Four New Hunters Join Evolve’s Fight
Unless you’ve been living under a rock – or have been pinned beneath the paw of a towering beast – there’s a good chance you might already be familiar with “Evolve.” Spawned from the same folks who brought us the “Left 4 Dead” franchise, the forthcoming title is a 4-on-1 co-op/competitive shooter that pits a quartet of hunters against a player-controlled monster. Or, as Turtle Rock Studios co-founder Phil Robb describes it: “It’s kind of like a big, epic boss battle, but the boss is controlled by a human.”
After assembling a team of four class-based characters—Assault, Trapper, Medic, and Support—players are tasked with working together to track and take down a Goliath that would make most other games’ big bads look like grade-school bullies. Of course, because the beast is controlled by a fifth player, it brings to the battlefield a level of skill, strategy, and unpredictability that an A.I.-directed monster just can’t match.
Thankfully, our recent demo was all about showcasing the creature-crushing guns and gadgets of four new hunters. While Turtle Rock had previously revealed Markov, Griffin, Val, and Hank—a menacing foursome that could have made Schwarzenegger cry uncle in his Predator-thwarting prime—they were now letting us lock-and-load behind Hyde, Maggie, Lazarus, and Bucket.
The former pair of hunters joins the Assault and Trapper classes, respectively. Hyde carries a mini-gun capable of turning forests into tossed salads, but it’s his secondary weapon that does the most damage; a flamethrower built into his left arm, Hyde’s backup—according to Turtle Rock co-founder Chris Ashton—is the game’s “shortest ranged, but most powerful weapon.” When not barbequing baddies from behind his butt-kicking appendage, Hyde can utilize his unique ability, Toxic Grenades, as well as his class-based Personal Shield.
On top of packing a Machine Pistol and Harpoon Traps, Maggie—like her classmate Griffin—can deploy Mobile Arenas; these cage-like domes are great for temporarily enclosing the target in a small space while your entire team attempts to fill it full of smoking holes. Maggie’s best asset on the battlefield, however, isn’t a hand-cannon, but a living, breathing companion named Daisy. Described by Ashton as being like a “big aggressive hyena,” the predatory pet (technically called a “Trapjaw”) is like a fifth, four-legged member of the hunter team. While it’s yet to be confirmed if Daisy can fetch your morning paper, we know she can sniff out the target and revive teammates.
New to the medic class is Lazarus, a sniper-rifle-equipped healer who uses more than bandages and ointment to bring his friends back from the brink. Sure, his Healing Burst class ability is a lifesaver, but it’s his aptly named Lazarus Device that literally allows the dead to rise; more effective than his class counterpart’s Medgun, this miracle skill can quickly turn the tables on a monster who thinks it’s transformed the map into a graveyard. Combined with his Personal Cloak, Lazarus’ ability to resurrect expired allies is as strategic as it is supernatural.
Rounding out the new recruits is Bucket, the only nonhuman hunter to be revealed so …read more