Evoland

Evoland is a nostalgia-soaked time machine that rockets you through decades of RPG and action-adventure evolution faster than you can say “Hyrule.” It starts in a mute, black-and-white 8-bit wasteland and, like a retro Cinderella, unlocks new technologies and graphical upgrades with each chest you crack open, until you’re sprinting through a 3D overworld in full color like it’s 1998. One minute you’re hacking bushes in Zelda-esque top-down swordfights; the next, you’re queuing up turn-based attacks straight out of Final Fantasy or zipping across Diablo-inspired dungeons. Evoland doesn’t just remix genres; it throws them into a blender and hits turbo.

But this museum tour of gaming’s greatest hits doesn’t overstay its welcome. Evoland keeps its puzzles breezy, think stepping on switches, bombing cracked walls, and whacking targets, and its combat mostly forgiving, even as it shuffles between gameplay styles. Sure, the journey can drag once the novelty fades, and the snail-paced hero will have you begging for a sprint button, but Evoland’s charm lies in its bag of tricks: it’s a game that gleefully winks at your gaming childhood while sprinting through it at breakneck speed.

Evoland may not offer an epic tale or deep RPG systems, but as a bite-sized tribute to the adventure genre, it’s a breezy, heartfelt romp worth your afternoon. If you’ve ever wanted to see decades of gaming history unfold under your thumbs, Evoland’s time-lapse of classic moments will keep you smiling to the final chest.