Eversion

Developer: Zaratustra Productions | Publisher: Zaratustra Productions |Release Date: 2010 | Genre: Platform | Website: Official Website | Format: Digital Download

The princess of the flower kingdom has been kidnapped by the Ghulibas, and only the intrepid hero Zee Tee can rescue her. The simple plot, along with the very retro 8-bit look and sound, are some of the reasons we never really took notice of Eversion. That is until we realized that there is more to Eversion than platform hopping and gem collecting.

Upon starting the game, we were greeted with an ominous quote from master horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, setting high expectations. However, these expectations were hilariously contradicted by the game’s sugary sweet cheerfulness and color, leaving us amused and intrigued.

The pure platforming action was entertaining, and the gem collecting was cool. However, the “hero” was a fluffy little flower/asterisk thingie, and the enemies were about as menacing as wet sponges. The gameplay was sound, however, and the retro-styled music was extremely good, so we kept playing. This was when we discovered what all the “eversion” fuss was all about.

Eversion spots are invisible trigger areas, marked by a slight change in music and graphics when you stumble across them, allowing you to use your eversion button to switch things up a bit. Clouds might become solid, so you can now use them as platforms; previously, solid blocks might become breakable, and moving enemies might become stationary objects. This leads to all kinds of neat puzzles, and the level layouts are all really nice, making good use of the eversion function to challenge your platforming skills. However, each eversion alters the graphics and audio, and there are quite a few “levels” of eversion, but that’s all we are prepared to say. The adage “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is certainly true for this title.

Eversion started as a free game, so some players might wonder if there is a reason to fork out cash for it on Steam. Well, supporting Indie developers for their great work is always nice, but if you are not charitable, there are loads of nice extras to entice you. Firstly, the Steam version is in “High-Def.” It still looks like 640×480 to us, but it is very nice nonetheless and has some neat Steam Achievements. The game is relatively short, so the achievements add longevity for completionists. You can also unlock a time attack mode with Steam leaderboard support, but judging by our rankings, it won’t be easy to get anywhere near the top spots.

Eversion fits the bill for a cult classic, and many people will turn their noses up based purely on its looks. The unlimited lives and checkpoint system might make it sound like a walk in the park, too, but we were grateful for the gamepad support as there are some very tricky jumps. If you just play to reach the flag at the end of each level, you’ll be done with this game in under an hour, but take the time to explore and learn its secrets, and you’ll be in for a much more fulfilling gaming experience. We also recommend playing Eversion alone at night for the best experience. Whatever you do, don’t just dismiss this as a Mario Bros clone, as it will be your loss.

*Review originally published in 2010.