Erevos Review

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            Erevos

Review by LakerzAugust 2003

You awaken from a deep sleep with an insatiable thirst, one that burns from within. The darkness is soothing, the sounds of the night beckoning you onward, outward. The thrill of the hunt gives out a high like none other, and you can almost envision the blood on your tongue from a fresh kill. Yes, such is the life of a vampire, a hunter of mortals, a being to be feared! Alas, sometimes the hunter can become the hunted …

Thus begins Erevos, an intriguing horror adventure game from a small development team in Greece called NYX. I was not familiar with them, but I could not pass up the chance to play an adventure game involving vampires!

At the beginning of Erevos’s story, you choose to play as either Eric Koplot or Giannos Romar. The two vampires come from differing backgrounds but share the same storyline. It all started in 1450 in a French town named Lille where the Travers family was attacked by what the townsfolk believed were vampires. The king tried to quell the citizens’ outrage by finding a scapegoat for the murders and hanging the man. The only surviving Travers member, Alexander, did not believe the king’s story for a second and vowed revenge against the vampire clan that murdered his wife and son.  He ended up forming his own cult, dubbed Erevos, which stands for deep darkness. The members of Erevos had but one goal, the extermination of all vampires from the face of the earth. As a cardholding member of the vampire allegiance, you can’t let this go without retribution.

Installation of Erevos was very easy for me. It installed and played just fine in both Win98 and XP. The game gives the option of a full install (roughly 640 MB), negating the need to play from the CD-ROM, or a minimal install to spare disk space. I opted for the full install, as I couldn’t let CD-ROM access times get in the way of some bloodletting, right? Installation progress is shown by a creepy-looking doll with rivulets of blood leaking from its eyes. When the installation is complete, the eyes fly open, showing a fiery supernatural gaze beneath. If this sounds a bit too much for you (and it is a bit creepy, I admit), then I can safely say Erevos is not for you. Erevos is rated M (mature) with the corresponding age limitation of 18+. This is due to violent graphics (who would have thought?) in addition to some occult subject matter. I’d also like to note that a few of the scenes can be rather disturbing, but more on that later.

I knew right off the bat that Erevos meant business when I tried to start the game in the daytime. Erevos wouldn’t run, as vampires can only come out once the sun sets! Between seven p.m and eight a.m. is the preferred time to play, thank you very much. This is easily bypassed by changing the system time, but it got a chuckle out of me.

The intro sets up the gameplay quite nicely, paying homage to The Blair Witch Project. When I finally took control of my vampire, it did not take long to become accustomed to the controls. Erevos is a mouse-driven, first-person perspective game. However, depending on the situation, the camera will either be fixed or rotated. When fixed, Erevos is controlled like most other games of its genre. The cursor changes depending on where you can move or where there is an item that can be picked up, manipulated, or observed more closely. If you hit a node where the character can rotate, two arrows will appear on the sides of the screen. A click on either one will alter the camera 15 degrees or so in either direction.  All in all, I thought this to be a suitable scheme, although it is a bit of a pain to have to click the mouse umpteen times to get the vampire facing the right way. The inventory is easily accessed from the main screen as well, as is morphing into your “familiar.”  The morphing function is a great idea and proves useful in solving puzzles, etc. The only complaint I have regarding the interface involves the save/load system. It’s entirely automated—one’s progress is saved after each completed chapter. There are no other saves allowed. If you die during gameplay, you have to start from the beginning of the last completed chapter. Also, there is no way to bring up the load screen once a chapter is started. You have to quit the game and then restart it to access the load screen again.  A very odd design decision to be sure.

Graphically, Erevos is trailing the pack of recently released adventure games, although for a small development group they’re not bad at all. It plays at a 1024×768 resolution, and the various scenes you travel through are for the most part sharp, if not exactly overflowing with details. The video cutscenes are pretty grainy, but I feel this was done on purpose to imbue Erevos with a gritty, urban atmosphere. They are effective if not exactly clear in some parts given that some of them are shot at night in black and white. Probably the low points graphicswise are during conversations.  Each character is represented by a looping video made up of a dozen or so stills. While reading the text, these character videos are playing over again and again, and I found them very stilted. I think it would have looked better (and been easier to implement) to show just a static picture of the character. All criticism aside, the graphics did an acceptable job and did not detract from my enjoyment of the game.

Where Erevos really shines is in the music, which makes the added soundtrack CD-ROM a nice bonus. From beginning to end, the music really drew me in to the game world, varying from classical to gothic, from softly melodic to edgy. Sound effects are of similar quality. From the creaks of a coffin opening to the anguished yell of a victim, I was constantly on the edge of my seat. Knowing that the acolytes of Erevos are hounding you and could be behind you or right around the corner, the developers did a nice job of keeping the majority of scenes filled with tension and surprises. I honestly was startled a few times during my play through, something that rarely happens to me.

I finished Erevos in about 10 hours, so I find it fair to classify it as a short game given that I am not a champion puzzle solver. Technically, you can play through the game as each of the two separate vampires, but only one chapter ends up presenting a separate locale and puzzles. The rest of the game plays out in the same no matter which vampire you initially choose. If each character could have had his own storyline, that would have been the perfect boost to the game’s length.

The puzzles are very easy. Only a handful of times was I stumped for very long. The main problem with the shortness is in how Erevos is constructed. There are eight chapters, plus an epilogue of sorts. Each chapter only has a few locations you are able to visit, so at any given time there are not too many choices you must make.  Instead of the game world opening up the farther in you get, it remains restricted throughout. In fact, Erevos would be even shorter if it wasn’t the case that you can die. As each chapter begins, the vampire’s health is constantly decreasing. Only feasting on someone’s blood or finishing a chapter will replenish it. Death can also be instantaneous at the hands of the Erevos group. What makes dying even worse is the game kicks you all the way out to the desktop, which is irritating.

I was also a bit dissapointed that none of the characters in Erevos were fleshed out too well. The only interactions between vampires are strictly linear conversations tethered with a few fetch missions to bring them stuff. I would have loved to really dive in to a rich backstory tying their lives together somehow, providing some reasoning behind their motivations and actions during the game. There are some small references to the past histories of the vampires but not much else.

As noted previously, Erevos is not for everyone. There are several scenes and images that are downright disturbing. I don’t want to give too much away, but one chapter has you invading a hospital to steal a baby so one of the head vampires can feast on it. Yes, pretty demented stuff. But hey, you’re a vampire—please check your morals at the door.

I doubt Erevos is a game we’ll ever see in US stores, but the last time I checked, the Erevos website indicated that it was accepting internet orders. (The site appears to be down as of this writing.)

I had a good amount of fun during my brief venture into vampiredom.  Erevos is certainly not without its niggles, but I feel that the developers have done a decent job creating a dark game for the inner vampire in all of us. If it wasn’t for the shortness, the funky save/load system, and the shallow characters, I would have scored Erevos higher. If a little depravity is what you’re in the mood for this upcoming Halloween, you might want to check Erevos out. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: NYX Publisher: Gennadios Editions Release Date: 2002

Available for: Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

P133 MMX or higher 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended) 8X CD-ROM (24X recommended) VGA card and monitor that can handle 1024×768 resolution 7 MB free hard disk space (644 MB free for full install)

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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17 Responses to First Impressions: Heavy Rain

  • Toger

    I hate QTEs, but Heavy Rain is sitting in my Amazon cart waiting for me to push the button. I don’t even own a PS3, but I plan on buying the game anyway. I do have a good friend who’ll let me play at his house. Of course, I’ll have to drive 100 miles, one way, through the snow to get to his house. His chat-happy birds will cheerfully chirp thereby completely disrupting any atmosphere, but I can play.

  • David

    What!?  Heavy Rain is full of QTEs?  I totally did not see that coming.

    The whole dad experience thing sounds intriguing.  I’m already getting odd looks from my girlfriend for exclaiming over cute kids on the bus or at the mall, something like what you described might send my biological clock over the edge.

  • Lewis B

    My sentiments exactly David!

    Mat has been playing the Heavy Rain demo for a while now, and although he admits he is intrigued by the story, he does constantly complain about the control method.

    R2 + Analogue stick to run? *scoff*

  • Gregg B

    @Lew: DEMO?! PS3 DEMO?! *runs off to PS3*

    That sounds like the Batman: Arkham Asylum controls – Crazy Bonkers Design. The sort of design that puts pull handles on push doors.

    @Steerpike: “I despise children. They are disgusting and annoying. They knock things over. They interfere with everything. They’re not useful until they’re at least 13, when you can get them to mow the lawn and stuff. But you can pay a service to do that for just a few hundred bucks a year and the service won’t vomit on you, shit in its diapers, grow up to resent you, or otherwise suck. Don’t flame me and don’t post comments to the contrary: kids are repulsive. Why anyone would want them is beyond my feeble imaginings.”

    HAHAhahaha- I er, – hahahaha – you’re as outspoken as me about demon spawn children.

  • Lewis B

    Yeah its been on the internet for weeks and weeks Greggi.  I think you have to do a couple of online puzzles etc to get the appropriate code or something.

    Search on Kotaku, they first ran with it IIRC.

  • Mat

    The puzzle code was for early access before it hit the PSN Store. It’s been available to all since last week.

    Regarding the demo, it took me around 3 or 4 attempts at it to appreciate it. First time around I couldn’t have been more dissapointed by it, but after the 3rd or 4th I decided I wanted to stick with it. I don’t think the demo is a particularly great example of what the game supposedly does best either – choice. I also HATE the control scheme and some of the voice acting is so wooden. Creating an immersive, realistic game is fine but having characters stumbling into tables and fridges because of the ham fisted controls, and listening to French voice actors impersonate Americans does remove that realism a little!

    Still, I rushed out to buy it this morning and will rush home from work to play it in about an hour!

  • xtal

    @ Toger: I don’t own a PS3 either, and it’s not like Heavy Rain seems to be “that” game which makes you run out and buy one– like Bioshock made me run out and get a 360– and it’s also not like this game looks groundbreaking in any way, because it really doesn’t. It’s just got me curious…and people tend to do crazy things the week after they get their yearly bonus. Soooooo yeah, who knows; maybe I’ll own a PS3 soon, but like hell I would admit that it was for Heavy Rain. Psh. I’d tell people it was because I wanted to watch BSG on blu-ray; though anyone who knows me would see right through that lie since I am an avid non-format-upgrader: I’ll switch my BSG collection from DVD to blu-ray the day I upgrade my copy of Jurassic Park from VHS to DVD. (Hint: never)

  • Toger

    @xtal: I’m in no hurry to upgrade my meagre DVD collection to blu-ray either, but I have to say the movies I’ve watched on my friend’s PS3 are absolutely stunning. Blade Runner was simply breath-taking in blu-ray and it made me want a PS3. I don’t think Heavy Rain will be a system seller for me, but I’m betting the game from the Ico team will.

  • xtal

    A game from the Ico team, you say? Hmmm. I’ve been making rounds on Kijiji and Craigslist looking for a copy of Ico (eBay prices are so shudder-inducing) for a few days now. I really need to play that game after my experience with the indescribable Shadow of the Colossus.

    It’s good to know they haven’t died some Interplay-esque death in the meantime.

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Nope, they’re a small team that works within Sony. Fumito Ueda is the lead and he’s got like ten or so people who’ve worked with him on all his games. Sony pretty much lets them do what they want.

    The Last Guardian is the game that’s coming up from them. It looks more like Ico and less like Shadow of the Colossus to me, which is to say it appears to be focused on platform elements. If I didn’t already have a PS3, it’d be the game that sells it.

  • Gregg B

    @Toger: Ooh, Blade Runner on Blu-ray, gorgeous in all its gorgeosity. In 5.1 it sounds incredible too.

    I bought my PS3 for Team Ico’s unnamed-at-the-time game, Heavy Rain (back when it was just a teaser), LittleBig Planet (yes, yes, I know), Dead Space and Motor Storm: Pacific Rift which sort of pushed me off the fence.

  • Toger

    Gregg, oh yes. The surround sound was spectacular. Did I mention my friend’s HDTV is 72″ (obscene, isn’t it)? It’s like being at a high-class theatre: better food, pauses for bathroom breaks and no one talking through the movie.

    Is Trine up on PSN, yet? If so, that might be my tipping point: Last Guardian, Heavy Rain and Trine.

  • Gregg B

    *spits tea out, despite not drinking any*

    O_O

    72″?! I’m speechless. I can only imagine how awesome that is. Size does matter.

    Not so sure about Trine… hang on. I think it is.

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    I think it is too, Toger. I’ll check.

    To be honest, though, I doubt you’d be disappointed with the purchase even if Trine’s not there yet. I’ve been way happier with my PS3 than with my 360. Demon’s Souls, Valkyria Chronicles, Uncharted, Folklore, even little games like Flower – I’ve had more concentrated fun with the PS3 than with Microsoft’s console, which tends to gather dust for months between game releases.

    72″???? I thought size didn’t matter!

  • Toger

    Size doesn’t matter. 😀

    In my friend’s defense, it was a great deal: opened box, itty-bitty scratch on the case, not a dead pixel to be seen and it was less $$ than the 60″ he originally wanted.

    Thanks for checking guys. I’ve played a tiny bit of Uncharted, but I’m horrible at the combat. Flower intrigues me. As does Demon’s Souls, but I know that game will crush my soul.

  • Gregg B

    There were certain moments in Flower where it just totally succeeded in conveying a feeling that I can’t say I’ve had in many other games, usually when rushing across a field through the grass or through a canyon or just skimming a pond, but it was never anything to do with collecting bloody petals or fulfilling some rudimentary puzzle. I think my problem with it was that it felt like it was trying to be this deeply emotional piece but in the end there seemed to be too many concessions to being a game rather than just running with the emotive side of the experience. One thing I am sure about though, is the trophies. Don’t get me started on the fucking trophies…

    One of my favourite little games on the PS3 is Everyday Shooter. It’s got a brilliant soundtrack that suits its raw visual style and I love how each level requires a certain tactic or strategy to survive it. It’s a very satisfying game in small bursts.

  • Hanover

    Unfortunately Cage mucked up the ending yet again.  The problem is that the mechanic of the game forced them to have to cheat in order to prevent spoiling the mystery of the game.

    There is also a red herring that makes no sense and is obviously put there to misdirect the player.

    90% of the game is awesome, the last 10% while not as bad as the indigo prophecy, is still sloppy.

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