Evolution Worlds Preview

Ubi Soft began earning its reputation as a savvy localizer of import RPGs when it brought out the original Evolution on the Dreamcast shortly after the system's launch. The game set an impressive precedent in launch software because, unlike most launch-title role-playing games, it offered a solid and playable experience. The publisher is aiming to repeat that experience with its upcoming game, Evolution Worlds, for the GameCube. Evolution Worlds is a compilation of the previous two Evolution games that were originally released on the Dreamcast and is aiming to give GameCube-owning RPG fans their first real taste of a true role-playing experience on Nintendo's console. We had a chance to check out a previewable version of the game to see how it was progressing. It offers some enhancements to the Dreamcast games and appears to be coming together pretty well.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the Evolution games have followed the adventures of Mag Launcher, a young explorer who comes from a long line of respected explorers. Living up to his father's reputation is quite a bit of work for the little guy, but his friend Linear and family butler Gre are on hand to help him. The original Evolution focused on Mag discovering the truth about Linear's past, while the sequel takes place a year later. Mag receives a message from the town of Museville asking for the assistance of an adventurer. Mag, always eager to prove himself, heads out and winds up getting involved in another dungeon-exploring extravaganza.

Evolution Worlds follows a fairly basic two-part structure that should be familiar to any RPG fan. You'll spend part of your time going around town chatting up the locals and managing your party of three. The rest of your time will be spent going through dungeons collecting items and beating the snot out of anything that gets in your way. Combat is of the standard turn-based variety. You'll be able to take your time sussing out the best way to take out the unruly dungeon-dwelling creatures you'll encounter. As you explore the various dungeons, you'll find a nice assortment of treasures to redeem for cash and items that will come in handy during a fight, such as health-restoring herbs. Each character will have an assortment of abilities to use in combat. While every character will be able to perform physical attacks and use a variety of skills in battle, some will also have other abilities called talents, which can be used during combat.

Graphically Evolution Worlds is solid but doesn't offer too great a leap beyond the look of the Dreamcast games, although it does look better. Part of the reason for the lack of graphical punch is the overall art style. Mag and company sport the distinctive stylized look of an anime comic, replete with big heads, big eyes, and, in the case of one of Mag's female companions, a bit of cleavage. The cartoony look doesn't lend it self to high-polygon photorealism, and, as a result, the game won't be setting any new graphical standards on the GameCube. However, the game looks fine given the style it's going after. Mag and his crew feature solid detail, as do the various foes they'll encounter. The environments you'll go through are about as well done as they have to be. The towns you'll explore are obviously more detailed than the rather drab confines of the dungeons. You'll find townspeople milling about and detailed buildings to enter. In the dungeons you'll get a bit of visual variety, as each will have a different environmental theme, like a fire dungeon, for example.

Sound in the game has been improved with the addition of voice for all major cast members. The voice acting isn't the greatest, mind you, but it's a nice addition. The rest of the sound in the game, ranging from sound effects to the soundtrack, stays true to the Dreamcast games and fits the action very well.

Probably the biggest improvement to the game lies in its actual pacing. Rather than just slapping both Evolution games together, developer ESP has actually adjusted the flow of the game. The end result is a brisker pace that does away with some of the wandering you had to do in the original games. Instead of having you walk around to trigger events, the game will let you jump straight to the events.

From what we've seen so far, Evolution Worlds is coming together nicely. While the gameplay may be a bit too straightforward for some, it's solid and very playable. The graphical improvements and adjusted pacing are welcome tweaks to the game. Anyone itching for an RPG on the GameCube will want to keep their eyes open for Evolution Worlds when it ships this fall for the GameCube.