A Diamond in the Rough
Anyway, E.V.O. The Search for Eden is truly a diamond in the rough. When it was first released stateside it disappeared underneath a wave of crappy import games almost immediately. Some people just happened to pick it up and give it a try on a whim, finding a truly original and fantastic game. I absolutely loved it when I was a kid. The game is very eerie at times, and the ambient music is very immersive (You will find yourself humming songs from the game while you are sitting at work.). You start the game as a small and fairly weak-looking fish sauntering about a trench in the ocean some billions of years ago, when you stumble upon a pack of jellyfish. There is some interesting dialogue that is a little nondescript, then you find yourself swimming around the ocean and battling the jellyfish. They fight back with their tentacles and try to damage you, but you overtake them with your jaws. When the jellyfish die, they drop mysterious floating flank steaks that deliver HP and EVO (evolution) points. When you gather enough EVO you can evolve your body to adapt better to your surroundings, i.e. stonger jaws for better attack damage, a big dorsal fin for improved maneuverability, a scaly armored body, etc. This begins to get really fun! As you get stronger you kill enemies quicker, and then you evolve faster, and so on. Just to make things interesting, one in every twenty or so floating steaks comes out flashing brightly and changing colors! These steaks deliver a satisfying chunk of EVO several times that of the normal drops by that type of enemy.
The game keeps a very creepy mood throughout the whole first level, which I always loved. Some of the prehistoric creatures you find lurking about the deep can give you the chills. When you finish the ocean world, you start to make a break towards land. But the only thing standing in your way is a clan of ancient sharks called Kuraselache. Hopefully by now you have evolved into a pretty badass fish, because the sharks do not play nice. The final boss of the area is a gigantic shark with devastating attacks from both sides-a horrendous bite and a tail-whip. When you beat him you decide you are too strong to be contained by water! You jump to the land and upon contact with terra firma, you instantly evolve a set of fin-like legs. From then on, the world is your burrito.
E.V.O. has battery-backed memory, so you can save your file whenever. This is definately a good thing because this game is jam-packed with hundreds of evolution options and at least a hundred different types of enemies. It takes a while to beat, so it's worth every penny.
This game is so far ahead of its time it makes my head spin. The graphics are great, the gameplay is adaptive, and the music is wonderful. This game has an undenyable charm that will keep you coming back. I have recommended this game to a few of my friends and they swear by it now. And, if you die, GAIA appears as a hot naked anime girl with water for hair! Awesome!!!