In the Evil Dead The Game, you take on the role of Ash Williams, the iconic character from the cult classic horror movie series, and other characters from the franchise. The game is set on maps with familiar locations like the cabin in the woods where the first two movies took place. Your goal is to expel the demons from the area by completing tasks and fending off hordes of Deadites with whatever weapons you can find. So if you’re a fan of the Evil Dead movies, then will you love this asymmetric game? Let’s find out in this Evil Dead The Game PC review.
Evil Dead The Game PC Review
When Bruce Campbell teased the fans about the game back in 2018, I was excited. It was a long wait since the days of Evil Dead A Fistful of Boomstick and Evil Dead Regeneration on my beloved PS2. Even though they were short experiences I had fun with them both. But they left me wanting more.
Even while watching the 2013 Evil Dead movie, I wondered what a modern version of the game would look like. But I always imagined a ‘new Evil Dead game’ to be a single-player experience. So when I saw the reveal trailer 2020 Game Awards show, I was both thrilled & skeptical. Thrilled for the ‘Evil Dead’ game part. And skeptical due to the asymmetrical multiplayer. But what can I see, now it is finally here, I am kind of happy it came out the way it is now. The game tried to take the best parts of every other asymmetrical PVE game, combined, and made the best they could, out of it.
So let’s break down and look at the various components of this game.
Premise
As this is a multiplayer game with a few single-player missions, there is no new story apart from the lore you must be already familiar with. Necronomicon, also known as “The Book of the Dead” with the power to summon the Kandarian Demon itself, is the only object that can send them back too. But sending them back is not as easy as using the passages in the book itself. For this, you will get the help of Kandarian Dagger to fight the centuries-old forces of evil, The Dark Ones.
The game follows Ash Williams, the main character of the Evil Dead franchise, as he battles against Deadites, demonic creatures that have been unleashed upon the world. Ash is joined by his allies, including his sister Cheryl and his friend Pablo Simon Bolivar, as they attempt to stop the Deadites from taking over the world.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Evil Dead is similar to other third-person shooters, with the player fighting through waves of enemies using firearms and melee weapons. However, there are some unique elements from the movie that set this game apart.
For example, you can use Ash’s chainsaw to dismember enemies, and he can also use his “boomstick” to blow them up. The game will let you play in both co-op PVE & an asymmetrical PVP mode. In coop PVE, you team out with other 3 players to take down the AI-controlled demon. And in asymmetrical PVP mode, 4 players try to fight the opposing Demon player. Currently, there are 4 playable classes with 13 characters and 3 playable Demon types.
You may release normal Deadites and stronger Elites, unleash Boss Deadites, and use jump scare as the Demon to stop the Survivors in their course. You may place traps across the area to boost survivors’ fear levels, making them more vulnerable to possession. Demon gaming needs greater dexterity and preparation.
Players that want to play as the Demons can select between three different creature varieties from the movies. It also has a lot of things that frustrate me. Like the inability to jump or climb small platforms, lack of maps, long matchmaking times for Demon on PC, and on-screen actions that miss working at first try during crucial moments.
The best part of the game is that you need to either use voice chat or the in-game ping system. You are not supposed to be the one-person army or hero here. The game makes this clear by increasing your “Fear Level” if you are far from other teammates.
Speaking of Fear, it’s one of the major aspects of the game. If your Fear level is high, then you will be visible to the Evil anywhere on the map, and the Demon will also be able to possess you. And there are these nasty jump scares which I hate to play in the middle of the night. I don’t hate them, it’s just that they are terrifying for my poor soul.
Playing as a survivor perfectly captures the scary sensation of banding together to defeat an overpowering bad menace. Very few asymmetrical games managed to achieve this. Looking at you ‘Evolve’.
Features
There’s nothing unique in terms of mechanics when compared to other similar games. In each round, four human survivors must work together to remain alive long enough to conduct a ceremony that will rid the country of all evil. So the object of the multiplayer is to survive through a series of increasingly difficult tasks, using only your wits and a variety of weapons to defeat Deadites.
The process is as described in the following: you begin in the forest, on a large sweeping area with a suggestion of a location to seek out from the game map to obtain the pieces of a map that will show you where another primary task objects are located.
Along the journey, you’ll have to do some exploring and scavenge for firearms, melee weapons, as well as healing and protective supplies, ammunition, and other goods. After obtaining all of the map pieces, you must seek the Kandarian dagger & Necronomicon pages in order to banish the Dark Ones before the time limit expires.
The game features a collection of 25+ weapons, with their own light & heavy attack animations. Combine that with combinations of abilities you can choose of the skill trees unique to every 13 characters, and you are going to get a lot of replayability and combinations depending on how you look at it.
Also, the skill tree path is class-specific, meaning each class shares the same skill path, but the upgrades you spend will be unique to each character. When you play with your friends, the game is a lot of fun. Players can pick from a range of characters from the 40-year-old franchise in Survivors.
To expel the demons from the area, you must perform objectives such as finding map parts, the Kandarian Dagger, and the Necronomicon. You must prevent this from happening as a demon. Players can level up both Survivors & Demos with spend points with the experience they earn after winning or losing matches, to unlock perks to make their characters stronger.
Graphics
The Evil Dead game features some impressive graphics that help to set the tone for the game. The environment is dark and foreboding, and the character models are well-detailed. The game also features some great particle effects, particularly when you are using chainsaws, axes, shotguns, etc.
But on PC there are issues with the graphics many players noticed. Starting with there is no straightforward way to change your resolution. So if you are using a 1440p monitor and want to change it to 1080p, you are out of luck. There is no resolution option showing you those numbers.
Pixels on reflective and elemental objects like mud look smudgy, and long-distance objects in 4k clearly show a lack of details on the edges. Even the hair on the character seems to look weird when there’s a lot of action going on the screen. But enabling the DLSS option on an NVIDIA card seemed to fix this.
NVIDIA DLSS in the Evil Dead game boosts frames well over our expectations. It’s a marvel to look at this on frame rates over 120. DLSS employs powerful AI rendering to provide graphics performance that is equivalent to, if not better than, native resolution. Whereas only producing a fraction of the pixels in the traditional way. Sophisticated periodic return algorithms provide extraordinarily crisp visual data and all of this happens very fast in real-time.
Overall, the frame rates, far object sharpness, and graphics are a big selling point for the game. But DLSS will enable players with a 3060 Ti and higher to play at 60+ FPS. DLSS keeps improving efficiency by speeding visuals with little to no compromise of visual quality. Depending on your GPU model, you can expect an improved performance of up to 60-80 percent at 1440p & 1080p resolutions.
At 4K, NVIDIA DLSS enhances performance by up to 85% percent more frames per second. NVIDIA’s ground-breaking DLSS AI-rendering technology uses specialized Tensor Core AI processors on GeForce RTX GPUs to boost graphics performance. We are able to achieve 4K 60 FPS and even uncapped up to 144 frames per second easily using DLSS technology on various RTX cards.
Verdict
The direction is accurate. Evil Dead The Game is a love letter to the fans of the franchise. I honestly can not tell you how wonderful it is to be in Evil Dead lore, see all nostalgic pieces from the franchise, and fight the Deadites. For the Demon players, using wits to stop & pick on Survivors makes the quote ‘…One by one we will take you…’ effective here. It’s an over-the-top romp that will leave you feeling bloody and bruised. It also dominantly accomplishes in becoming a wholesome convincing real cat and mouse game, blast no matter what side. But with the lack of maps and variety in gameplay, I am worried whether the game will be able to manage to keep me and my friends interested for days to come.
The devs went to great lengths to create atmosphere and craziness, giving you the impression that you’re in an Evil Dead film. Overall, the Evil Dead game is a fun journey through one of horror’s most iconic franchises no matter what side you are playing as. Just don’t go in expecting anything too serious.
While it may not be for everyone, fans of the franchise will absolutely find plenty to love about this one. The game is full of references to the Evil Dead films, which they will love. Evil Dead The Game managed to become one unforgettable experience based on the 4-decade long lore of Deadites, Necronomicon, and Ash, with astonishingly deep care for fans blended with totally engaging gameplay, fighting animations, a strong skill tree, and pure joy of playing together with friends. If you’re a fan of the films, you will definitely want to check this game out.