Love It: Evoland

illiterate

I am a fan of criticism (shocking, I know). While it is inherently negative, its application can be positive. One criticism that has turned up a few times is that I am judging games while not playing through their entirety. I am going to take this opportunity to remind mydear readers that Love It or Hate It is not a series of traditional reviews. I simply do not have the time to play all the way through every single game that I already have, much less everything that comes out. Who does? Thats why we read and write reviews. But beyond that, its always been glaringly obvious to me early into playing a game whether or not I was going to love or hate it.Today we are looking at an indie game that hearkens back to the games from my childhood:. I dont like to reinvent the wheel (or Im lazy, take your pick). Behold the description from the Steam store page is a journey through the history of action/adventure gaming, allowing you to unlock new technologies, gameplay systems and graphic upgrades as you progress through the game.Sound neat? Well, it did to me, and the trailer hooked me.Im pleased to report that it did not disappoint. I loveIn my previous review I griped about the lack of anything really new in. I dont have the same complaint about. With this game youthe old; obviously the appeal here is nostalgia. You want to take a trip down Memory Lane, turning down Zelda St. and Final Fantasy Ave. From the point of gameplay, this is nothing new. Been there, done that. And thats fine. Even the story here isnt new. Its pretty much straight out of every classic console RPG ever, and often pokes fun at them, and at itself. Its funny looking back at how formulaic everything was (and still is).But then there is a freshness toand it is in the evolution of the game, and its presentation. Youll unlock color, sound, music, and then gradually more modern improvements to the graphics and sound. Youll traverse different eras relatively quickly. Sometimes too quickly. Ive played through just over an hour of the game and Ive gone from a Gameboy-like experience, to NES, SNES, and N64.But that's not all. You will also unlock a slew of features that evolved with the genre. I've picked up a few new tricks on my travels through video game history. Monsters, your days are numbered. You won't hit me just once and watch me die anymore. No sir. I have a shiny new health bar. You might think you have me on the run. But then I'll smack you right in your dumb monster ass with my legendary sword and reinvigorate myself with the heart you dropped for me. And answer me this: can you level up, motherfucker? I did. Ive played Zelda. Dragon Warrior. Final Fantasy. Im now playing a souped-up Zelda 64, and Im looking forward to more.If the concept and the nostalgia appeal to you, go ahead and spend the meager $10 you'll drop onThe experience will remind you of many games that you may have spent several times that amount on. The only things missing here are the annoyances of hooking up multiple consoles and blowing dust out of the cartridges.