Evergate Switch Review

Developed by Stone Lantern Games and published by PQube, Evergate is a charming but challenging puzzle platformer that sees you taking control of a little soul who navigates levels in order to get to the gate at the end. Sporting interesting level design, powers that are introduced as you progress and beautiful visuals, Evergate is quite something.

Players will take control of Ki, a child-like soul who enters the Evergate in order to be reincarnated but is suddenly blocked by a collection of memories. It’s up to Ki to visit the locations linked to them while wielding the Soulflame in order to uncover their secrets and their connection to Ki. The story is shrouded in mystery and slowly unravels as you progress through the levels; treating players to a journey that is sure to stir up a few emotions. It can be a little short though, which may not sit well with some players, but it’s enjoyable from start to finish.

The gameplay is a pretty simple affair, however, the puzzles themselves and the mechanics involved is where the game shines. Ki can jump and move forward and backwards, but the main feature you’ll be using is the Soulflame. This ability allows Ki to slow down time in order for players to aim and then hitting another button will send a blast-off, allowing items in the level to react. For instance, when the game starts, you’ll be presented with yellow crystals. These, when hit with a blast from the Soulflame, will send you flying in the opposite direction. However, these crystals don’t just work on their own and you’ll need to aim at them in addition to an area that is filled with a magical substance called Source. This makes Evergate a game about timing, but also about accuracy as hitting the Source at the wrong angle can alter your trajectory. It’s a fairly easy system to learn, but can be pretty tricky to master and will require you to think out of the box from time to time. It doesn’t hurt that the controls are incredibly accurate too!

It doesn’t end there though as the game is constantly evolving by adding new mechanics, adding to the challenge while also adding a new way to get around. It’s also exciting to see what a new item can do when you first see it in the level. Evergate provides a decent challenge and thankfully, never feels too frustrating, mostly leaving you to plot your own route to the end of level gate. That’s not to say that it’s easy, however, as there were many instances where I took a bit of time to figure out exactly what I needed to do in order to clear a level in its entirety; this means interacting with and collecting all items in that level. It’s incredibly satisfying when you figure out the solution to do exactly that, allowing you to move on to the next challenge and possibly even discover a new mechanic.

There are also some artefacts that you can find in the game that grant Ki perks to get around a little better. These range from faster movement to easier targeting and can be quite invaluable. Each artefact that you find can be purchased by making use of Essence Orbs. These are placed around levels and will encourage you to collect them all in order to gain access to artefacts much sooner. As mentioned before, it’s rather satisfying when you figure out the solution to your puzzle; this is especially true when you’ve successfully collected everything in a given level.

Playing Evergate on the Nintendo Switch was a pleasure. Not only is it so pretty to look at, the use of colours just works so well. The art style reminded me very much of Ori and the Blind Forest, and also just ran so smoothly in both docked and handheld mode. Additionally, the soundtrack is quite lovely and has such a hauntingly beautiful theme but also delivers some intense orchestral compositions.

Evergate is lovely. Its mysterious story will get you going on your journey and keep you keen to discover what Ki’s connection is to the encountered memories, even if the adventure can be a little short. The gameplay is also pretty great and is easy to pick up, but provides a suitable challenge while constantly evolving to keep you thinking and more importantly, hooked. The controls are pretty responsive too, which is something quite necessary for the kind of puzzles you’ll encounter. It’s also gorgeous and had me excited to see what kind of aesthetic I could expect when heading to a new area. Evergate is fantastic and utterly addictive thanks to its unique gameplay.

You can purchase Evergate on Nintendo Switch here for £16.99.

Evergate is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

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