I recently got hold of Evil Dead: The Game, in its exclusive PC version of Epic Games Store. These days I have practically become one with the game, sifting through it in every smallest detail and savoring every mechanic present.
Will I have liked it? Or is it a game that is unable to give compared to the incredible series it is based on? Stay with me, because I assure you that in this review you will see some good ones!
Evil Dead: The Game, the full review!
Before starting, as usual, I would like to carve out a small space within this review to introduce you to the game in case you don’t know what we are talking about. Evil Dead: The Game is nothing more than a survival horror title.
This is the videogame reincarnation of The Evil Dead trilogy that in Italy you may have heard referred to as: “The house”. We are talking about very old films, released in the 80s and which you should not underestimate at all as they bear the signature of Sam Raimiwho just to give you an idea of the type of director I’m telling you about, is the one who directed the latest blockbuster Doctor Strange and the Spider-Man trilogy released in the early 2000s.
In short, all this to tell you that the weight that this game carries is not indifferent. The world of Evil Dead ranges from demons to grisly and exciting happenings, consequently playing Evil Dead: The Game my expectations were very high.
Either way, the game is nothing more than a survival game played in co-op where you can decide whether to be one of the four survivors or a demon who will have to hunt them down. Each game is almost different from the previous one, while maintaining the same huge game map.
There is also a mission mode, but we’ll talk about that later. After this long introduction, we have finally laid the foundations to be able to accurately talk about Evil Dead: The Game. Are you ready? Great, because I am too, so let’s start with the full review!
Evil Dead: The Game, the word “offline” does not exist
The first point I would like to touch on in this review is definitely the connectivity factor. Evil Dead: The Game has its roots in online multiplayer. You can play with friends or on your own, but you will always need to use the matchmaking system if you want to fully enjoy the game.
Speaking of which, I don’t have many criticisms to make, everything works properly and the search for matches takes place quite quickly (a sign that there is a lot of interest from the players). The servers are snappy and everything will come to life in no time.
The only sore point is given by the fact that more than a few times I have seen episodes of abandonment of the session by someone. It goes without saying that since this is a cooperative game, if someone leaves the game, they no longer have a reason to exist.
It would certainly be appreciated if the developers implemented more rigid and severe punishments for those who leave the match, in such a way as to dissuade from the common practice that afflicts all the games of: “I’m losing, so I’m going out”.
Breathtaking gameplay!
As already mentioned, Evil Dead: The Game makes multiplayer its strong point, and it’s finally time to delve into this gameplay a bit! To begin with, the first thing to do when looking for a match is to decide whether you want to be a survivor or a demon. Similar to Dead By Daylight, session research time varies a lot based on who you choose to be.
Either way, both as regards the demon and as regards the survivors, you will have a wide choice of characters (which will surely be expanded in the future) each with their own unique abilities and characteristics. Without a doubt this is a key factor, which gives a shot of fresh air to the game. Having a wide choice of characters, skins and above all skills will continuously renew interest in Evil Dead: The Game.
In any case, once the game has started, the first thing to do is to arm yourself as best as possible. In case you are a survivor this translates into exploring the immense map, arm yourself as much as possible with what you will find scattered around the pitch and above all reunite with your companions.
The demon, on the other hand, will start in its spirit form and consequently it cannot be seen or heard by the players until it takes possession of some minor demon scattered around the map.
Either way, in Evil Dead: The Game being a lethal demon, means always having the red energy bar full, collecting as much as possible scattered around the map. In fact, it will be this energy that will make it possible for you to summon demons, take possession of someone or do any other basic action to hinder survivors.
We will address everything in detail later, but now you may be wondering: How do I win? Very simple! If you are a survivor you will need to complete a series of systematic tasks which will make you travel the map, collect items and ultimately lock the demons forever in the hell they came from.
In the case of a demon instead, your obvious goal is to stop survivors by preventing them from exorcising you for good. This can be done by preventing them from completing all objectives until time runs out or by killing them!
Survivor or demon, that’s the dilemma!
Evil Dead: The Game is a very complex game and the developers have been able to differentiate the tasks of the two factions that will clash on the pitch.
Being a survivor means worrying about every single thing movingbe able to manage your panic level by lighting fireplaces and traveling in groups (ignoring this mechanic means being possessed by the demon), arm yourself as much as possible and be ready to ambush without any warning.
Having excellent teammates is definitely the key to success, as to go on their own business means sure death!
Being the demon, on the other hand, means placing traps, taking possession of objects, minor demons and above all survivors. in such a way as to pit them against each other and summon many infernal creatures, including some that are real bosses, very challenging for the players.
Both factions will evolve over the course of the game, always unlocking new abilities until they become unstoppable! From here, however, part of a huge criticism that I unfortunately have to address to this spectacular gameplay.
During my test, I was able to see a great imbalance in favor of survivors. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to win the demon game, it’s just very difficult. In my opinion this is it due to the time it takes to unlock enough demon upgrades before giving players a real hard time.
If the survivors move in groups, they will have almost unstoppable firepower to be able to put them in difficulty!
In addition, there are some post-launch bugs, especially with regard to the visual of the demon spirit mode that many times gets lost. forcing you to compulsively move the mouse to restore it. Surely a corrective patch will fix these minor bugs soon!
Play, improve and become unstoppable
Evil Dead: The Game is definitely a game that aims to entertain a long time. After each game, in fact, you will have the opportunity to increase your general level. By doing this, you will be able to upgrade characters and demons and improve some of their attributes.
This is certainly an interesting game factor, having a progression system helps you keep track of your progress and at the same time pushes you to improve. I can not help but praise this choice, but hoping that in the long run it will not unbalance the game too much for anyone who approaches it late.
Many small cherries on a full-bodied cake
You don’t have to think for a second that the fact that Evil Dead: The Game doesn’t have so many maps is a problem. Of course, after the launch, others will probably be added. For now, however, what is there works perfectly!
The vast game map that features different weather situations contains a lot of variety. In fact, it will be possible for example to drive means of transport to travel distances in the shortest possible time, light fires, explore many places all different from each other! In short, the game environment is very varied and is fully exploited precisely for its variety.
Solo missions to report!
In case you want to spend some time alone, Evil Dead: The Game offers a series of single player missions that I don’t want to tell you too much about as it would risk ruining the surprise. All I can tell you is that they will help you a lot to get to know the characters and at the same time give you additional rewards.
If you want to fully enjoy the adventure that Evil Dead: The Game can offer or if you just don’t feel like playing the classic survivor vs demon mode, launch at least once and try these missions, I assure you that you will not regret it!
But the graphics options?
If there’s one thing that baffles me enough about Evil Dead: The Game it’s the absence of sensible graphics options. Do not get me wrong, it will be possible to lower or raise the general graphic quality through the appropriate menu.
But at the same time I find it unacceptable for a production of this caliber, having to reduce the graphics resolution through the .bin file present in the game folder. I hope that the situation will improve in this respect in the future.
Regarding the general performance situation, you definitely need good hardware to support the gameor you run the risk that in more adrenaline-pumping situations you will see not indifferent frame drops. I would have expected the possibility of removing some secondary visual effects in order to give more boost to the FPS.
I can’t complain instead of the graphics, it is very satisfying and seeing some animations left me pleasantly surprised, such as witnessing some demons that take off an arm to use it as a weapon. In short, the game has many goodies that will leave you with a smile on your face if you like the genre.
Finally, nothing to say about the sound that is capable of capturing and giving further atmosphere to the whole!