Up until recently, Evolve looked and felt like a game in which the Hunters and Monster would face off in various maps that were disconnected. In all the media that's been released for the game, the only mode that's really been delved into is Hunt, in which the Hunters are tasked with eliminating the Monster, while the Monster has to consume wildlife, evolve, and take out the Hunters. 4 versus 1, multiple maps, done.

But there's thankfully more to the game than what's been shown previously, as developer Turtle Rock Studios has announced, and detailed, a new campaign mode that combines the newly revealed game modes Nest, Rescue, and Defend, maps, and campaign effects - AI Monster companion, turrets for Hunters, more AI wildlife, etc.

Officially called Evacuation, this particular mode will feel somewhat similar to the campaigns found in the Left 4 Dead series. It takes place across five days (five maps), and while the story of the mode isn't shoved in the faces of players, there is a still a story to tell - The planet of Shear is being overrun by Monsters, causing the colonists to evacuate. It's up to the Hunters to rescue as many people as they can, take down as many Monsters as possible and, more importantly, make sure the evac ship takes off in one piece.

The game modes within Evacuation break down like this:

• Hunt - It’s a race for the Monster to eat enough within the environment to evolve to stage 3, and find the power relay on the map to destroy the objective. All along, the Hunters and Monster play cat-and-mouse, hoping to kill for a quick victory.
• Nest - The Monster is out to protect its brood, randomly scattered all over the map, while the Hunters are out to scramble some alien eggs. If the Monster is able to get to the eggs, it has the option to hatch one of them into a minion – a stage 1 Goliath that runs around, aggro-ing Hunters. Hunters win by destroying all the eggs and the minion, or killing the Monster.
• Rescue - Injured colonists trying to escape the Monsters are placed randomly on the map. Hunters need to locate, revive and protect them as they make their escape. Monsters need to munch on as many of these colonists as possible and keep them from getting away. Whoever saves – or kills – the majority of the colonists, wins.
• Defend - The Hunters are desperately trying to defend the Evacuation point while the ship is fueling up to escape. The Monster, meanwhile, is leading hordes of Goliath minions, attacking the Evacuation point in waves.

Turtle Rock explains that there are over 800,000 variations to Evacuation, thanks to the various maps and game type combinations, and that Evolve offers a "ridiculous amount of variety for a different experience almost every time you play." Those eager to try out the new mode for themselves won't have to wait long if they're an Xbox One owner, though Evacuation will be playable exclusively on the platform during the open beta scheduled for January 2015. Sorry, PlayStation 4 players, but hopefully you'll get something unique when more details come out.

Evolve is set to release on February 10, 2015 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The third episode in the behind-the-scenes development series is out now, which details the process of making a playable Hunter character.

Source: Turtle Rock