Evolve info blowout: alien evolution, class abilities and more revealed

Evolve developer Turtle Rock recently unveiled its next-gen co-op shooter in the pages of Game Informer. More details have emerged from the issue, covering the way aliens evolve, class abilities and more.

Earlier this week we reported that Evolve was Game Informer's February cover reveal, along with initial artwork. Brenna also reported that Evolve's four human classes are assault, medic, support and trapper.

As you'd expect from the creators of Left 4 Dead, Evolve's classes must work together in co-op to take down one human-controlled alien, which can evolve by devouring wildlife found throughout each map.

This NeoGAF thread has harvested Game Informer's article for more information and they've dug up some interesting facts.

First up, the first revealed planet - dubbed 'Shear' - only plays a small part of Evolve's story. It plays home to an objective-based mission that sees players racing against the alien player to take down a barrier or kill some humans respectively.

The alien player will win the match if all four players are downed at the same time, while humans win by simply killing the monster. However, the more wildlife the alien consumes, the harder and more aggressive it becomes. Once it has evolved fully, only then can it complete the map objective. If a hunter dies while their team mates are still active, a dropship will place them back into the map within two minutes, as well as other players that die within that time.

Guns have unlimited ammo but are defined by cool-down and other attributes. Speaking of which, some class skills have been revealed, such as assault hunter Markov's personal shield and damage focus, while the support class Hank can buff the skills of other players. Griffin, the Trapper, has what GAF calls a 'mobile arena' that can trap the monster while Val, the medic, can heal and revive allies with a medical gun, while dishing out pain with a sniper rifle.

Humans can also stun the alien with tranquillizer guns and each bear jetpacks. If you double-tap the jetpack button you perform a dodge move, while running is automatic. They'll need to dodge, seeing as 'Goliath', the first revealed alien, will grow to 30-feet tall in its final evolution. It's been called a hybrid of ape, snake and xenomorph. At first it can punch humans and climb walls, but will get to choose two new skills at evolution level one, then one more with each level gained.

Examples noted include throwing rocks, leaping large distances and breathing fire. It should be noted however that hunters will also fight against the map's wildlife, which can also be as tall as the Goliath itself. Once the Goliath eats enough wildlife it starts to evolve in a cocoon state, which leaves it vulnerable for a short while. The beast can move stealthily or as standard, leaving destruction and huge footprints in its wake. It'll be hard to miss once fully evolved.

There is much more to be revealed, so stay tuned for move Evolve coverage soon. What do you think so far?

Via OXM.