Review: EVOLAND, the old-school / new-school PC RPG

I came across a PC game that brought me back to what got me hooked on video RPGs (games like Legend of Zelda from the Game Boy days or even Final Fantasy from the SNES days). With Evoland (from Shiro Games), new players will discover a bit of video game history and veteran RPG players will be taken back to amazing titles and memories…

Evoland starts out with an 8-bit look – you need to find and open chests to start the upgrades to the game (8-bit to 16, 16 to 32, 32 to 64, 64 to 128 and so forth). You play as the hero of the story (adventuring around finding chests like the good old days) until you get to a point where the graphics and sound are what we are used to in 2013. If you remember, 8-bit games were from the NES years, 16-bit games were from the Genesis years, and 32-bit games were from the Playstaion 1 years (a huge time for consoles). Then there was the famous 64-bit system (the Nintendo 64), and then in 2000 the Playstation 2 came out with their amazing 128-bit. And finally, Microsoft jumped in on the action with the XBOX – which brought you the best game to date (Halo!). So, there’s a bit of break down memory lane, and now, back to my review of Evoland…

Just like in Legend of Zelda, it has a hack-and-slash gameplay and offers puzzle-solving quests. After finding some chests, you will come to the play style of Final Fantasy, meaning random encounters. Remember turn-based RPG battles? Yep, that’s what this game has. The storyline in this game is pretty basic – you’re the hero meeting other characters and accepting quests to move forward in the story. You remember the old sword and shield? Right. What about your trusty bow?

PROS

• Brilliant concept of going from 1985 to 2013 in graphics and sound
• Has funny moments
• Fun side games
• Nice dungeons
• Collectable cards

CONS

• Game is a little short
• Some parts seem a little too easy.

If you enjoyed Legend of Zelda, then this game is right up your alley. I found this game on the Steam Summer Sale and paid $3.29 for it, but I’d have to say that it’s well worth the nomal price of $9.99. After playing this game, it brought back great memories of playing my first RPGs. It’s not the best or the worst game I have ever played, but it made me feel right at home. There’s some funny parts in the game and some intense battles, and once you start earning your experience and leveling up, you won’t be disappointed. So, if you’re looking for a short (less than 10 hrs, but very fun) game, then check it out!

Game: EVOLAND
Developer: Shiro Games
Genre: Adventure Games
Available: Here
Cheats: On GameFAQs