Evolution Kickstarter begins, trailer emerges

iOS, Android, PC/Mac •

It seems like we’ve been talking about a digital version of North Star Games‘ creature builder, Evolution, for longer than Darwin sailed on the Beagle. Well, guess what? It still isn’t ready for release and, in fact, is looking for a little extra help to push it along via a brand new Kickstarter campaign that started earlier today. We saw Evolution in action at Gen Con 2016 and it looked pretty darn polished then, so what the heck is going on?

From the look of things, North Star is hoping their debut digital title will not just be another board game port, but will set the new standard for digital cardboard. To make sure that happens, they need a little capital to get those features we can’t live without in the game. Currently, the single player game is ready to go for Steam, but they know a releasing a single-player-only board game is akin to taking a shower with a toaster, so they need a little extra push to make it the last few yards.

• We will implement a rock solid multiplayer system to instantly match you up with an opponent of similar skill-level. This is rarely done in the digital board game space, but makes for a much better player experience.
• We’ve currently got AI opponents active in the game, but want to both improve the skill and lifelike feel of the AI. If we hit the stretch goals, we’ll add unique AI opponents that expertly deploy distinct strategies.
• We’ll add engaging challenges in the campaign, and ensure Evolution will keep you occupied for hours on end. By adjusting the traits, rules, and card balance, we can drastically change the ecosystem and require fundamental changes in strategy.

That list is all we look for in mobile board games, so it makes sense that they’d prefer to hold a release until these points are implemented, which is estimated to be May of 2018. If you want to get a shot at Evolution much, much sooner, however, simply back the Kickstarter and you’ll have access to the beta as soon as the Kickstarter ends in October.

As usual, the Kickstarter has all sorts of stretch goals and whatnot if they pass their funding goal of $40K, but let’s worry about getting to that threshold before we start talking about other goodies. Head on over to the Kickstarter and check out all the details. Pledges are available for the iOS, Android, and Steam versions of the game as well as pledges that include the cardboard version of Evolution and it’s expansions/sequels.

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