Project Eve was the surprise game of the show for me at this week’s PlayStation Showcase. While I remain incredibly excited for the likes of Forspoken, God of War Ragnarok, and Spider-Man 2, this Korean action experience scratched an itch I had no idea needed scratching. Firstly, it looks incredible, boasting a sense of style filled with fluorescent colours amidst a gorgeously futuristic world that pulls from our own while simultaneously hurling us into the unknown.
From the trailer’s opening moments we see an acrobatic heroine flipping about the place and slicing into ghastly monsters, her movements and grace in combat akin to Bayonetta and Devil May Cry. She looks badass, and this slick demonstration sets the tone for a reveal that drew me in and refused to let go.
As for what the game is actually about beyond all the ghastly monsters and sexy style, the trailer is about as incomprehensible as one might expect. Thankfully, the PlayStation Blog has cleared a few things up and outlined exactly what Project Eve will involve. Presumably a working title, the game will follow humankind in the near future as its been eradicated from Earth by a mysterious alien force known as NA:tives (yes, it really is spelt like that) and you play as Eve, the sole survivor of a paratrooper squad who finds herself alone to defend herself on a planet filled with hostile creatures who want nothing but to put her in the ground.
It’s a simple premise we’ve seen the medium use time and time again, but Project Eve is doing something novel with the concept by taking inspiration from some of the finest action titles in recent years. Devil May Cry and Bayonetta are the most immediate inspirations, with both combat and movement seeming eerily similar to the modern classics. Eve is also able to switch between combat styles, made clear visually through a change in outfit, in the midst of battle to pull off combos and execute different abilities. Developer Shift Up have also said players will be free to customise Eve and outfit her with new skills and upgrades throughout the campaign, so it all seems largely similar to other games in the genre, and that’s absolutely not a bad thing.
I think what really fascinates me about Project Eve is the world it takes place in. Humanity seems to be taking shelter aboard a space station orbiting the Earth, but it soon becomes clear that the alien infection has taken over as our protagonist finds herself plummeting toward the surface. Don’t ask how she can breathe in space, judging by how she’s sexualised I assume she breathes through her skin like Metal Gear Solid 5’s Quiet. Putting that aside, the Earth she finds herself upon is one that echoes the beautiful loneliness of Nier: Automata, each step forward accompanied by an aura of melancholy as there is nothing to greet us beyond battered, broken buildings, and aliens littering the streets in search of their next victim. It’s a world without hope, and one that leans on an absurd sense of stylistic integrity to help that vision shine through.
Project Eve is blatant in what it intends to imitate, which will likely hurt the finished product, but I can’t blame a game of this calibre and budget from copying the best. Later on in the trailer, we can see Eve walking through environments with a robotic companion by her side. It’s a similar size and shape to the pods in Nier: Automata and I wouldn’t be surprised if it serves a similar purpose, spouting out dialogue and hints towards objectives while also acting as a ranged weapon for taking out foes from a distance. Much of the trailer focuses on action, but there are instances of quiet contemplation, and I hope these are reflected in the full game.
The apocalypse is always most compelling when viewed from a perspective of silence. 2B and 9S were newcomers to our world in Automata, and thus explored its forgotten cities and scorching deserts with inherent curiosity. Each new location was a discovery to both us and them, with Keichii Okabe’s wondrous score helping cement a feeling of loneliness that permeates the entire campaign. I’m unsure Project Eve will possess the subtlety to approach this layer of worldly sadness with the same flair, but I wouldn’t knock it for trying.
I just hope this doesn’t turn into another Bright Memory, a game of a similar aesthetic which looked tremendous in trailers, but the finished product felt like a clumsy, irksome shooter that failed to live up to any of its previous promises. Given the track record of Shift Up, I have higher hopes for this one, and it’s amazing to see a Korean studio highlighting so prominently with a PS5 exclusive like this. Bring on 2022 so I can batter aliens and look fabulous doing it!