[media:50594]
After a hostage mission goes terribly wrong, Cole Black, the main protagonist in
Get Even is told from a first person perspective with some gunplay and a thriller vibe to it. Sights and sounds in the game make it come across as horror, but overall it felt like a good old detective game, with a hint of more action than that of the Sherlock Holmes series.
Warning: Story spoilers lay ahead
Get Even transported me to various interactive environments as I tried to piece together the game's superb story. I do not use the word “superb” in light context here as Get Even does have a thrilling story which plays out in a mind-twisting way I have never seen before. Instead of actually exploring these environments in the game, Cole is seeing them through a piece of technology fused to his head called Pandora.
This VR headset brings people's memories to life through vision and without spoiling too much of the story, it is all quite remarkably put together like a great TV series that has you questioning the events right up to the end of the season.
Fragmented memories
[media:50596]
It becomes clear later in the game that Cole is actually trapped inside an insane asylum run by a man known as Red. He is the creator of the device and Cole is now willingly exploring his memories and this place to find out the truth behind the girl's disappearance. It is how all this plays out that makes Get Even mess with you mind at the same time.
If you ever try to bring back a memory which you have somewhat forgotten, it is often blurry and you forget some parts of it. In the game, this is all portrayed as if Cole is struggling to remember his past too. Parts of an area are broken up, and sometimes sounds and the environment change to show that perhaps this specific part of the memory is forgotten.
[media:50593]
Cole has a smartphone with him which he uses to scan for evidence, light his path with a torch, and even see a map of the area he is in at the time. The smartphone is his most important tool in the game, as it keeps track of the story and lets you really feel like you are on a mission to discover something. While the controls are a bit clunky, the phone's navigation gets easier the more you use it. Cole also uses guns and a handy silencer pistol to help him in the game. While this is no Destiny quality shooter, the moments when you need to use your guns never feel like a chore.
Good is not great
It is the game's puzzles and the way the story is all tied together that makes Get Even feel like it could have reached even higher heights. Puzzles are nothing worth writing home about and involve you turning off valves, or finding certain objects in an area to help you advance. A little more creativity would have been a joy if added in with the story and different variations of environments in the game.
[media:50598]
The story is great, don't get me wrong, but the way it is told was a missed opportunity. It all ties up nicely in the end and it makes sense while you uncover it all, but if it was just a little bit less linear than it is, it would have been even better. The game leaves nothing to uncover, and hands everything to the player without any fog surrounding its origin. Some self-interpretation would have elevated the game's narrative even more and made it something worth playing over again to perhaps understand the story from a different perspective.
[media:50595]
Get Even is a solid thriller with a mysterious story and some dark undertones, but it doesn't go all the way to make what it sets out to do feel accomplished. Everything it does just needs to be turned up a few notches and then we will have a superb experience on our hands. If you are looking for a game that manages to merge thriller, some shooting, and a fantastic story into one solo experience, then Get Even will feed those cravings
Available On: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Reviewed
Coco: Twitter | MWEB GameZone: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
