that