Evoland
A role-playing game that evolves through video game history.
Evoland is a 2013 role-playing video game developed and published by Shiro Games. It is notable for its core concept of tracing the evolution of video game graphics and gameplay, as players unlock technologies and visual styles that nod to different eras of the industry. The game was inspired by The Legend of Zelda, Diablo, and Final Fantasy, and includes numerous references to movies and video game history.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Evoland
- Developer
- Shiro Games · Playdigious (iOS, Android)
- Publisher
- Shiro Games
- Designer
- Nicolas Cannasse · Sébastien Vidal
- Programmer
- Nicolas Cannasse
- Artist
- Etienne Makowski · Jeremy Vitry
- Composer
- Camille Schoell
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · OS X · Linux · Android · iOS · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One
- Released
- Microsoft Windows, OS XWW · April 4, 2013Android, iOSWW · February 2, 2015LinuxWW · March 9, 2015PlayStation 4WW · February 5, 2019Nintendo SwitchWW · February 7, 2019Xbox OneWW · February 8, 2019
- Genre
- Action-adventure, role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Evoland originated as a game created by Nicolas Cannasse during the 24th Ludum Dare, a 48-hour accelerated game competition with the theme 'Evolution'. Cannasse completed Evoland in about 30 hours and won first place out of 1400 participants. The original version, known as Evoland Classic, quickly reached over 300,000 players within a few months and remains playable for free on the Evoland website. Its Haxe source code was made available on GitHub.
Given the success of the original, Shiro Games developed a new version with new bosses and monsters, new play styles, full 3D environments, and extended play-time. This version was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in April 2013, then ported to Android and iOS in February 2015, and to Linux in March 2015. A sequel, Evoland 2, was announced at the end of 2014 and released on August 25, 2015. Both games were later packaged as Evoland: Legendary Edition and released for home consoles in February 2019.
Reader's Guide
Evoland holds significance as a meta-commentary on video game history, using its own gameplay to demonstrate the evolution of the medium from simple 2D pixel art to 3D HD graphics. Its concept was widely praised for originality and nostalgic appeal, with critics noting it functions as a 'love letter' to classic role-playing games. However, the game received mixed reviews overall, with an average Metacritic score of 61 out of 100. Common criticisms included its short play-time and a perceived lack of variety after the first 30 minutes. Despite this, Evoland achieved commercial success, with approximately 460,000 sales on Steam alone according to Steam Spy. Its legacy includes inspiring a sequel and a console compilation, and it remains a notable example of a game that uses its own mechanics to reflect on the history of its medium.
Did You Know?
- Evoland was originally created in about 30 hours for the 24th Ludum Dare competition, where it won first place out of 1400 participants.
- The game's in-game currency is called Glis, which can be spent in towns to purchase items and upgrades.
- Evoland includes a collectible card game based on 'Triple Triad' from Final Fantasy VIII.
- The original Evoland Classic version is still playable for free on the Evoland website.
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