Eatvolve
Platform: Windows
If being a cuddly adorable creature just isn't enough for you, how about being several? Aladar presents Eatvolve, an indie action game about augmenting yourself with the biological characteristics of the creatures around you — and which may or may not be intended as a depiction of how we become like the people we socialize with. Thwomp the creatures around you and you'll get a particle effect which imbues you with their particular form and abilities: nab that butterfly to gain some colorful wings, or that beetle for some nifty chitinous headgear that can help you get through stone. As you take on the qualities of the local fauna your form gradually shifts, and it's done on such an authentic piecemeal basis that the transitions are smooth and seem viable, and pretty cute too! We've included a few examples of what you can become in the main graphic for this review; they don't all appear in Eatvolve at once, but you can also come up with plenty of other possibilities through trial and error.
Movement is easy with the [arrows], and [P] brings up a Pause menu replete with options. If you've bred with another creature — superimposing yourself over a similar creature long enough for a new critter to hatch — then clicking on the egg key in the Pause menu will enable you to start adjusting your starting form! Each creature type has three bars, which you can adjust based on what forms you've bred as. For every playthrough you'll have the opportunity to breed once as each type of animal, adding a bar to it. If all that sounds pretty complicated, just try it! It's a lot easier in practice. Eatvolve is still being actively improved, so while nearly every animal has its own special ability when you become it there are still a few missing. Also because things are still in the experimental phase, at time of review just pressing random letter keys tends to produce some amusing effects as well. We're hoping to see what this looks like with all the animal abilities ready, and hopefully more innocent-looking graphic effects when you actually trounce another creature; something in keeping with the adorable nature of these li'l guys everywhere else in the game. Creative, gorgeous, and cute, Eatvolve is one of those unassuming little games you'll find the urge to keep coming back to every so often just for a quick replay or three.
Windows:
Get the free full version
Great idea, but not engaging enough to keep playing. One hit restarts the game, seriously?
Also, needs a 'blood' tag. Not kid-friendly.
Y'all have a funny definition of free.
Thanks for the notice! The game at review time was 'pay what you want', including free. I'll alert the rest of the JiG staff to this.
Real shame the only review is "Great idea, but not engaging enough to keep playing. One hit restarts the game, seriously?"
I might buy it otherwise.
Update