The very first thing I noticed about Evergate was that it looked an awful lot like Ori & The Blind Forest. It takes place in a colorful world, it has a majestic orchestral score, and the main character is a small, ghostly white creature with a penchant for jumping over large gaps.
It has the appearance of an Ori fan game, but once you get past that, this is actually a very different experience. While I don't know if I would choose this over anything in the Ori series, Evergate still makes for a very solid and challenging puzzle platformer that continues to build on its mechanics all the way to the end.
The Ki To The Mystery
You assume the role of a tiny soul named Ki who returns to the afterlife to be reincarnated and sent back to Earth. However, this reincarnation is suddenly interrupted by memories of a past life flooding in from some unexplained source. Despite the fact that these memories belong to someone else, Ki is drawn into them through some unknown connection. He begins to transverse across these scenes from the past to find out where they came from so he can return to the land of the living.
This tale isn't some deep, well-thought-out meditation on life after death, but I thought it made for a pretty fascinating setting for a puzzle platformer. The developer could have easily just made a bunch of levels and called it a day. Creating a narrative about reincarnation and lost memories makes the proceeding hopping and jumping much more interesting. That said, it won't blow anyone away with its profundity.
Light Souls
The gameplay revolves around a mechanic called the Soulflame. By holding the ZL trigger, you pause in mid-air and can aim a beam of light toward crystals around the level. You then line up the beam so it goes through the crystal and towards a patch of white powder on the ground. By hitting the Y button, you then destroy the crystal which creates an effect that helps you cross the screen. Some of these give you a boost of forward momentum, some create platforms, some burn away parts of the scenery, etc.
As you progress, other gameplay elements start to appear. There are dragon platforms that move on a track and burn everything in their path. There are hourglasses suspended in the air that teleport you or other platforms around the screen. Along with this, you have challenges to complete such as collecting items, destroying every crystal, and beating the level in a set amount of time. There are also equipable artifacts that can give you bonuses and abilities to help you get through these memories.
I don't think I would go out of my way to declare Evergate a revolutionary or exemplary puzzle platformer, but it manages to be a pretty good title to play on the Switch. The controls feel tight, responsive, and difficult without being too unforgiving. The level layouts take full advantage of the mechanics and often throw something new at you every time you complete a section. Overall, it's just a solid little platformer.
One of my major complaints with Evergate is that it tends to look a little on the generic side. A lot of the objects and scenery look like they were pulled from other puzzle platformers with Ori being the most obvious inspiration. It never looks bad as it is very vibrant and picturesque. It also doesn't get too busy or confusing with all the various explosions and effects happening as you blast crystals. The graphics are fine, but they never become anything more than that.
If you end up playing this in handheld mode on the Switch, you may find the characters to be a bit tiny. Ki is practically a dot on the screen as he jumps about. I didn't have a problem playing this way, but far-sighted individuals might want to play this with their Switches docked.
A Fine Time In The Afterlife
For a game about delving into memories, Evergate isn't particularly memorable. Its style and gameplay are very evocative of other more noteworthy platformers. But that doesn't mean this is terrible. It constantly introduces new mechanics that increase the challenge with an eccentric take on the afterlife and reincarnation. It won't be mentioned in the same breath as popular indie platforming titles like Celeste or Super Meat Boy, but if you're a fan of puzzle platforming games in general then Evergate should make for a grand old time.
A Nintendo Switch copy of Evergate was provided to TheGamer for this review. Evergate is available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Evergate