Jumping ahead to the Xbox Series X second reveal event, wherein we saw an influx of new games, I did spot a certain group of games that made me excited. Although, as should be obvious by now, Microsoft does suffer from an overabundance of 'Cinematic trailer' syndrome when they could really use just a solid gameplay trailer every now and then. Sony have got this down pat but Microsoft are still dragging their feet, showcasing that even at the cusp of a new generation they are still behind the curve. (Cue the 'mile long ship' analogy.) One problem with all these new games is that a lot of them have left their audience quiet in the dark about what the game actually is (you know, the single most important part!) which really speaks to a failure in marketing if you ask me. Some games, however, do manage to skate past even this, although barely, on the grounds of being just so gosh darn beautiful. 'Everwild' is one of those games.
Back when this title was announced last year under the Rare label, it's teaser trailer was still enough to turn some heads. For me, as a huge fan of the 'fictional ecology' aspect of games like Monster Hunter World, the creature designs absolute glared out to me as something interesting that I wanted to see more of. Take or leave your stylised aesthetic with the smoothing of details and the emphasis on stark, differentiating colour, but I had to see more of the inspired animals and fungi that inhabited this world. They seemed to walk this line between the fantastical and the believable, managing to delight your senses without totally alienating them. So even when I had little to no idea what Rare had up their sleeves for this title, and given their eclectic back-catalogue of games it could literally be anything, this is a game who's image stuck around in my subconscious for a while. It must have made an impression, because even a year later in a year of game reveals, I recognised this title instantly and was excited all anew. (There's the power of a strong design team, folks.)
That's something that was carried through in the trailer once again, and thus I suspect that it'll end up being the main draw and likely the sole focus for whatever the title shapes up being. The fictional ecology just seems so rich well conceived that I'd imagine truly becoming immersed and invested in this fictional, but fantastically tactile world. In the trailer we see an abundance of wildlife take the forefront, from the huge earred elks from the very first trailer hiking along mountain paths to bulky mustachioed beasts-of-burden felling trees in the woodlands. Everything pops out so well. I think that comes, in part, to the glorious fur animation that I think every beast we're seen so far appears to be sporting, it's reminiscent of 'The Last Guardian' in a way and manages to convey the fabric of the animals hair decently. You can just about imagine brushing your hand through the individual strands, it's particularly evocative.
In fact, there's this sense of spirituality running through the whole trailer, emphasising the connection between nature and man in a harmonious sense, and we can translate that into a connection between the viewer and the fictional animals of this world. Practically every shot in this trailer that features a human is co-starred by one of these animals and we see them tackling the challenges of the day as one, whether that be trekking up a dangerous mountain with falling rocks, sitting at a campfire to unwind or, well whatever they were planning to do with that toad who spewed out his spawn from his mouth. (That's probably my favourite shot from this all, by-the-by. Which actually mirrors my favourite shot from the 'Horizon: Forbidden West' trailer.) Even the climax of the trailer seems to hone in on this theme of spirituality, with the four humans of the trailer conducting some pagan-looking ritual with incense, apparently in order to cure a wounded fawn. Then they get visited by a Deer god or something, it's all very whimsical- Yet frustratingly mysterious.
To say that Rare are playing the actual meat of Everwild close to the chest is an understatement, currently it's starting to feel like they actively don't want us to know anything. (Which could be indicative of the title still being fairly early along in it's development cycle.) Even on their official website all the marketing team could muster to try and sell this game was the following; "Everwild is a brand new IP in the works at Rare, where unique and unforgettable experiences await in a natural and magical world." (Wow, and what does this tell us? That this isn't a sequel to Banjo Kazooie? Figured that one out myself, somehow.) As much as the aesthetic of the game is strong, I'm a big proponent of substance over style, so this secrecy does tick me right off. Don't get me wrong, I understand wanting to be discrete for one's first trailer, but if you can't even muster a blurb at the bottom of your second trailer, maybe you've started the marketing ball rolling a little prematurely.
But this gap in actual coverage does leave space for one of my favourite things; rampant speculation, so that's where I'm headed next. But I should probably start by saying that I'm already fairly certain off the bat that this game isn't going in the direction I most want it too. Because as beautiful as all this fantastic creatures are, my first thought is of all the exciting a cool fights they could put up as I attempt to bring them down in a Monster Hunter style-showdown. That's not this game, I'm almost certain. (Besides, MHW exists to scratch that itch right now.) But then the big question is what exactly all this is leading up to? My gut guess would be that we're looking at some sort of action adventure title that revolves it's story around the preservation of some spiritual threat that's going to look something akin to the swirling darkness from 'Breath of the Wild', only that it's not going to have something as tangible and understandable as Ganon behind it all. I know that, given none of the coverage has even hinted at the slightest sign of trouble, this seems a little like a wild guess in the dark, yet it's also the safest choice. I would personally hope for something a little more original, but I feel like if the team had something like that they'd show it off. (Or at least hint at it!)
I mean, what's the alternative? That this turns out to be some super-pretty survival game that's all about utilising the power of nature to prosper? That just sounds like an even less fun version of 'Ark: Survival Evolved'. (Apologies to those who actually like Ark, I could never get into it.) Maybe there's something to be said for that theory though, as we do get a look in at four humans in this trailer which is typically the go-to for game trailers when they want to convey co-op play. Modern survival titles are almost always cooperative in order to provide some 'depth' to an inherently paper thin premise, and modern Rare do have a prior of releasing a puddle deep game that looks beautiful but was lacking in tangible promise for a least a year. (Looking at you, 'Sea of Thieves') Look at me, the second I raise the possibility of this being a survival game I immediately start looking down on that concept, but I suppose there could be some surprising twists in there that could reinvigorate the over-saturated genre, but I don't know because these developers are adamant in keeping us all in the dark!
And that's my biggest problem with Everwild that I keep circling back around to; what is it that we're supposed to be excited about? Even 'Death Stranding' was proceeded by Kojima letting us know that this game would be unfamiliar to everything else we've experienced, Rare are treating this game like the red-headed step child. I'm not asking for gameplay- well I am, but I'll settle for a genre drop, hell even a perspective drop, so I know that I'm supposed to look forward to. Right now, Everwild could just end up being an animated movie and I'd be fine with it, but something tells me that Rare haven't suddenly started to get into the movie market, especially not in 2020. In closing, Rare, your game looks creative and beautiful but you're being protective; it's time to be real parents and allow your baby to fly the coop.
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