Evotinction Review

When a rogue AI is hell-bent on eliminating all human life, who is the person to call to quell the threat? Does EVOTINCTION feature a gun-toting mercenary with a penchant for cheesy one-liners? What about a sword-wielding badass with spiky hair? No? Well then, how about a regular old scientist who has zero combat experience but has the technical know-how to potentially stop this disaster from escalating? Sounds like the perfect lead character for a sci-fi stealth game! In Spikewave Games’ debut title, players will be forced to take a tactical approach to combating the machine uprising, but is it any good? Let’s find out!

In the near future, a research facility known as HERE has been infected by a malicious computer virus known as RED that’s causing havoc to its systems. This includes the highly advanced AI system responsible for the service robots that were originally intended to assist the scientists living in the facility. These once harmless servants of man have now become lethal killing machines intent on wiping out all human life within the HERE facility.

With a large number of people living there, it’s up to our protagonist, Dr. Thomas Liu, to return to infiltrate the facility and try to resolve the crisis. Liu isn’t your typical videogame hero, however, and won’t be throwing haymakers or no-scoping robots at every opportunity. Instead, he’ll need to use his brain (and wealth of technology available) to sneak past, hack, and manipulate these deadly machines in order to uncover the truth of just what exactly happened in HERE.

I really enjoyed the story, and although I had very little idea of what exactly was going on in the opening sections of the game, EVOTINCTION picks up speed quickly and thrusts you into a story full of intrigue and some decent world-building. From notes and audio recordings found throughout the world that help flesh out the events that preceded the game, to Dr. Liu and his friendly robot companion 0z (who bears a striking resemblance to Wheatley) trying to uncover what exactly went wrong, there’s a lot of decent narrative here, especially if you take the time to hunt the collectibles. Definitely one for sci-fi lovers to really get invested in!

At times, EVOTINCTION reminded me of Alien: Isolation and even a little of Dead Space with its environmental design. The moody, almost oppressive abandoned facility had me constantly on edge (despite this not being a horror title), with the fantastic lighting also doing a great job of bringing the futuristic setting to life. It’s a genuinely impressive-looking game, and I’m not just talking about the environments. Characters are intricately detailed and well-animated, too, with Dr. Liu and his protective suit being a particular highlight. For such a small team's first published videogame, it’s honestly quite the feat that the developer has crafted such an immersive atmosphere.

This also extends into EVOTINCTION’s sound design, which also does a great job of creating a sense of loneliness and dread as you explore the environments overrun with sentient machines out for blood. Additionally, the majority of the voice cast does a great job, with Dr. Liu and 0z’s actors putting on great performances. Granted, 0z is an artificial intelligence, so it does sound slightly robotic, but it’s a much better robo-voice (with actual inflection) than the horror that was Destiny’s Dinklebot.

As someone who is lacking in combat prowess, Dr. Liu isn’t about to kick every door down and start blasting. Instead, EVOTINCTION takes more of a stealth approach to enemy encounters, with a variety of methods to ensure your survival. Various robots — known as Genies — stand between you and your goal of containing the RED virus, and along the way you’ll find a variety of tools to help you combat the threat. You’ll start with basic abilities, such as being able to overload an enemy to take them out instantly (although this requires sufficient E-Blaster charges) and scanning the barcodes on the rear of the Genie’s to trigger a shutdown. The latter takes a little longer, but can be a smart way to save on overloads once you’ve figured out an enemy patrol route.

The game boasts of an “in-depth hacking system,” and it doesn’t take long to start unlocking new abilities and upgrades. From hacks against the AI, such as disabling a Genie’s vision sensor or deploying your own virus against it, to upgrades like marking nearby enemies that will make your life a bit easier, there are quite a number of modifications to unlock. Nothing in life is free, though, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for discarded tech in the environment in order to keep earning those new mods.

There is a catch to being the ultimate hacking guru, though! All of your abilities can be used at any point, but each one has an estimated amount of time for the hack to complete. The timer in the top right will count down each time a hack is used, and reaching zero means that specific area will be locked down, disabling any use of abilities aside from the E-Blaster. Additionally, any hacking attempt that takes longer than five seconds will alert whichever Genie is under threat to your location before they can be subdued. It’s such a unique way to keep the player thinking and strategising, something I wasn’t expecting to do much of while playing, and it’s incredibly rewarding to take out every Genie in an area whilst remaining undetected, and still having lockdown time left over.

Getting caught by a Genie can occasionally lead to an instant game over, so you’ll need patience to sneak around without drawing attention, or fast reflexes to escape unharmed. This can, in some instances, lead to some frustration, as you’ll have to retread sections of gameplay and cutscenes again (thankfully the scenes are skippable). The stealth mechanics work well, at the very least, so there will be minimal frustration when getting caught due to enemies that can somehow spot you from around a corner. It can be tough at times, but EVOTINCTION works best when taking your time and planning two steps ahead.

EVOTINCTION left a very good impression during my time with it. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into when first booting up the game, but it’s one that gripped me for the entirety of the journey. The way the stealth and hacking work in tandem creates a game that’s not just about sneaking up and knocking out floating robots, but also one that makes the player think how best to approach each encounter. A “hack ‘n stealth” title that may not be on everyone's wishlist, but is definitely one worth checking out!