Evotinction is a love letter to Hideo Kojima and the Metal Gear series, director says 

First revealed in a glossy trailer back in 2019, Evotinction is an upcoming hack-and-stealth game set to release on PS4/PS5 and PC (Steam). Developed by Spikewave Games, an ambitious indie team with their sights set on making an AAA game, it became part of the PlayStation China Hero Project and is set to be published by Astrolab Games. In a recent interview with our Japanese sister site, head of Spikewave Games and Evotinction’s director Xingyan Gu revealed how Metal Gear Solid inspired the upcoming game and how the team focused on creating the game’s unique hacking system and clever enemies.  

The futuristic sci-fi game takes place in an AI-controlled research facility called HERE. Problem is, the AI has been infected with an unknown virus that has caused it to go rogue and plunge the facility into turmoil. You play as Dr Liu on a one-man infiltration mission, however, unlike Solid Snake, he isn’t a combat expert. Rather, the emphasis is on sneaking and using the doctor’s ace hacking skills to disarm your foes. You must locate survivors and get to the root cause of the AI’s breakdown. 

Talking about the influences behind the upcoming title, Gu explains that “Evotinction was inspired by the design of Metal Gear Solid,” adding that “I really like the smooth and tense gameplay of Metal Gear Solid. I really respect Hideo Kojima, and this game is like a love letter to him.” Rather than copying MGS, which Gu describes as a “work of genius,” the team has instead taken inspiration from the essence and feel of Metal Gear Solid, using it as a starting point for developing Evotinction. Another influence was the Christopher Nolan film Interstellar. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gu reveals that developing the unique hacking gameplay aspect of Evotinction was the most time-consuming part of the development process. Gu explains that they spent a lot of time creating different hacking skills, each with their own unique drawbacks, careful to make sure that there were plenty of varied skills available to suit different playstyles. “For example, the main hacking method we initially designed was the ability to disable an enemy’s vision by shutting it down for three to five seconds. We then prepared a variety of hacking capabilities related to vision.” This also encourages players to develop different strategies for taking on the game’s challenges. 

Not only will the game have Dr Liu come up against a variety of enemy AIs with different abilities, Spikewave has also put a lot of effort into making these enemies react in an intelligent manner. “For example, AI-A and AI-B are on patrol together. If the player incapacitates AI A, the remaining AI B will immediately notice.” Gu explains. It seems that Evotinction will start out easy, getting players used to its mechanics. “A few hours into the game, I think you’ll start to encounter these AI armies that are harder to deal with.”  

In Metal Gear Solid, guards famously react to the player’s actions and changes in their surroundings- their responses getting more sophisticated with each entry in the series. This includes noticing Snake’s footprints, calling for back up and waking up other guards that have been knocked out. It seems that Evotinction’s AI enemies will also be highly attuned and resistant to the player’s actions. “AI that is malfunctioning (for example, it’s vision or hearing has been destroyed or it cannot move) will send out a signal and nearby AI will diagnose the problem and repair it accordingly.” Gu explains, adding that this kind of detail is part of Evotinction’s charm. 

Evotinction is scheduled to be released for PS4/PS5 and Steam on September 13, 2024.