Developer: VestGames
Publisher: Versus Evil
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One
Tested on: PC
Eville – Review
Social deception games have been popping up left and right in recent years. One of the better-known titles that started as a free-to-play browser game is Town of Salem. It generally feels like the developer VestGames took their inspiration from it when creating Eville. For publisher Versus Evil this isn’t their first rodeo in this genre as they previously published another deception game First Class Trouble. In Eville it is a battle between good and evil as the town tries to survive the various hijinx of wrongdoers that have invaded the city walls.
Story
The game takes place in a little town named Eville, where the inhabitants live in peace and do small jobs to help each other out. Out of nowhere, there appears an underground group that wants to murder the inhabitants for their own wicked purposes. Finding out who the evildoers are won’t be easy as they roam the streets like normal citizens. Learn who to trust and try to deceive others to complete your goal. There isn’t any story behind the events or inhabitants of Eville, it just seems like it is a very diverse fishing town as it is located on an island with many different locations.
Graphics
Visually there is a lot going on in the game at all times, and you notice that there is a lot of attention to detail. The town itself is quite large and is divided into various well-crafted parts such as the town square, graveyard, and ruins. With how nice each location was made, it feels like you are playing in a truly huge area while it is closely connected to everything.
Sound
Just like the graphics, nothing has been spared in bringing the player a pleasant experience from the beginning until the end. The enjoyable background music keeps you company while you are doing your daily (or nightly) activities, and the many different sound effects from all the abilities make the gameplay quite a magical experience. One aspect that does overshadow the overall sound design is that the game relies heavily on VOIP communication, and some players will try their best to be the loudest or most chaotic personalities in the lobby.
Gameplay
Eville is a social deception game where the townies try to find out who the baddies are and try to get them executed before the townspeople are killed. In Eville the good and bad roam the streets together during the day, completing jobs for NPCs to earn money to gather items, while the baddies can come out at night to murder unsuspecting players in their sleep. It is then up to the players to work together and try to uncover who was acting suspiciously and try to get the person responsible put on trial.
The setup can be a little much for first-time players, so there is a small tutorial to help you get started. The first day is always calm with everyone going about their daily business but as night-time comes around, townies get in their beds. You have a security camera in your house that shows your room in a dark hazy way. This allows you to see if someone comes into your house at night but you won’t be able to make up their character model or name. Some townies are able to get up at night and can try to run as a last-ditch effort, but most of the time when you see someone enter your house, it is already too late. To protect yourself from intruders you can buy items that defend you like traps or locking your door at night.
There are various roles to be played in the game, some without any special powers, while others, such as detectives, can find out which role the others really are. It’s important for everyone to work closely together, especially when more and more bodies start popping up. A barbarian might only be able to kill at night, but an assassin can kill at any time. When a body is found, that person can ring the alarm bell, and the town needs to come together to find out who the suspect might be. However, those who don’t make it into the square in time are excluded and can just go on with their day job, or they can try to hide so they might not come up as suspicious. When enough votes are cast, someone will be put on trial for murder, and then it is time to start voting if this person is innocent or guilty. When someone is found guilty they will be executed. Just like in Town of Salem, these moments can be the most crucial, as the pressure can either work in favor or against certain players.
Death doesn’t have to be the end, as you can still do plenty of things as a ghost. There will be quests available to get soul coins, and you can use them to purchase ghost abilities to hunt the living or you can also buy items to communicate or heal other players. With all this action you could think that it is a complicated game to play, but the controls work quite well. You move and jump around quite easily and using your abilities feels intuitive. The only thing that feels a bit clunky is the inventory and how you use items from it. Maybe this could have been circumvented by allowing the items to be placed on a hot bar for easy access
While the game is a blast to play and just minding your own business can be fun, the only thing that is currently holding the game back a bit is that it can take a while for a lobby to fill. There are plenty of players, but not that many that lobbies get filled instantly. Also, the server quality can be quite wonky and you can get kicked out of lobbies due to these issues.
Conclusion
Eville is a fun social deception game packaged in an attractive package. The title focuses on granting its players an amusing time while ensuring there is no downtime during the match itself. The visuals look good at all times, as there is always something happening on your screen, and when you combine this with great sound effects and a good soundtrack, it makes for a pleasant stay in the town of Eville. The only real downside to the experience was that the lobbies took a very long time to fill up with players. If you’re into multiplayer games such as this, we recommend you check this one out.
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