iOS (iPhone/iPad) Critic Reviews

Whether you look at dialogue and story line, or implementation of mechanics, or just sheer volume of gameplay, Evoland 2 is not just a huge improvement on the original but also an amazing way to extend your experiences you may have had with those old school games that it emulates. Evoland 2 pulls off something very difficult to do, it keeps it's own unique feel and functions as a greatest hits anthology. Go get it if you haven't already!

As a fan of RPGs in general, I am liking Evoland 2 so far. I believe I had the original game, but didn't get around to playing it for whatever reason (this happens more often than not). The cheeky humor and references bring a smile to my face, and I love how the world transitions to different graphical styles. The soundtrack reminds me of older RPGs that I used to play too, so the nostalgia is nice. I just hope the controls get better in due time. It may just take some practice to get used to.

Evoland 2 struggles to find a proper identity in its incredible mix of genre and styles, but manage to be enjoyable, especially for those who actually lived the 8 and 16-bit eras.

Unlike its predecessor, Evoland 2 tends not to get so swept up in how clever it's being. And that makes it a far warmer and more welcoming experience. It's still poking fun, but it's doing it because it cares, not because it's mean. Sure, it's a little on the scatterbrained side, and there are RPGs on the App Store that do all of the things that it tries out better. But as an experience in pleasant nostalgia, there's enough care and attention been lavished on this one to make it worth your while.

Its biggest problem is touchscreen controls, the joystick and buttons regularly proving elusive and making precision platform stages just as nightmarish as you’d expect. But get past those moments of finger-slipping, iPad-hurling frustration and you’ll discover an unusually well-made and inventive tour of gameplay from the last three decades.

There are moments where Evoland 2’s game-referencing antics feel really cool, but these moments are few and far between. Otherwise, it presents a poorly paced adventure that—though narratively interesting—isn’t exactly fun to play. For the most part, Evoland 2 is a passing curiosity that mostly just reminds you of all the other, better games you could be playing instead of it.