Evotinction Review (PlayStation 5)

by Jim Smale · September 20, 2024

Evotinction Review, a third-person hacking and stealth game, you are Dr. Liu, the only one who can stop rogue AIs in a futuristic research facility. Use a variety of hacking skills to overcome robotic threats and uncover the secrets that hold the key to humanity’s survival or its potential extinction.

Evotinction Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
7.2GB download size.
Platinum trophy.
Graphics settings – screen calibration, motion blur, and ray tracing set to frame rate or graphics.
Accessibility options – Hud size and subtitle size.
Controller settings – Invert axis and sensitivity sliders, vibration, aim assist, and auto aim.
Hud settings – subtitles background, subtitles, no Hud mode.
3 save slots.
In-game cutscenes and interactions.
A full 3D game world with 360-degree camera control.
Voice work is good, you can set the language to Chinese or English.
Third-person action gameplay.
You have a personal Ai sidekick called Oz who can relay information, give instructions, and generally help.
Tactical scan is where you can scan the whole area for interactive points, items, missions, etc, or you can scan a particular object which usually means hacking it.
Tutorial pop-ups as you play.
Collectible hidden genie characters. (they look like Oz)
Find and pick up audio logs and files.
Terminals can be interacted with and here you can listen to audio logs, and view any items collected along with a 3D viewer whilst learning more about them.
Button prompts pop up as needed.
Quite a wide circle of effect when picking up items.
The Story is of a Space station full of scientists that has been taken over by a rogue virus called RED that is taking over the life support system, terminals, and anything else it can find.
Impressed with how well it all runs and the controls are tight and responsive.
Going near a wall will have you stick behind it, you can usually shoot from cover and mantle over.
Hack computers and take files, download pass keys, etc.
Stealth plays a huge part, luckily you get a helpful stealth meter to show how much noise you’re making.
Scan RED Ai bots and objects to have them marked through walls but also a handy list of their stats and possible behaviours.
Very atmospheric and immersive.
The game does a good job of breaking you in slowly but not slowly enough that you get frustrated or bored.
You can skip the cutscenes.
A click of the right stick will change which shoulder the camera is on.
It is possible to pause the game.
Enemy Ai can be shot down with your e Blaster gun or you can scan the bar code and turn it off, thus saving e Blaster charges but it does take longer.
Mission markers help guide you through the world.
Fast loading times.
At times you will get multiple choice questions that can shape events.
Mod. Exe is a system installed in terminals where you can gather resources from the world and update your systems and abilities like turning off enemy radars, carrying more batteries, tagging supplies, and resources, etc.
Learn to hack enemy AI and use them.
A horror theme runs through the game.
Hacking is simple in its execution but you only have five seconds to hack otherwise they will find you instantly. Luckily you can press a cancel button.
You have this really cool mechanic whereby if you hack too many AI bots in one area the AI learns and recognizes this and sends out more drones and systems to find you.
Over time you will have many types of hacking abilities, you can set four up on the quick select buttons.
Take part in hacking simulations where it’s safe to do multiple times and rewards are given. It’s all set in a VR setup and you are timed with your best time shown on each entry.
Safe rooms are littered around and you get told when entering one.
Use the CCTV system to cache codes so you can instantly deactivate a drone.
Drones can be tied together so if one gets destroyed or deactivated, the other one knows.
Rthym-based hacking mini-games.
Unlock shortcuts in the world.
The multiple-choice stuff is very much like a choose-your-own-adventure or text adventure as you get the story through it all.
As you go through more variations of the drones appear that require different approaches.
Laid back experience, it has enough engagement sequences but to be honest it’s not that hard to navigate.
It is just fun to go through, the story is great, the encounters are fun and you get a slight brain workout. Having a load of unlockable side hack scenarios adds a lot more depth and I really like that I can slowly upgrade and get new abilities.

Evotinction Review Cons:

You cannot remap the controls.
No Colourblind support.
The game does love to stop the action with cutscenes and it happens a lot.
Deaths are quick and kind of uneventful.
You are never sure when you hit a checkpoint or respawn point.
No indication of when it has been saved or when it was last saved.
Later on, the game becomes more of a puzzle game with you just avoiding drones constantly and it is a huge shift in the gameplay.
The camera can go a bit all over the place in-game and in cutscenes.
It’s not always easy to know how to deal with drones.
The game isn’t particularly difficult.
No game difficulties.

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