Bring in the classics
Being the monster in Evolve is pretty freaking awesome. You can be an ultra powerful beast with the ability to breath fire, shoot lightning, and prey on some of the most dangerous lifeforms in the universe. The Godzilla-like Goliath, ghostly Wraith, and Cthulhu-inspired Kraken are already in the game and it's a blast to smash hunters into piles of red goo. I want more monsters.
Because Evolve's current monster lineup is obviously inspired by the classic antagonists of old school horror movies, I decided to think up a few new concepts of my own. There are a ton of monsters out there to pull inspiration from, and I think they would make awesome additions to the roster. Check out the monster-of-the-week favorites I would like to see in Evolve.
A Wolfman in full rage mode
What would it look like? If we followed the classic look, this werewolf would just be a dude with a few extra patches of hair on his face. We're not going with that. For Evolve, I'm thinking something simple, but classically terrifying. Having a giant, Goliath-sized werewolf, running on all four legs, hunting you from the shadows, sounds like something that would be scary as all hell. Sold.
How would it play? Wolfmen don't have much armor on them - just lots of hair. So, in order for this monster to survive the onslaught of hunter projectiles, it's going to have to avoid them. Translation: the werewolf must be fast. While the Goliath uses big leaps to quickly move around the map, the Wolfman would be a blur of fur and teeth on the ground, moving from cover to cover, and using vegetation for stealth. How would it kill the hunters? Hit and run tactics. It could spread life-draining lycanthropy with its bites (maybe even raising up fallen foes as friendly minions) and bleed the humans out with savage claw slashes.
The Mummy as a spell-casting god
What would it look like? A giant zombie man, wrapped in toilet paper? Meh, that sounds dumb. Rather than a zombie, a Mummy-inspired Egyptian god would be where I'd go with the monster concept. The jackal-headed god Anubis is easily recognizable. If the 2001 Mummy Returns' CGI showed us anything, it's that dog warriors brandishing Egyptian blades are really cool (and scary) looking.
How would it play? The Anubis mummy would play like a mage and the plagues of Egypt would be his spells. Want to slow the hunters? Throw frogs and locusts on them. Want to escape from a tight corner? Cause darkness to cover the land. Need a badass AOE attack? Make fireballs rain down on your enemies.
A Dracula who's more bat than man
What would it look like? Like with my reinterpretations of the werewolf and mummy, I wouldn't go with the charming, neck biting, human form of the Count for inspiration. Instead, Dracula's ability to turn into a bat would serve Evolve better. After all, a giant, winged, hairless bloodsucker sounds like a perfect fit for Evolve's intense multiplayer.
How would it play? This monster would have the hunters keeping their eyes up. The vampire bat-like beast would keep to the sky and use its talons to perform dive-bombing runs on unsuspecting hunters, and perch on cliff faces to stay off the radar. And what would a Dracula-inspired monster be without some sort of life drain ability? I just imagine swooping down on a hunter, and draining his blood while carrying the human away from the team.
A Frankenstein's monster that's a little bit of everything
What would it look like? Oh, boy. This one can be fun. Yes, Frankenstein's monster is really just a big, dumb child that goes around "accidentally" killing people, but in Evolve's futuristic world, a monster inspired by this creature could be really cool. I mean, with monsters like the Kraken, Goliath, and Wraith species populating planets, humans must have captured a few. Maybe they experimented on them a little and genetically modified them. Maybe they chopped a few up, sewed pieces onto others, or added mechanical parts to create a creature that has the abilities of other types of monsters.
How could it work in Evolve? This thing would be the Shang Tsung of Evolve. Frankenstein could have a few abilities that already exist in other monster's arsenal, only with this mutated monstrosity, you can mix and match. How awesome would it be to blast a group of hunters with the Goliath's fire abilities then follow it up with the Kraken's lightning? Very awesome.
A Tremors worm that attacks from under the earth
What would it look like? Okay, these monsters might not fall under the classic horror genre (it's totally an homage to '50s B-movies so it totally counts), but adding an Evolve monster based on the burrowing Graboids from Tremors would completely change the dynamic of the game. I'm picturing the monster to be a wormlike creature with a sarlacc pit for a face. Simple, yet completely terrifying
How would it play? We've already got monsters to run on the ground and fly through the air, but a Graboid-inspired worm would burrow underground. I'm thinking this creature would act like a Hydralisk from StarCraft, able to burrow and pop up for surprise acid spit attacks, or act like a living mine to instantly gobble up anyone that passes by.
An agile swimmer inspired by Jaws
What would it look like? Evolve needs a creature that is perfectly at home in the water, and a monster inspired by the man-eating, megalodon-sized shark would be perfect. I'm picturing a monster that is as much at home on land as in the water, with a shark-like maw and a body suited for scaling the cliffs of the Evolve maps. Basically, it would be a Street Shark.
How would it play? The Jaws-inspired monster could simply be a more water-friendly Goliath. On land, it would move similarly to its fire breathing counterpart, but once it jumps into water, it's as agile as the ocean's deadliest predator. This ability would be perfect for turning the tables on the hunters, allowing you to set up ambushes, and escape into the water, drawing them into the murky depths to rip them to shreds.
A petrifying Gorgon that freezes you in your tracks
What would it look like? Medusa is the most famous gorgon, with her snakes for dreads and creepy serpent body. Her full head of snake hair, coupled with a long, slithering body and an intense stare that freezes players would definitely give the monster roster some visual variety.
How would it play? There aren't many games that allow you to control a giant, man-eating snake, but an Evolve monster based on the gorgon's abilities sounds perfect for the Defend and Nest modes. Being able to petrify individual hunters with a good hard stare would do well to keep the human team from getting to your nests and minions. If you petrify a single hunter, that means the entire team has to stop and rescue him. Otherwise, smash.
You're welcome, Turtle Rock.
That's it. That's all I've got. But there are plenty of other classic creepers out there. Let me know what monsters you would like to play as in Evolve. Are they inspired by a classic, or your own concoction? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
For more, be sure to check out our list of the upcoming Xbox One games, and give our Evolve coverage a read.
