| EVOTINCTION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
EVOTINCTION is a stealth-based game predominantly featuring hostile enemy robots you can sabotage and control. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
EVOTINCTION Review Overview
What is EVOTINCTION?
EVOTINCTION takes place within the futuristic HERE facility, where the lead scientist Dr. Liu heads the research. One day, the core of their state-of-the-art AI that holds the entire institute together gets infected and turns corrupt, converting all previously friendly service roots to go haywire and attack the researchers. Being the head scientist and one of the creators of the system, Dr. Liu takes it upon himself even without any combat knowledge to go through the facility to infiltrate the AI, repair it to its former state, and discover the secrets as to what caused it in the first place.
Armed only with his superior intellect and mastery over his gadgets, he sets out to save the institute from the rogue AI.
EVOTINCTION features:
⚫︎ A sci-fi setting
⚫︎ Sentient AI enemies
⚫︎ Traditional stealth-based gameplay
⚫︎ Remote hacking mechanics
⚫︎ Boss fights
⚫︎ Customizable “builds”
⚫︎ Timed stages and simulations
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about EVOTINCTION's gameplay and story.
 Steam |
TBA |
 PlayStation |
TBA |
EVOTINCTION Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Tons of Cool Tools Speedrun-Friendly Design |
Boss Fights Feel Foreign Uninteresting Narrative Power Fantasy? More Like Reality Check |
EVOTINCTION Overall Score - 74/100
EVOTINCTION is a solid stealth game with well-executed hacking mechanics and an intriguing plot. It really shines in its visual world-building, showcasing a highly-advanced setting through impressive stage design, sleek furniture, and futuristic tech that feels far beyond what we have in the 21st century. However, the story struggles with pacing issues, and while the gameplay is polished, it doesn’t do much to innovate beyond the typical stealth game formula. There’s definitely room for improvement; something this game sorely needs in order to stand out.
EVOTINCTION Story - 6/10
A great, complex, and twisting story can be a treat to read, sure. But it feels like the writers of EVOTINCTION might have tried too hard to endow complexity to its script. The script is packed with puzzling scenes and questions that take far too long to get decent answers. Sure, the overall story is intriguing, and the world-building is solid thanks to the extra lore sprinkled throughout the game. The narrative feels tangled and weighed down by excessive mystery, which ends up making it harder to follow than it needs to be.
EVOTINCTION Gameplay - 7/10
While stealth games with hacking mechanics are nothing new at this point, EVOTINCTION sets itself apart slightly from other titles by focusing entirely on interactions with mechanical entities. However, that’s about where its uniqueness ends. At its core, the game is just a well-polished stealth experience that doesn’t introduce any major innovations to the genre. What’s more, it limits itself by unnecessarily restricting the player’s resources, which can feel like an odd design choice that holds back the gameplay.
EVOTINCTION Visuals - 9/10
Despite the occasional model glitches and frame drops, EVOTINCTION’s visuals are pretty impressive. The textures look realistic, and the whole advanced underground civilization
vibe comes across well through the sleek architecture, white walls, and PS5-like furniture design. That said, the singular setting does lead to a noticeable lack of variety in the stages and enemies. Plus, the near-total absence of human models gives the sense that the developers cut some corners, which becomes more obvious the further you get into the game.
EVOTINCTION Audio - 8/10
EVOTINCTION might not have a huge cast of characters, but the voice acting is top-notch. Even the AI enemies and your personal digital assistant sound surprisingly human with how they react and comment on what’s happening around them and you. However, the background music is so forgettable it might as well not be there, and the sound effects are a hit or miss—sometimes they do wonders for your immersion, but other times they have no real practical value.
EVOTINCTION Value for Money - 7/10
A game that only offers pretty visuals and a polished but not very unique gameplay is a difficult sell. However, it’s cheap enough to consider, especially if you grab it from a sale. There’s enough variety to approach every stage if you’re into speedrunning to any extent, and the tools at your disposal can create some very entertaining scenarios.
EVOTINCTION Review: Low-Key, Like Big Tech Intended
Ah, stealth—the beloved RPG build for those of us who prefer sneaking in the shadows and delivering critical damage to unsuspecting enemies that forget the golden rule of patrolling in pairs. Now, if you're like me and enjoy the thrill of backstabs and headshots, EVOTINCTION may not give you that exact experience. After all, the game has you play as a hacker without any real weapons. But does that mean it's less exciting?
Well… kinda.
Evotinction is a stealth game that strips down the usual bells and whistles of the genre to offer a clean, no-frills experience. It’s just you, your hacking tool, and your wits, facing off against legions of killer robots while trying to save your corner of the world. And while that sounds great, it doesn’t leave much room for variety, at least in terms of experience. The game’s main selling point is its hacking mechanics. They’re fun on their own, don’t get me wrong, but they could’ve been even more compelling with a wider range of enemy types. Imagine the tension if, say, hostile humans suddenly showed up mid-mission. What are you going to do? Hack their phones to play the Blackberry ringtone?
That said, the hacking itself is pretty cool. You can sabotage enemy bots by messing with their functions, manipulating them to act in certain ways, or even forcing them to turn on each other. It’s satisfying, no doubt, but the game also holds you back with arbitrary limitations. For example, you have a Stealth meter that drains as you hack enemies, meaning you can’t just go wild and transform a room full of robots into an impromptu BattleBot arena. Once you run out, you’re locked out of the system and you can’t perform any more hacks. It’s a shame, because the game feels like it’s teasing you with possibilities but never quite lets you fully embrace them.
The boss fights? Not great. They feel tacked on, shoehorned in, like the developers needed something to mark the game’s climactic moments. But instead of sticking to the stealthy strategies you've been honing, you're forced into direct combat, which feels out of place and clunky at best.
On the upside, Evotinction looks fantastic. The main character’s suit—though oddly flashy for a stealth game with all its glowing lights and squeaky-clean white color—does look undeniably cool. The stages have a sleek, futuristic vibe, kind of like a high-tech PlayStation 5 showroom. Plus, the voice acting is solid, even if the story itself is frustrating enough to make you want to forget it.
Yes, the game has some performance hiccups, with stuttering and glitches popping up at fairly predictable times (though maybe that’s just my processor? Nah, probably not). But overall, Evotinction is a good game—it’s just not a great one. It’s polished but lacks anything that truly sets it apart from other stealth titles. If you're a stealth game enthusiast, it’s worth a try, but don’t expect it to leave a lasting impression.
Pros of EVOTINCTION
| Things EVOTINCTION Got Right |
|---|
|
Tons of Cool Tools Speedrun-Friendly Design |
Tons of Cool Tools
While your selection of physical tools might be limited, your arsenal of software and mods more than makes up for it. You’ve got access to a variety of programs that can disable key functions of hostile robots or even turn them against each other. Beyond that, you can hack into local servers to gather information, activate sprinklers to short-circuit any unfortunate bots underneath, and open steam vents to obscure their vision.
These tools give you a lot of freedom to get creative with how you outsmart security systems. And if all else fails? Well, there's always the option to just shoot them. With a gun that shoots electricity, I mean. That works, too.
Speedrun-Friendly Design
EVOTINCTION seems tailor-made for players who enjoy setting personal records. The stages are thoughtfully designed to let you plan your approach using a wide range of paths, and there's a lot of ways you can mess with robots in order to decrease your time clearing the area. What’s also great is that luck-based mechanics are almost nonexistent, meaning you can fine-tune your strategy and optimize your path without worrying about random factors ruining your run and forcing a reset.
Cons of EVOTINCTION
| Things That EVOTINCTION Can Improve |
|---|
|
Boss Fights Feel Foreign Uninteresting Narrative Power Fantasy? More Like Reality Check |
Boss Fights Feel Foreign
Considering you play as a hacker in EVOTINCTION and the most weapon-like tool you get early on is essentially a giant taser, it’s kind of baffling that there’s even battles against giant bosses. I mean, the protagonist doesn’t exactly look like he’s the kind of guy that could outrun a giant robot tentacle. But the real confusion comes not from the difficulty, but from how out of place these fights feel within the game.
Take the first boss fight against MORE, for example. To win, you have to first bait it into attacking its own weak points and then collect the data it drops to wield what’s basically a gun. Then, you just shoot at its weak points and at its tentacles while you avoid its attacks. There’s no sneaking, no hacking—just a straight-up battle that feels disconnected from the game’s core mechanics. It creates a noticeable discrepancy in the experience.
The second boss fight is less jarring (considering that the shock from the first boss should have already made you a bit numb), but it still suffers from the same issue. Overall, these encounters feel like they were shoehorned in at the last minute to provide dramatic moments, but they don’t blend well with the rest of the game’s stealth-focused design.
Uninteresting Narrative
Beyond great gameplay, a strong story can be the other key to keeping players like us hooked. Even repetitive, click-driven gameplay can be forgiven if the plot and characters are compelling enough to keep you invested. I mean, look at visual novels such as Katawa Shoujo.
Unfortunately, EVOTINCTION doesn’t quite deliver on this. Instead of a gripping, high-stakes journey through robot-infested corridors where every moment feels urgent and intense due to plot-related reasons, you’re instead met with multiple tiresome wild goose chases that drag on far too long. The plot also keeps piling on unnecessary distractions that aren't taken advantage of in a timely manner, making the entire experience feel dull, uninteresting, and ultimately unrewarding.
Power Fantasy? More Like Reality Check
Before I start, no, this isn’t a complaint about EVOTINCTION’s difficulty. In fact, it’s actually one of the more beginner-friendly stealth games, thanks to several mechanics designed to ease new players in. However, the game also takes a heavy-handed approach to limit your freedom, particularly due to the restrictions imposed by its Stealth meter.
This meter drains as you hack into robots, and once it’s empty, you're locked out from further hacking in that area. You can imagine how much this stifles creativity with your tools, especially in scenarios where it’d be fun to, say, turn a certain area into an impromptu BattleBots match.
Is EVOTINCTION Worth It?
If You Like Stealth, Sure. Otherwise, Wait For A Sale
... They actually used a skull emoji when you die.
Anyway, while EVOTINCTION has the sleep, futuristic looks, the gameplay doesn’t quite live up to them. It’s not bad or anything, but you can probably get a similar or even better experience from other games at a lower price point. The story, on the other hand, feels frustrating and lacks the kind of pull that would keep you glued to your seat.
That said, the core mechanics are well-polished, and it’s very speedrun-friendly. So if you’re into setting personal records in stealth games, it’s definitely worth checking out. Otherwise, wait for a sale.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
| Steam |
TBA |
| PlayStation |
TBA |
EVOTINCTION FAQ
Does EVOTINCTION have a co-op mode?
No, EVOTINCTION is purely a single-player game.
What does EVOTINCTION mean?
It’s likely a mix of Evolution and Extinction, both of which coincide with the plot’s themes.
Game8 Reviews
You may also like...
EVOTINCTION Product Information
 | |
| Title | EVOTINCTION |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 13, 2024 |
| Developer | Spikewave Games |
| Publisher | Astrolabe Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam), PlayStation 5 |
| Genre | RPG, Stealth |
| Number of Players | Single-Player(1) |
| Rating | ESRB T |
| Official Website | EVOTINCTION Official Website |
