To 8-Bit And Beyond: A Evoland Legendary Edition Preview

Evoland Legendary Edition is actually two games: Evoland and Evoland 2. And within those games, there are a bunch of unique graphical styles, from Gameboy to 8-bit to PS1 and beyond. Both Evoland games will take players on a journey through different rpg styles. Evoland Legendary Edition might sound gimmicky but there is a bit more to it than just changing graphics. Here is my preview of Evoland Legendary Edition for Nintendo Switch.

Evoland 1 starts with no sound. You open a treasure chest and you get sound effects and then you open a chest and get music. From there, you find a chest with different graphics. Finding and opening treasure chests is very important in Evoland!

The style of the game starts out simple and then changes until it gets all the way to Playstation 1 like graphics. Evoland 1 is a tribute to classic action and turn-based rpgs. The gameplay is fun and the graphics are impressive.

And then there’s the game’s storyline, which is not as great. It starts out simple and then eventually turns into a spoof of Final Fantasy 7. With Evoland 1, the gameplay and graphics will hook you. Don’t worry so much about the storyline.

As for Evoland 2, the graphics are even better than the first game. Everything from the gameboy to NES to PS1-like graphics are more detailed and interesting.

I did run into an almost game breaking glitch when I went out in the PS1-like world map for the first time! I was suddenly walking on water, the trees were in water, and I wasn’t sure where to go. I got out of the world map and then went back and everything was fine. It is a bit concerning to see a glitch like that.

The first game didn’t seem to have any glitches. Evoland 2 is a far more ambitious game though!

That said, the combat seems a bit simpler than the first game so far. Its been very hack’n’slash, while the first game had some turn-based battles. I haven’t seen that yet in Evoland 2.

There are more puzzles in and out of dungeons in the second game. Professor Layton-like puzzles are even included in this game!

One of the best things about Evoland 2 is that the storyline is a ton better than the first game. This time the graphical style change is explained via the main characters time traveling! The main character and supporting characters also have their own personalities and some good dialogue too.

Evoland 2 is a lot bigger than the first game. While I feel like I’ve almost beaten the first game after three hours, the second game feels like its just starting at four hours! There are more things to do in the second game.

However I think I may like the first game more. Sure, Evoland 2 has better graphics and a better storyline, but I really enjoyed that the first game had turn-based based combat and I liked unlocking things via treasure chest. Also there’s a cool card game in Evoland 1.

I haven’t finished either game yet, so I may eventually like Evoland 2 more. I have to wonder what other graphical styles are in this second game that I haven’t seen yet. Will I run into a turn-based battle system? Is there an even cooler card game in the second game?

I’m not sure where my journey on either game will take me. I will continue to play both and I hope to have a full review of this game(s) soon!

A digital code was provided for this preview (and the review) by Stride PR. Evoland Legendary Edition will be out on the Nintendo Switch on February 7th!