From playful pre-match banter to defiant mid-match monster-taunting, the plentiful voice overs are well written and delivered. Characters preen and pose on the title screen, emoting with a cartoonish flare that makes each one memorable. The true beauty of Evolve, though, is in the subtle details that flesh out its world, its characters, and its mechanics. Each individual element is well executed, but combined as whole during a matchвЂ™s most pitched moments, the complete picture really is a sight to behold.

The ground rumbles deeply with GoliathвЂ™s every step, and KrakenвЂ™s Lightning Strikes light up the screen, sending Hunters tumbling in every which direction while startled wildlife scatter in fear. Though itвЂ™s hard to take it all in when youвЂ™re embroiled in an intense monster fight, Evolve looks and sounds remarkably good. Since every second that passes without the monster in your crosshairs is another step closer to it becoming nigh-unstoppable, hunts are every bit as thrilling as they are nuanced. You might tag tempting wildlife with a tracking dart, so that when the monster eats it you can get a bead on its location, or pursue a monster with an unmanned drone to relay his position to your teammates. You need to reason out where the monster is headed, and make effective use of your teamвЂ™s amusing sci-fi gadgets. Fresh tracks and startled birds are among the more obvious clues, but following them like a bread crumb trail is rarely enough. Overpowering the hunters is really just your reward for outsmarting them, which makes ripping them to shreds as a max-level monster feel just as satisfying as it looks and sounds.ДЄs the hunters, the continually interesting challenge is to find a cunning monster that doesnвЂ™t want to be found amidst the sprawling and beautifully realized planet of Shear. For as effectively as they exude an intimidating physical presence, playing the monster successfully requires patience and skill. ItвЂ™s a high-stakes tightrope act that requires good map knowledge, and a strong grasp of the monsterвЂ™s surprising number of non-combat abilities like climbing, sneaking, and sniffing around. Having the monster start out relatively weak, only to feed and grow in power as the match progresses generates a lot of tension for both sides.The monster needs to move quickly and carefully, balancing the need to put distance between itself and the hunters with the need to find food to level up. A core concept as novel as assuming control of a hulking behemoth and facing off against four player-controlled humanoids could easily have fallen into gimmick territory, if not for the thoughtful way that Hunt, EvolveвЂ™s core mode, is structured.

Evolve stage 2 2018