Winner of the 2012 Ludum Dare, Evoland was truly a love letter to Japanese role playing games though time. Although it was more a tribute to the history of the genre than a real game per se, it was really a joy to play to anyone who's old enough to have experienced the games of the 80s and 90s. A year later, a more complete version of the game was sold, adding the 3D era to the JRPG history book. In early 2015, it finally launched on mobile devices, so all that was really left to do was to give us a true sequel. We had a chance to get Evoland 2 early to see what Shiro Games could do when given more than just 48 hours to develop a title. As usual, the full review is on the French side, but you'll find the verdict and the +/- section inside.
Verdict
Despite a few anger management issues because of a particularly vicious boss we had to beat without any potion (only one of each can be carried by the character and the witch who can prepare them was not available at that time), it's impossible to bear a grudge against Evoland 2. We're not sure younger players will be just as charmed as we have been playing this adventure in time, but this sequel is indeed a true game. Don't worry though, there are still tons of tongue in cheeks references to our past as gamers and geeks, but they are all there for a reason. Shiro Games managed to build a rich and generous title around their original concept and it works amazingly well. Better yet, Evoland 2 is not just a tribute to the JRPG genre as it now covers almost every single one, from the early days of gaming to the modern era. The surprises are many so we can't reveal much of the game's content to keep them fresh to you, but even though the RPG mechanics may sometimes lack a bit of depth, Evoland 2 has achieved its purpose beautifully: to offer us a link to the past.
- On the plus side
- 2D and pixel art are charming as ever
- Smart way of justifying the visual changes
- Nice and varied soundtrack
- Funny and full of tongue in cheeks references
- Generous with content and incredibly varied
- Bosses can be tough
- Good story involving time travel
- Solid length
- On the down side
- Some game design choices
- No chiptunes in 2D sequences
- Character evolution and inventory are a bit too limited
- Some passages can be frustrating
- The 3D style is too generic
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