EVO: Search for Eden (SNES, 1992)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-7.5 Control-7 Challenge-7.5 Story-6.5
Level Design-6 Frustration-7/8.5* Fun-6.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-6.5
*Certain bosses
+
Interesting premise (presents a semi-mythological version of history where the sun and planets are sentient beings and earth/gaia (represented by a goddess whose father is the sun) births a new species once every billion years, the player takes on the role of one of her created life forms and their goal is to evolve into becoming human and meeting her in Eden, there's also a reincarnation theme going on with your player avatar's soul reincarnating in a new creature each chapter)
Creative Action RPG/Life Sim gameplay (level up and evolve a creature in steps - manual control over which body part to control using exp/evolution points (affects stat growth: jaws=strength, horns=AP, body=defense+HP), hands/feet=agility (movement speed), fin and back of head=agility+your jumping ability (tails also increase it), neck=reach higher/lower/further with your bite attack, 8 body parts in total though most species can't evolve all of them), customization options are quite good as there are several choices to make per body part and 2+ species per era after the first one)
Choosing a different category in the "body" sub menu sometimes determines which species you become when combined with certain jaw types (different species have different ways of attacking and moving around). In general you automatically change species when moving to the next chapter or when moving between sea and land, and a few forms require finding a red crystal
Start out as a small fish and evolve up to human form
Temporary super evolution and "evolve into recorded creature" power ups (red and green crystals respectively - the transformation lasts about 2 mins)
Swim faster by double tapping r/l (default ability) - this also lets you use ramming or horn attacks which knock back enemies
Can respec by removing body parts (usually at a low cost but there are exceptions)
Some decent bosses (shark, king bee, female yeti, some phases of the final boss (6 phases))
Day/night cycle in some areas with an effect on gameplay (most (?) life forms go to sleep at night which makes them easier to take out)
Some mini-bosses
Good life form variety
"You do not like slime?"
One hidden area/level in ch. 3 and another small one in ch. 5 (finding them seems like a matter of trial & error)
Some ambient sfx
Decent cutscenes (mostly artwork stills and text)
+/-
Partially non-linear structure (chapter-based however there are alternate paths on the hub maps starting with chapter 2 - in this chapter you can't really go to the alternate area at first though because you'll be too weak, in chapter 3 you can go in either of two directions at first but they soon connect, can choose to remain a reptile in chapter 4 which leads to a worse ending but less grinding, linear chapter 4)
Each era has its own hub map with a few areas that you can (usually) move back and forth between
The game's structure makes it feel more like an episodic JRPG with automatic time travel rather than something more organic and free-form
Save on the hub map only - dying makes you loose half your EP/exp
Can save any life form you've evolved into a database for use with green crystals (30+ slots)
Evolving refills your health so it can be used tactically during boss fights (good given how frustrating they can be)
Evolving one body part may decrease some stats however this only seems to apply when changing your body size (a smaller one is faster and a smaller target obviously, but has less HP)
Frequently respawning enemies (off screen) and food - generally a good thing since it's not that hard to avoid most enemies
Weird how you eat friendly NPCs
Enemy drops disappear after about 5 seconds
One of the horns (angler's) can't attack but instead attracts small fish in some areas
No area maps (they're generally small but there are a couple of mazes)
Doesn't show bosses' health bars
Touch damage
The game promotes a stereotypical categorization of life forms into good and bad to create more of a story (bad=sharks, insects / good=plants, amphibians)
Can attack and kill friendly NPCs without penalty or them fighting back although there are some exceptions: one is the triceratops mother in chapter 3 which seems invulnerable, another is the stegosaurus in chapter 5 which gives you a hint about how to become human if you spare it, and the last is the alien encounter in chapter 5 where you can choose to forgive them and they'll let you visit their home
Near pointless "feeding" button since you can just attack food to eat it - only useful as a long-necked dinosaur in chapter 3 since it's the only way to reach ground level food
Can't evolve into the bosses (sometimes it makes sense since they are considered cheaters by using the crystals to evolve but other times not)
Can side with the enemy at a few points but it only leads to a bad ending and restarting the current area
Some fall damage if you fall really far
Some ability gating of sorts (can upgrade your jump height and movement speed through evolution but generally it's not required for traversal progression, only some enemies and bosses). In chapter 4's teleporter maze you can evolve into a form with longer horizontal jumping for easier traversal but actually it's not necessary. Since abilities are gained through leveling up rather than exploration and forms aren't permanent it doesn't work like in a Zelda or Metroid game
-
Some control/interface issues (can get stunlocked by most enemies (can also do it to them if your attack is strong enough), no journal/message log - yellow crystals and NPCs respawn but the latter make you leave and return to the screen to talk to them again, dashing could've had its own button instead, stiff movement around walls - you don't slide along a wall when moving into one but instead stop moving, can't adjust jump height meaning you have to instead evolve the right amount to get a certain height - a bit tedious, get stunned for a bit from running into walls or falling too far, minor movement delay after landing from a jump, attacking right before landing cancels the attack)
Some tedious aspects (too much grinding required if you want to become human and get the good ending (especially for the final boss unless you want a huge difficulty spike and some seemingly unavoidable attacks; can cut back on this with GG codes though) - the game also resets your exp/evolution points for each new chapter for no good reason, they also reset if you become a bird which you're not warned about beforehand, plenty of dead space in the cloud/space area in ch. 3, can't crouch in human form)
"Level" caps in each chapter to keep you from becoming overpowered however it doesn't feel properly balanced as the main bosses are much harder than the rest
Trial & error (no description when picking a body part to evolve so you have no idea what will happen in advance - a body part being more expensive doesn't always mean it's better, what body part will be affected negatively by evolving another, nearly all horns suck because they break after a few uses, can't tell if a room exit leads out of the current area or not - single entry point to areas from the hub map so it can leads to backtracking, some points of no return within each chapter, if you take the eastern path after the ch. 3 mini-boss you'll miss out on becoming a bird as the era will suddenly end after the "pack of dinosaurs" fight, the hidden cloud area in ch. 3 - wait at a location near the volcano for a big cloud to pass above you while in bird form, can only hold one green crystal at a time, evolving into a Ramothecus (human precursor) is irreversible)
Meat dropped by a boss can get stuck in a wall so that you can't reach it
Slowdown
Some difficulty spikes (final boss!, first boss, queen bee/second boss, ) and dips (bird-man and male yeti bosses, most areas after you're near fully evolved for the chapter)
Somewhat slow screen transitions (5 seconds)
Bland level design in chapter 2 and most of chapter 3 (most of 4 as well) - it would've been interesting if you had to switch to previous or alternate forms to progress at times like in Zelda/Metroid (flying to cross a swamp (it is useful to skip slippery ice surfaces and makes some combat easier tbf), feet that make you not slip on ice or allow for climbing walls/slopes, becoming small to reach into tight spaces or stomping/tackling through weak ground/walls for example) and there could've also been hidden blue crystals to find
Some annoying and/or unfitting music which is sadly repeated a bit much as well
Annoying pteranodon enemies in chapter 3 (can't shake them or attack them if they catch you)
So-so translation at times with some spelling and grammar errors
Some invisible walls at the edge of rooms/sub areas where it looks like there's an exit
Notes:
-Evolution chart: http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/snes/evo/evolutionchart.shtml
Level Design-6 Frustration-7/8.5* Fun-6.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-6.5
*Certain bosses
+
Interesting premise (presents a semi-mythological version of history where the sun and planets are sentient beings and earth/gaia (represented by a goddess whose father is the sun) births a new species once every billion years, the player takes on the role of one of her created life forms and their goal is to evolve into becoming human and meeting her in Eden, there's also a reincarnation theme going on with your player avatar's soul reincarnating in a new creature each chapter)
Creative Action RPG/Life Sim gameplay (level up and evolve a creature in steps - manual control over which body part to control using exp/evolution points (affects stat growth: jaws=strength, horns=AP, body=defense+HP), hands/feet=agility (movement speed), fin and back of head=agility+your jumping ability (tails also increase it), neck=reach higher/lower/further with your bite attack, 8 body parts in total though most species can't evolve all of them), customization options are quite good as there are several choices to make per body part and 2+ species per era after the first one)
Choosing a different category in the "body" sub menu sometimes determines which species you become when combined with certain jaw types (different species have different ways of attacking and moving around). In general you automatically change species when moving to the next chapter or when moving between sea and land, and a few forms require finding a red crystal
Start out as a small fish and evolve up to human form
Temporary super evolution and "evolve into recorded creature" power ups (red and green crystals respectively - the transformation lasts about 2 mins)
Swim faster by double tapping r/l (default ability) - this also lets you use ramming or horn attacks which knock back enemies
Can respec by removing body parts (usually at a low cost but there are exceptions)
Some decent bosses (shark, king bee, female yeti, some phases of the final boss (6 phases))
Day/night cycle in some areas with an effect on gameplay (most (?) life forms go to sleep at night which makes them easier to take out)
Some mini-bosses
Good life form variety
"You do not like slime?"
One hidden area/level in ch. 3 and another small one in ch. 5 (finding them seems like a matter of trial & error)
Some ambient sfx
Decent cutscenes (mostly artwork stills and text)
+/-
Partially non-linear structure (chapter-based however there are alternate paths on the hub maps starting with chapter 2 - in this chapter you can't really go to the alternate area at first though because you'll be too weak, in chapter 3 you can go in either of two directions at first but they soon connect, can choose to remain a reptile in chapter 4 which leads to a worse ending but less grinding, linear chapter 4)
Each era has its own hub map with a few areas that you can (usually) move back and forth between
The game's structure makes it feel more like an episodic JRPG with automatic time travel rather than something more organic and free-form
Save on the hub map only - dying makes you loose half your EP/exp
Can save any life form you've evolved into a database for use with green crystals (30+ slots)
Evolving refills your health so it can be used tactically during boss fights (good given how frustrating they can be)
Evolving one body part may decrease some stats however this only seems to apply when changing your body size (a smaller one is faster and a smaller target obviously, but has less HP)
Frequently respawning enemies (off screen) and food - generally a good thing since it's not that hard to avoid most enemies
Weird how you eat friendly NPCs
Enemy drops disappear after about 5 seconds
One of the horns (angler's) can't attack but instead attracts small fish in some areas
No area maps (they're generally small but there are a couple of mazes)
Doesn't show bosses' health bars
Touch damage
The game promotes a stereotypical categorization of life forms into good and bad to create more of a story (bad=sharks, insects / good=plants, amphibians)
Can attack and kill friendly NPCs without penalty or them fighting back although there are some exceptions: one is the triceratops mother in chapter 3 which seems invulnerable, another is the stegosaurus in chapter 5 which gives you a hint about how to become human if you spare it, and the last is the alien encounter in chapter 5 where you can choose to forgive them and they'll let you visit their home
Near pointless "feeding" button since you can just attack food to eat it - only useful as a long-necked dinosaur in chapter 3 since it's the only way to reach ground level food
Can't evolve into the bosses (sometimes it makes sense since they are considered cheaters by using the crystals to evolve but other times not)
Can side with the enemy at a few points but it only leads to a bad ending and restarting the current area
Some fall damage if you fall really far
Some ability gating of sorts (can upgrade your jump height and movement speed through evolution but generally it's not required for traversal progression, only some enemies and bosses). In chapter 4's teleporter maze you can evolve into a form with longer horizontal jumping for easier traversal but actually it's not necessary. Since abilities are gained through leveling up rather than exploration and forms aren't permanent it doesn't work like in a Zelda or Metroid game
-
Some control/interface issues (can get stunlocked by most enemies (can also do it to them if your attack is strong enough), no journal/message log - yellow crystals and NPCs respawn but the latter make you leave and return to the screen to talk to them again, dashing could've had its own button instead, stiff movement around walls - you don't slide along a wall when moving into one but instead stop moving, can't adjust jump height meaning you have to instead evolve the right amount to get a certain height - a bit tedious, get stunned for a bit from running into walls or falling too far, minor movement delay after landing from a jump, attacking right before landing cancels the attack)
Some tedious aspects (too much grinding required if you want to become human and get the good ending (especially for the final boss unless you want a huge difficulty spike and some seemingly unavoidable attacks; can cut back on this with GG codes though) - the game also resets your exp/evolution points for each new chapter for no good reason, they also reset if you become a bird which you're not warned about beforehand, plenty of dead space in the cloud/space area in ch. 3, can't crouch in human form)
"Level" caps in each chapter to keep you from becoming overpowered however it doesn't feel properly balanced as the main bosses are much harder than the rest
Trial & error (no description when picking a body part to evolve so you have no idea what will happen in advance - a body part being more expensive doesn't always mean it's better, what body part will be affected negatively by evolving another, nearly all horns suck because they break after a few uses, can't tell if a room exit leads out of the current area or not - single entry point to areas from the hub map so it can leads to backtracking, some points of no return within each chapter, if you take the eastern path after the ch. 3 mini-boss you'll miss out on becoming a bird as the era will suddenly end after the "pack of dinosaurs" fight, the hidden cloud area in ch. 3 - wait at a location near the volcano for a big cloud to pass above you while in bird form, can only hold one green crystal at a time, evolving into a Ramothecus (human precursor) is irreversible)
Meat dropped by a boss can get stuck in a wall so that you can't reach it
Slowdown
Some difficulty spikes (final boss!, first boss, queen bee/second boss, ) and dips (bird-man and male yeti bosses, most areas after you're near fully evolved for the chapter)
Somewhat slow screen transitions (5 seconds)
Bland level design in chapter 2 and most of chapter 3 (most of 4 as well) - it would've been interesting if you had to switch to previous or alternate forms to progress at times like in Zelda/Metroid (flying to cross a swamp (it is useful to skip slippery ice surfaces and makes some combat easier tbf), feet that make you not slip on ice or allow for climbing walls/slopes, becoming small to reach into tight spaces or stomping/tackling through weak ground/walls for example) and there could've also been hidden blue crystals to find
Some annoying and/or unfitting music which is sadly repeated a bit much as well
Annoying pteranodon enemies in chapter 3 (can't shake them or attack them if they catch you)
So-so translation at times with some spelling and grammar errors
Some invisible walls at the edge of rooms/sub areas where it looks like there's an exit
Notes:
-Evolution chart: http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/snes/evo/evolutionchart.shtml