Solve puzzles to traverse ancient monuments on a mysterious island as you search for a vanished genius who sent word asking you to find him.
Evan’s Remains
Developer: maitan69 (Matías Schmied)
Price: $6.99
Platforms: PC (reviewed), PS4, Xbox One, Switch
MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review.
Evan, a genius responsible for incredible technological advancements, has been missing for years. One day, a message from him arrives with the coordinates of an uninhabited island and a request that a girl named Dysis be sent to find him. Although Dysis doesn’t know why she was requested, she accepts the task and begins to explore the island, which is filled with ancient monoliths.
These monoliths provide the core of the gameplay because you need to solve puzzles to get past them. The puzzles in Evan’s Remains are based around simple 2D platforming and platforms with different properties. Some disappear after you jump off of them. Others are switched that make platforms appear or disappear. As you progress further into the game, more mechanics are introduced, such as teleportation platforms and platforms that propel you into the air according to the height you jumped from.
The puzzles are simple, and even once they become more complex, they’re rarely too challenging. At the same time, however, they’re clever. I felt a rush of satisfaction whenever I figured out the solution to a puzzle that temporarily had me stalled. If you do run into trouble with a puzzle, you can simply skip it and move on with the story.
You see, while Evan’s Remains is a puzzle-platformer, it’s also partly a visual novel. In between puzzles, you’re treated to conversations between characters, and each stage concludes with a flashback before returning you to the present. When I started the game, I expected these story segments to be short interludes between puzzles, but at times they actually get quite lengthy. Soon I felt it was more the opposite–the puzzles were brief snippets of gameplay separating each part of the story. If you’re mainly interested in the gameplay, that might disappoint you, but there’s nothing I love more than a good story-driven game.
Although the island is supposed to be uninhabited, Dysis soon meets a boy named Clover who is trying to translate the message spelled out by the monoliths. After a few conversations, they agree to work together. Shortly afterward, a twist is introduced that makes you wonder if something deeper is at work. The further you get into the story, the more the mystery deepens, and I found myself anxious to reach each new scene to see if I could piece together more of what was going on. Dysis and the other characters are likable, and it’s easy to become invested in their story.
Unfortunately, the resolution doesn’t quite hold up to the rest. I won’t spoil what happens, but after a few hours of a good, intriguing story, the ultimate explanation includes a final twist that just feels unpleasant. Some players will probably enjoy the ending for what it is, and a few unexplored plot details suggest the developer might be setting up for a sequel, but I finished my playthrough unsatisfied with the note the story ended on.
The Final Word
Up until the very end, I was ready to recommend Evan’s Remains without hesitation. The story resolution won’t sit well with everyone, but it’s still worth playing for the mystery and clever puzzles.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
