Earnest Evans Review

Even by the Genesis era, platformer/action games were nothing new. Many of them had been released by that time. Some of them, like Castlevania, went on to become classics, and for good reason. Others would go on to be pretty much forgotten because they were generic and uncreative. When it comes to Earnest Evans for the Genesis, which category does it fall into? Read on to find out.

Graphically, Earnest Evans is decent for a Genesis game released in 1991. It doesn’t look near as good as Sonic the Hedgehog, which was released that same year, but it doesn’t look atrociously bad either. At least the environments look appropriate considering the plot behind the game. The only complaint I’d have about the graphics is that enemies explode when they are defeated even when they are being hit by weapons that are not explosive. Overall, though, there is nothing here that makes the game anything special, but the graphics do not break the game either.

The same thing can be said of the sound. The sound effects are okay, but they are not really anything great. I must admit I do not see how hitting enemies with a chain weapon is going to blow them up, so an explosion sound when they die is probably not the most appropriate, but since the enemies do explode when they are defeated, it is questionable whether the initial problem is graphical or audio. The music likewise is not anything that is going to keep you engaged, but it is nice and unobtrusive, so I have no major complaints about it.

The plot of the game revolves around three objects that Earnest must collect before confronting an evil called Mavur. At the same time, he must keep somebody else who is after the objects for evil purposes from getting them. Granted, this is not much of a plot, but in this era a game like this did not need a major plot. At least it gives some explanation as to why Earnest is running around the way he is.

In terms of gameplay, Earnest Evans, as I mentioned is a platformer/action hybrid. Earnest can run and jump and he attacks primarily with a chain weapon, although he can pick up and use other types of weapons as well. When he has a second weapon, he can switch between them by pressing the right button. Jumping is covered by the middle button, and attacking is done by pressing the left button. This is a perfectly intuitive control scheme which makes a lot of sense. Earnest also has the ability to duck down and even to lay down by pressing down and can reverse the process by pressing up on the control pad.

The attack pattern of Earnest’s chain weapon is quite interesting. It’s not straightforward but rather hits everything straight in front, a little below and a little above him. His upward attack hits up-left and up-right as well. It will take a while to get used to the attack pattern, but it is not bad. His chain weapon can also be used to latch on to hooks to enhance his jumping ability in some circumstances. Some of the special weapons also have abilities like that as well, so you will have to experiment to figure out which weapon to use in various circumstances.

This game is fairly difficult, and to date I have not seen the end of it so I am unsure as to how long it is. You are given a few continues though, and when you use them you restart from the exact point at which you died, so getting a decent distance into this game is not difficult even for a beginner. Still, it is probably not a game that you are going to play much if at all after you do beat it, so its lasting value is somewhat limited. I was able to get it for a very low price though, so it should be worth whatever you would pay for it. Therefore, if you are a fan of platformer/action games on the Genesis, you may as well give this game a try. It is generic, but it has its own degree of charm.