Evil Genome
- August 7, 2017
- Crystal Depths Studio
Get on Steam"Evil Genome" is a 3D Metroidvania-style game set in the 23rd century wasteland. As a member of the TLS organization, players must investigate and eliminate rebellious colonies. The game features single-player gameplay, strategic combat, and character development, with both ground and aerial skills to use against enemy forces. For assistance, contact [email protected].
PC
Reviews
- The game features pretty 2D graphics and a fitting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Combat mechanics are generally fun and engaging, with a variety of skills and customization options available.
- The main character is visually appealing, and there are interesting enemy designs that add to the game's charm.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including clunky controls, poor optimization, and long loading times.
- The English translation and voice acting are subpar, often leading to confusing dialogue and a lack of immersion.
- Gameplay can feel linear and restrictive, with frustrating difficulty spikes and a lack of quality-of-life features like fast travel.
- story27 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story in this game is widely criticized for being poorly executed, with many reviewers noting issues such as a convoluted narrative, terrible translation, and lack of depth. While some players find the gameplay engaging enough to overlook the story's shortcomings, others feel that the narrative is difficult to follow and riddled with clichés. Overall, the consensus is that the story is a weak aspect of the game, often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and bugs.
“The game is fun, animations are solid, and the story is not that bad; it makes you keep playing to get those sweet upgrades for your character.”
“The story is... quite nice.”
“So for all of you who are really into story and stuff like that, go easy on this game.”
“The story is pretty much all over the place, like the bugs, translation issues, resolution scaling, audio bugs, some enemy models' physiques, clunky and imprecise movement.”
“Explanations for core mechanics are poor or missing, and the storyline is contrived and hard to follow.”
“Also, the story doesn't make any sense because the translation is terrible.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring a fun combat loop and unique mechanics that enhance the experience, such as special abilities and gear effects. However, it suffers from janky execution, poor audio feedback, and a lack of clarity in core mechanics, which can detract from exploration and overall enjoyment. While the game offers a good price-to-play ratio and some engaging elements, it ultimately feels like a mix of promising ideas that need further refinement.
“The gameplay/combat loop is fun, especially if you grind or hack your way up the levels to unlock all the special abilities.”
“What's nice is there are still surprises in store even if you hack all your skill points to the max, as several pieces of gear include completely unique gameplay-altering effects, like adding a shadow clone after a dash attack that attacks 3 more times, or causing your basic ranged shots to penetrate enemies and ignore some armor.”
“The game has a nice combat system, which is somewhat fast-paced and at times can be unforgiving, mostly because of a 'stocked' dodge mechanic so you can't spam it.”
“The game is very janky, the dubbing is very bad (outside from the main character), the translation is worse, the combat is half-baked and doesn't offer enough audio or mechanical feedback. The Metroidvania aspects are not implemented well, making exploration not worth it since the upgrades are locked behind gear and a skill tree. The game looks good and the music is fine.”
“I congratulate the developers for the work they did since there's a lot of care put into the game, but the end result is a mix of ideas and mechanics that really needed to be polished further.”
“Explanations for core mechanics are poor or missing, and the storyline is contrived and hard to follow.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their aesthetic appeal and solid animations, particularly in the 2D and 2.5D styles, making it one of the better-looking titles in its genre. However, there are notable issues with optimization, especially at higher resolutions, leading to lag and glitches on mid-range PCs. While the visuals are considered decent, some players feel they lack polish and could benefit from improvements in particle effects and anti-aliasing.
“The art style and how the animations look are solid, and it's one of the better looking 2.5D games I've seen, which is why I decided to give it a try.”
“Graphically, it looks pretty dang great.”
“Graphics for a 'metroidvania' are pretty good.”
“There's also graphics issues if you play it at 3840x2160 where the load screen and other overlays were clearly designed for a smaller screen.”
“The graphics need improvement; there are some people who have issues with lag, skipping, or freezing.”
“Graphics are decent, although I don't like the worn-out look, and the lack of anti-aliasing looks horrible.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is widely criticized, with many users reporting significant lag and crashes, particularly on mid-range PCs like the Nvidia GTX 750 Ti. While the graphics are appreciated, they are hindered by poor performance, leading to a recommendation for further optimization efforts from the developers, who are currently addressing these issues.
“The graphics are good but need better optimization.”
“It's a fun game but still needs to be optimized.”
“It's too crashy and unoptimized to recommend yet... on the other hand, the dev is actively working on it at the time of this review and if improved could be a decent addition to the all too scarce Metroidvanias out there.”
“Graphics are great, but I feel the particles and rendering look weak and need better optimization for mid-range PCs. Sometimes my PC with an NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti experiences skips and lag, especially when playing in borders.”
“It's too crashy and unoptimized to recommend yet. On the other hand, the developer is actively working on it, and if improvements are made, it could be a decent addition to the all too scarce Metroidvanias out there.”
“The optimization is horrible.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many users praising the solid soundtrack and good aesthetic. While it may not be particularly memorable, it complements the overall experience without any major complaints.
“Good aesthetic and soundtrack too.”
“Sound, effect, and music: those sound good, effect too and music is pretty solid and very good; there's no way I hate it, I think I like all.”
“The soundtrack wasn't too notable, but no complaints there either.”
“On the plus side, the soundtrack is generally solid.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs, glitches, and performance problems such as lag and freezing. While some players report minor glitches, the overall experience is marred by faulty movement and a lack of polish in graphics and gameplay.
“You play against the UI, bugs, faulty movement, glitches, and the boss with some nasty attacks at the same time.”
“This game is incredibly buggy.”
“This game looks pretty cool, is very long to beat, and there is a lot to do if you are a fan of metroidvania games. However, be careful as the story is not very well developed, and there are a lot of glitches and bugs. The graphics need improvement, and some people have issues with lag, skipping, or freezing.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its intentionally poor translation and voice acting, which some players find amusingly reminiscent of 90s games. While the English voice performances are often described as "hilariously bad" and lacking direction, this adds a nostalgic charm that many players appreciate, turning what could be a frustrating experience into a source of laughter.
“The voice acting is terrible in English, but it's that fun terrible like in the 90s and early 00s where all the voices were over the top or phoned in. It was funny because you could tell no one gave the voice actors any motivation or direction, so for me, growing up in the 80s and 90s, it is amazing.”
“The game shows its non-English roots as the dialogue and voice acting are incredibly poor. I personally found it so bad that I enjoyed listening to it, as it made me laugh.”
“But here, the translation ranges from hilariously bad to almost game-breaking unintelligible.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the emotional aspect of the game is lacking, with poorly implemented voice acting contributing to a sense of detachment from the main character, who is perceived as un-emotional.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is praised for its engaging environment, complemented by a well-designed skill and loot system that allows for meaningful upgrades, alongside a likable main character that enhances the overall experience.
“The atmosphere is immersive and captivating, drawing you into the game's world.”
“The combination of stunning visuals and haunting sound design creates a truly unique atmosphere.”
“Every location feels alive, filled with details that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally appreciate that the game requires minimal grinding, allowing for a more streamlined and enjoyable experience without excessive repetitive tasks.
