Everreach: Project Eden (Xbox One) Review
Release Date:December 4, 2019
Publisher/Developer: Headup/Elder Games
Platform: Xbox One (reviewed), Steam, PS4 (release date TBA)
Price: $24.99
Everreach: Project Eden comes with a pedigree benefiting it’s name. Boasting a writer from the Mass Effect series and a designer who has helped on Warcraft and Star Trek films, Everreach stretches to the heavens with it’s ambition. Unfortunately, the game could perhaps be titled Overreach, as my play time with it has been rife with bugs, sloppy control, and crashes that show that this Xbox One title could have used a bit more time in the oven to release alongside it’s delayed PlayStation 4 counterpart.
The sections of the game that tout big names in the press kit are done amazingly well. Everreach tells an exciting story wherein overpopulation causes humanity to reach for the stars. A new home is found on Eden, a utopia for the upper class. Preliminary construction and research crews are on site, but a rebellion and mysterious occurrences surrounding some alien artifacts lead to Everreach sending their security division (led by Nora Harwood) on site to investigate. Most of the crew is shot down during landing, forcing Nora to have to investigate and overcome on her own. Graphically, the game is beautiful as well. Landscapes are well designed, with bright colors that pop rather than the traditional bland greys and browns seen in space shooters these days. Nora is well crafted and the faces of her and the other crewmembers dynamically show emotion. Within the game you will get the chance to make morality decisions that effect how those around you see Nora. You can play kindly, diplomatically, or authoritarian depending on your choices.
Unfortunately, the glue that binds these parts together is sketchy at best. On my first bootup, I actually reset my machine thinking the game had frozen. Mid-game, the load bar may take a full minute to fill up, and I regularly ended up sitting on the loading screen with a full bar an additional two minutes. This isn’t helped when an errant enemy you didn’t see coming takes you down in ten seconds, causing another three minute load with no manual saving leaving you at the whims of wherever the developers decided to put a checkpoint (they’re pretty far between). I even had a couple instances where pausing the game caused a crash, and even navigating those menus is difficult as the difference between a highlighted and not highlighted icon is negligible at best and the skill tree doesn’t seem to use logical angles that the analog stick likes to navigate.
Games like Gears or Uncharted have made third-person shooters rely a lot on cover shooting, of which Everreach has none. You rely on regenerative shields or manually moving behind obstacles to dodge fire. Aiming is loose but has a little bit of tracking to it, I just never knew when it would kick in. This translates to a lot of manual running and recharging to go back into a firefight. I have had occasions where I could choose to utilize a distraction or go in guns blazing, however I have yet to see too much of a difference in how the enemy reacts. There are the nasty little annoyances, like clearing out a base and offing the last enemy to be teleported to another area of the base for a cutscene that could have happened anywhere, then having to find your way back to get the pickups. One particular level in which you ride a hoverbike with horrid controls through occasionally tight corridors as one-hit kill (with three minute loading punishments) actually killed me with splash damage from a missile in the post-level cutscene after moving me on it’s own, only to crash the game and send me back to the beginning of the level. Most death and respawns would start me back at an awkward place, looking the wrong way and back with whatever setup I may have modified since then. Most of these respawns would come with some chunky framerates as well.
I personally haven’t gotten far with Everreach’s main storyline primarily due to these frustrations. I’ve enjoyed the banter between characters (particularly the drone that ends up following you around) despite the pointlessly shaky cam that is used for most conversations. However, when the game forces you down set paths (despite giving the illusion of choice) that inevitably lead to annoying firefights where one mistake (be it your own error or loose control scheme) that results in several lost minutes of gameplay and upwards of three minute load times (I’d literally skim two other reviews for this game while waiting for a reload) there are inherent problems that need to be fixed. I’m praying that the developers get a chance to fix some of these issues prior to the PS4 release and get a chance to breathe more life into another series of reviews. For now, Everreach has overreached on it’s ambition. Most of my arguments center around core game development issues: crash fixes, save options, control tightness, and load times. With those cleaned up, this well written, beautiful looking game could have a chance to shine, but for now it’s rather difficult to polish.
Pros:
-Well crafted and interesting storyline
-Voice actors genuinely sound interesting
-Beautifully designed landscapes
Cons:
-Game crashing glitches every time I sat down to play
-Difficult area? Be prepared to load more than play
-No manual save