Project Evewas given a big trailer for the wider gaming audience in Sony’s Playstation Showcase 2021. This Korean action game from SHIFT UP Corporation looks promising, fusing visceral sci-fi motifs withBayonetta’s frenetic action andDark Souls' more deliberate combat focus. The imagery of a lone, and possibly cybernetic, girl named Eve with a drone companion jumping through an abandoned city to defeat a possibly extraterrestrial threat matchesNieR: Automata’s vibes, and the combat looks like a send-up to the all-time greats of action gaming. Even without a release date in sight, people are already looking forward to seeing more of this surprising game.
One of the more memorable parts ofProject Eve’s trailer was the way the game looked. While the visuals of aruined Earth evoke memories ofNieR: Automata, the game has a look all its own. Lighting, in general, appears brighter, and there was a lot more emphasis on reflecting that light. It seems thatProject Eveis aiming to look its best on the PS5’s hardware, and that goes double for when some contrast to that light shows up. While the two human-seeming characters were rendered in a soft and colorful way, the fleshy enemy monsters were grotesque. It feels likeProject Eveis looking toward the stand-out action-horror games of the last two console generations for inspiration, and it’s more memorable for it.
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The NA:tive enemies inProject Eveshould make any seasoned horror fans think ofDead Spaceand its Necromorphs. Taking inspiration, even if it’s coincidental, from one of the best horror enemy designs to come out of games in the past two decades is certainly a wise decision. It givesProject Evean immediately memorable flavor, even if that means some of its more and less monstrous elements have to clash. Eve’s opponents are mostly fleshy monstrosities that bear little resemblance to humanity, though there does seem to be an element of recycling corpses and biomass.
The NA:tives also operate like Necromorphs to some degree. Some of the smallest ones are just squidlike creatures that Eve can bat around with her sword, but once one finds a corpse, it suddenly becomes a serious threat capable of wielding basic weapons. Thismirrors the small infector Necromorphsthat can manually infect corpses the Marker’s signal and Necromorph disease haven’t reached yet.
The NA:tives take plenty of other battle-ready shapes, with larger ones showing a trend of growing organic chainsaws in place of their heads. This once again parallels howNecromorphs grow their own biological weaponry. It remains to be seen just how much likeDead Space’s iconic foes the NA:tives truly are, but the similarities that the infested space station from the trailer has to larger Necromorphs don’t bode well.
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Dark Souls and Project Eve Also Share Enemy Attributes
This is not all there is toProject Eve’s enemy designs. They are mostly Necromorph-like, but there are moments where other qualities shine through. There is a feeling of something formerly majestic being corrupted with some enemies. No game franchise is quite as talented at precisely targeting the feeling of decaying glory thanFromSoftware’s magnum opusDark Souls. The lands in theSoulstrilogy are all wasting away, but traces of their former glory still shine through, even if that glory now feels sad and artificial.
Elements ofProject Evethat specifically recallDark Soulsare subtle but undeniably present. One of the most notable is the boss creature that still has a statue-like head in the middle of a circular chainsaw on its neck. This recallsotherDark Soulsmonsterslike the Gaping Dragon and Quelagg, creatures that are close to normal but also far divorced from reality.
The vaguely angelic subsumed space station also carries the spirit of the angels found inDark Souls 3’s DLC, which are similarly disgusting and unnatural. There also seems to be a subtle lean toward having a mixture of bestial and humanoid bosses inProject Eve, somethingDark Soulsprides itself on. It remains to be seen how much the NA:tives will stay from their revealed meaty forms, but there is a good chance there is more to be seen.
Project Eve Has Its Own Approach to Building Enemies
Even though it can be said thatProject Eveleverages a lot of inspirations when building itself up, it would be reductive to accuse it of being nothing more than a mass of cobbled-together homages. Far too many games stop at having basic bestial monsters or zombies, butEvemakes its foes instantly memorable with the chainsaw aesthetic. Works likeEvil Dead’sArmy of DarknessandChainsaw Manhave proven how exciting the tactical addition of a chainsaw to a character design can be.
Video games are no stranger to the satisfying strength of the chainsaw. Developer Platinum Games, one of the clear inspirations forProject EVE, has worked chainsaw weapons into many of its games, not the least of which include the grislyMadworldandAnarchy Reigns. Even the canceledKickstarterfighting gameThe Chainsaw Incidentwas based around a plague of chainsaws sweeping the land, a story conceit that could have parallels to the NA:tives' invasion ofProject Eve’s Earth. It’s a dangerous yet alluring approach, much like chainsaws themselves.
Mere monsters aren’t allProject Evehas up its sleeve. As the stinger to its trailer, a NA:tive is shown that looks very similar to Eve herself but clad in bulky armor. Said armor comes with a surprise, as when its visor flips down a holographic skull is displayed, making the girl look somewhat like theKojima Productions mascot Ludens. It isn’t clear if this is the only action-staple rival character, but it inspires confidence for any other seemingly human characters showing up, and provides a nice break from the torrent of flesh beasts.Project Eve’s strong art direction and enemy design compliment its slick combat well, and more impressive looks at them are sure to come as its development progresses.
