Games worth discovering

Is This the Best-Looking Mystery Ever? - Evan’s Remains Review

2K View2022-08-03

From Sherlock Holmes to the recent film remake of the classic Agatha Christie novel Death on the Nile, I’ve been captivated by the detective genre over the years. It’s not just TV and books either. As a kid, I loved the board game Mystery Mansion, where you’re tasked with building a Victorian-style mansion and finding the hidden treasure in one of the estate’s many rooms. Something about gathering evidence, piecing together clues, and slowly revealing the truth inspires me. In fact, there was a time I even wanted to be an FBI agent! It’s no wonder this love of intrigue has extended itself to gaming as well.

A few weeks ago, I recommended five detective games worth any gumshoe’s attention and the inimitable Evan’s Remains was on top of that list. It was only noted briefly in the collection, but I knew I had a lot more to say about this excellent game.

[Editor’s note: Last week we held a contest where TapTap users could submit their choices for hidden gems they recommended to other users and TapTap editors. We had so many great recommendations that we couldn’t wait to check some of them out for ourselves. Evan’s Remains was recommended by TapTap user @RandomGuy. Thank you to RandomGuy for the suggestion, and look forward to more TapTap Explorer opportunities in the future!]

As mentioned in my collection piece, Evan’s Remains was developed by Whitehorn Games and combines a visual novel mystery-thriller with a puzzle-platforming adventure. The narrative focuses on finding a missing boy genius named Steven... No, just kidding, he’s named Evan, of course! You play as Dysis, a young woman who’s been given few details about her mission.

In true mystery fashion, you, the player, are piecing together the narrative at the same time as Dysis. Though the story in and of itself is excellent, the artwork shines here. From the moment I started Evan’s Remains, the beautiful art clearly inspired by Japanese adventure games made me take a moment to stop and appreciate this 2D, pixelated masterpiece. Seriously, this game could’ve been subpar but would be worth playing for the artwork and musical score alone.

Although Evan’s Remains takes place across a single island locale, the use of color makes the environment come to life with vibrancy and adds to the overall mystery of the game. Even the interaction with background flora and fauna adds a cool effect when completing a puzzle. These elements blended perfectly and added to the overall experience while playing.

It wasn’t tricky learning the basics of the game either. The controls consist of left and right arrows for movement and a jump button. The gameplay of Evan’s Remains is based on jumping on a combination of platforms to move to the next area. As you progress in the game, the puzzles become more brutal. Some platforms will disappear, some will transport you to another location, and some will act as switches, causing other platforms to appear.

I was able to get the hang of it pretty fast. How long it took me to complete the puzzles is a different story. I found that Evan’s Remains increased in difficulty quickly. Three minutes on one puzzle promptly became five, then ten, etc... It was all in good fun, though, and the mixture of puzzles, artwork, and narrative kept me invested. I didn’t feel cheated or that any puzzle was particularly impossible to beat. It just took a bit of detective work to determine the best course of action, which I didn’t mind.

For those who want a strictly narrative experience, Evan’s Remains has a handy “Skip Puzzle” option. Depending on your skill with puzzles (and how much you can resist the temptation to hit the skip button), you can get through the story in a few hours.

Though a free-to-play version exists, Evan’s Remains is about $4 on the App Store. I purchased the paid version for my initial playthrough of this game, and honestly, I haven’t deleted it from my phone yet. It’s clear the developers put some thought into making this a good game, and for the sheer value of the purchase, I would say it’s worth the price.

But player beware! Without delving into spoilers, the narrative of Evan’s Remains gets pretty dark at points. It might be worth skipping if you’re looking for something more lighthearted. Then again, a darker story is what draws me to a lot of the mystery-themed media I consume! If you’re the same, you’ll want to give this title a go.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Mysteries. If you like a good mystery that leads to a satisfying reveal, download and play Evan’s Remains.

• Puzzle games. Evan’s Remains is a perfect blend of puzzle, adventure, and mystery. Though skipping the puzzle elements is always an option, if you’re in it for just this aspect, you’ll probably have a good time with the variety the game offers.

💬 Did you find the puzzles in Evan’s Remains challenging or easy? And what’s your favorite puzzle-based game? Let me know in the comment section!

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