Game: We Are Eva
Genre: Platformer, Puzzle, Single Player
System: Steam
Publisher | Developer: Totally Normal Creature
Controller Support: Yes
Price: UK £ 12.79| US $ 14.99 | EU € 14,79
Release Date: 16th June 2023
Review code used, with many thanks to Totally Normal Creature
Introduction
We Are Eva began its development in 2019 and went through many changes noted by the developers. With a development team based in Ukraine, We Are Eva has faced global issues.
Eventually, the project settled on combined elements from Celeste, Stranger Things and Deadpool. Celeste is an indie high-skill cap platformer. Stranger Things is a hit Netflix show that mixes investigative drama and supernatural elements. Eva herself is a 4th wall breaking character who infuses references to popular culture and belittling comments, like the character Deadpool.
Story and Gameplay
You’ve been summoned by Eva to help her navigate and fix the dimensional shifts of her world. There’s a quick control tutorial at the beginning of the game, but Eva keeps you engaged by progressing with witty dialogue. As you progress, Eva will introduce each ability that she is capable of, as she is a perfect being capable of many incredible things, such as performing a double jump or hanging onto walls.
At any one time, you and Eva will face a level that includes two dimensions as presented with different ‘main’ colours. This can range from purple to pink to blue, and each of these coloured dimensions features different physics or gimmicks with each predominant dimension. For example, there is a blue dimension that makes physics a little floatier, as if underwater. A pink dimension spawns hazards with Eva’s location upon switching into this dimension. A purple dimension that reverses controls inevitably makes platforming even more difficult, which may lead to a few deaths. Additionally, upon death, the level layout will be slightly adjusted to some other variants of the level that you are playing, which may feature different platform layouts or even different enemy spawns.
Art and Sound
The game uses pixel art style, emphasising colour to present each dimension with different tones and feelings. The game is 2D, with both traversable dimensions being visible to the player on screen all the time. Eva’s appearance in the dialogue box will also change depending on the dimensions that are within the current level that you are in. The main dimension is her body colour, and the second dimension is the colour of her horns and eyes.
Additionally, the sprite in the game will reflect these changes as you play through each level. The music slightly adjusts based on the dimensions that you are faced with, but overall, the music is not intrusive to the gameplay. I did find myself liking the level music for its catchiness and especially the double jump sound effect quite a lot.
Conclusion
We Are Eva has plenty of appeal, which you can see for yourself on the Steam page here. I do like how witty Eva is to the game player, and she even points out how many deaths they have accumulated. If you need a precision platformer this summer, I’d suggest giving We Are Eva a go.
Final Verdict: I like it
