After being unveiled in the February 2014 issue of Game Informer, Turtle Rock's "asymmetrical multiplayer first-person shooter" Evolve soon became one of the most-anticipated titles on the horizon for many players. In spite of a delay from its original October 2014 release date, Evolve arrived this past February to mostly positive reviews. It wasn't without its issues, however.
One common criticism involves Evolve's reliance on downloadable content; the game launched with a whopping $136 worth of available DLC. Day-one DLC is controversial in the best of cases, so it's not surprising that some gamers criticized what they saw as a naked ongoing cash grab. Regardless, Turtle Rock is committed to continuing to let Evolve...well, evolve. Now details have arrived about the new Monster and four new Hunters that will be added to the game next month.
The PlayStation blog has revealed new pictures and details of the monstrous Behemoth, coming to Evolve on April 1, as well as four hunters. Even if gamers opt not to purchase the new DLC characters, the PS blog says players will still be able to "play with and against them online — and against them while playing solo offline." Here's what you can look forward to next month:
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Behemoth
Behemoth is a classic tank, designed for durability with a ton of armor and the largest pool of health of any of Evolve's monsters. While he lacks in speed, he can curl up into a ball and roll around the map like that boulder that chased Indiana Jones. He's most dangerous up close and personal, so his abilities focus on "trapping, stunning, or pulling" the Hunters into range where he can do the most damage. Behemoth should appeal to players who like the straightforward approach. Behemoth will be free for players who pre-ordered Evolve from participating retailers.
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Torvald (Assault)
Torvald is a cyborg damage-dealer whose back-mounted Mortar Cannons can do serious damage at range. When it comes to closer encounters, he's got Shrapnel Grenades that target the Monsters' weak spots and an Autofire Shotgun that hits with multiplied damage. PS blog also says Torvald is "out for revenge," so expect a backstory involving friends or family members slaughtered by Monsters. Torvald is a "go in guns blazing" kind of guy.
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Crow (Trapper)
Crow brings a friend to the party: his pet Batray named Gobi, who he can send out to scout for the Monster. He packs a Stasis Gun with two modes: rapid fire slows the Monster briefly, whereas a more powerful blast will keep the beast debilitated longer, but also takes longer to charge up the shot. His Kinetic Long Rifle also sports dual modes. Rapid fire favors damage per second, but the charged shot will actually dig through the Monster's armor and take a chunk out of its health pool. If your FPS tendencies favor a high perch and a sniper rifle, Crow should be right up your alley.
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Slim (Medic)
Sometimes it takes a monster to kill a monster. Slim is described as "genetically modified," and is clearly sporting some insect DNA in the mix. He's packing a Leech Gun that powers up his Heal Burst, and an AOE healing ability that has the widest radius of all Evolve's available medics. Like Crow, he can send a little buddy into the field -- in this case a drone that can seek out injured comrades at a distance and patch them up. If he needs to get closer to his allies but there's, say, a giant angry creature in the way, he can use his Spore Cloud Launcher to mess up the Monster's ability to smell, and thus track the players.
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Sunny (Support)
Sunny's role is support, and given that she brings a "Mininuke Grenade Launcher" as part of her arsenal, she should be very supportive indeed. The MGL is said to pack "more punch in a single projectile than any other hand-wielded weapon in the game," and the description definitely brings back memories of Fallout 3's "Fat Man" shoulder-mounted nuke launcher. Hopefully it'll kick up tiny little mushroom clouds with every hit.
Sunny has a Shield Drone to help defend her allies in the midst of the fray, but her coolest gadget may be the Jetpack Boosters, which can actually grab a teammate and rocket them to safety if they get in over their heads. That also sounds like an ability that could be abused in funny and annoying ways.
All four new Hunters will be available for purchase individually on April 1, or players can grab the full set of them as part of the Evolve Hunting Season Pass. If you didn't get your copy of Evolve from one of the selected retailers, you can also purchase Behemoth separately.
Evolve is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: PlayStation blog