Evan's Remains Reviews
More than anything, Evan's Remains could be the start of something special, either in a sequel or a future work from this developer.
The monolith puzzles are enjoyable, but the narrative surrounding them doesn't serve as a worthwhile reward for their completion. If you're looking for a light puzzle-platformer with mostly attractive pixel art, Evan's Remains might be worth considering. If you want a more thrilling or satisfying narrative experience, keep searching.
Evan's Remains is fine - at least initially. The mix of visual novel-like cut scenes and platform puzzling is a good combo, and those who aren't too keen on the platforming part can take solace in the fact that they can skip those portions without penalty. However, the predictable nature of the tale lessens the story's impact, and the small number of puzzles doesn't provide much for action-oriented players to chew on. It is a short experience that seems appropriately priced ($7) for what you're getting, but this title won't stick with you after the credits roll.
The scarcity of the game's puzzles is frustrating, because, slight repetition aside, every one of those puzzles is cleverly designed.
Evan's Remains is a "mystery-thriller" that, while pretty big on mystery, is shorter on thrills. If the story (and the way it's set-up) connects with you, you'll have much more enjoyment than I did. However, I don't think this is a tale with a broad audience in mind. Joined by puzzles that look and play quite similarly, the impact lessens. But the great audio/visual package elevates this one to an okay experience for me.
Evan's Remains may be a simple puzzle platformer but it's one that requires a lot of careful planning to master its clever stages.
Evan’s Remains tells a gripping, amazingly convoluted tale interspersed by irresistible puzzle platforming that left me wanting a lot more than what I got.
Evan’s Remains is a neat little game, it’s only a few hours long, but I enjoyed my time with it. A good and fun mystery to unravel with some nice emotional moments and some puzzles to solve. As good a recipe as any, I think. The release date is a ways off at June 11th, and there’s no set price yet. Even though I think this game comes short of being something special, if you like puzzle platformers, this is worth putting in your collection.
The narrative of Evan's Remains — if you don't skip any of it — probably takes up half the total playtime, if not even more. The puzzles themselves, of which there are maybe 20-25, take around two hours to complete. So honestly, I can't call the game a bad value at only $6.99, considering the price of a movie ticket these days. But there is just little here to recommend otherwise. The puzzles are fun enough, but the storytelling won't be to everyone's tastes. It definitely never strummed my heartstrings.
The puzzles will make you think carefully as you try to order them in your mind and then try it out in the actual game…or, like me, you can simply keep hopping around and testing things until you triumph. There is also an option to actually skip specific puzzles if you bring up the menu while trying to get through them. Impressively, the puzzles are also worked into the story in various ways. Evan’s Remains is polished in just about every department. It may not focus on gameplay as much as some would like, but personally this didn’t bother me at all. It’s a sad and interesting experience, and one that I definitely recommend.
The main factor to Evan's Remains' gameplay lies within monolith puzzles. The platforming was something I was really looking forward to watching the trailer, as you're meant to sort out pressure sensitive pads in a certain order to advance along. If you're stumped, you do have the option to skip the puzzles, but I would advise against it--there's a few secrets to find along the way that are actually pretty cleverly done. I will say that they're not terribly difficult in nature, but some will keep you guessing for an extra minute or two, with a nice sense of accomplishment when you finally solve.
I am not sure if Evan’s Remains entirely earns its thematic heft when so much of it is inscrutable, but that it is willing to end its plot in a moment of intense duress is daring enough to elevate its weaker moments. It's untidy, its themes barely cohesive. But if Evan's Remains was not so unusual, if it had simply doubled-down on puzzles and pretty screens, I do not think it would have left half the impression it did.