Thank you Whitethorn Digital for sending us this game to review!

Evan’s Remains is a platformer infused with an engaging, fast-paced story that never fails to hold the player’s interest. Combined with the gorgeous pixel art, the wonderfully crafted music, and the perfectly paced levels, it immerses them into its universe and leaves them itching for the next new discovery. The plot follows a girl named Dysis as she is sent to a remote island to search for Evan, a missing genius.

The part that captivated me the most about the game is the plot. It continues itself every two or three puzzles, or monoliths (as they’re called in-game), and relies entirely on characters’ dialogue to communicate itself. Not all things are explained, though, and it leaves some confusion in the air as a result. Even as the story came to its close, I still was wondering some things about the characters and their motives that were left unexplained. Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The controls are very simple, and there is a controls tab in the pause menu. They consist of the arrow keys and the space bar on the keyboard. On controller, they are made up of the A button, the left joystick, and the arrow pad. The A button and space are the buttons to continue the dialogue and to jump. The up and down arrow keys on the keyboard and the arrow pad are to look up and down on the puzzle, as some of them extend past the screen. The joystick, along with the left and right arrow keys, are for the player’s movement.

The music is immersive, and I enjoyed it. The soundtrack is available on Steam as DLC for 99 cents. It fits the mood of the plot, and it suits the art style too. The sound effects are fairly realistic as well, and add to the background scenery. Everything has a chip-tune undertone, in order to accent the pixelated style.

The art itself is nothing short of incredible. I am normally not a fan of pixel art personally, but I was thoroughly impressed with the graphical presentation seen in Evan’s Remains. When the characters are in dialogue, there is an image of their face with various expressions, which is reminiscent of a visual novel. These expressions are rendered beautifully. However, there are two black bars on the screen near the top and bottom. Normally, they are hidden on my 16:10 screen by more black above and below them, respectively, but they remained when the credits scene rolled around. The black above and below them changed into an extension of the credits scene, but those bars remained.

However, this game has a few moral issues. Curse words are present (b*****d, p**s, h*ll, d**n), and there are a few instances where the characters use the Lord’s name in vain. One of the characters mentions that they are motivated by greed. White lies are also present, and they seem to have been encouraged by the other characters. These are unavoidable decisions, as there is no choice making in the game.

Overall, Evan’s Remains is a very story-rich, immersive game that I would definitely recommend to anyone over the age of 13. If you’re looking for a short play with a large punch, I would certainly suggest giving this one a try.

- Kittycathead