Evergate is a 2D puzzle/platformer, a genre of games I absolutely adore. Play as Ki and traverse the afterlife by solving puzzles with the Soulflame.
Evergate is developed by Stone Lantern Games and had a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019. The backers of the game on Kickstarter are immortalized in the library of the game. The game looks similar to other indie games like the Ori and Hollow Knight series. But don’t be fooled. The gameplay is totally different, no Hack ‘n’ Slash here.
Breathtaking adventure
You play as a character named Ki, a childlike soul and together you will be exploring the world she once was part of from the afterlife. Learn more about Ki’s history by solving puzzles and unraveling mysteries. Reveal the memories of her previous life, moving through space and time to find the mysterious connection Ki has with another soul.
Think & Aim to victory
The gameplay is centered around the mechanic called Soulflame. The Soulflame needs to be fired through the Crystals, these are scattered around the world. But it also needs to connect with the Source, a white glowing surface, to cause different effects. These effects depend on the type of crystal and do things like give a boost and create platforms. When firing, the world around is slowed down to make it easier to aim. You can also hit multiple crystals at once which enhances the effect from the boost for instance, which makes the puzzles more complex.
Can you complete the objectives?
Levels are set-up in books that contain Ki’s memories. Each level has you reach the gate but also has bonus objectives such as gathering all the petals, smashing all the crystals, and reaching the goal quickly. And when they say quickly they mean it. The challenge in the game is not perse in reaching the gate but in completing all the objectives along the way, which offers a real challenge.
Each objective cleared for each gate will fill your essence counter, which gives you powerful artifacts, which allows you the enhance Ki’s abilities. When completing only 1 objective in all the gates, only 1 of these artifacts will be unlocked. You can only equip 1 artifact per gate, so choose the best one suited for that gate.
The game contains over 80 challenging puzzles with many ways to solve them. For those wanting an even bigger challenge, there is a speed run and an option to disable things like aim assist and slow aim time.
A game not only to play but also to experience
As said before, the art style resembles indie games like the Ori series, but this is far from a bad thing. Evergate has gorgeous environments that are paired with hand-drawn illustrations. The game also has an all-original soundtrack, which is live orchestrated, a thing that you won’t expect from an indie game. M.R. Miller, responsible for Music & Sound, actually paid for it with his own savings. The art style together with the live orchestrated soundtrack, which is over 2 hours long, makes the game look and feel wonderful. The game also has no loading screens which makes me happy because they can ruin the feel you have in the game completely.
Conclusion
If you are into games like the Ori series and 2D-puzzle platformers, this game is definitely for you. The world is beautiful, with its hand-drawn art style and live orchestrated soundtrack. The game can essentially be played on your own difficulty and will offer a real challenge for those who are up for it.
