If you want a shorter and more intense Evolve experience, Turtle Rock Studios has just the thing for you. Today they're adding an Arena Mode for free on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
In standard Evolve matches, four Hunters chase one Monster around the map. The Monster tries to evade them while they're weak or outnumbered. They must then kill smaller creatures to become strong enough to either wipe out all the Hunters or destroy the map objective.
However, Arena Mode simplifies things a great deal. In this mode, the Monster and Hunters start out in a Trapper dome that doesn't expire. The match ends once either the Hunters or their prey is dead. Everyone will then respawn in a different dome in that same map and fight again. This series will continue until one team wins three matches.
Turtle Rock also included a few other custom rules to ensure that this will be a fair fight:
- All the Hunters and Monster begin each match with one perk.
- Monsters start at Stage 2 with 50 percent armor, but can feed on wildlife in battle to regain armor and even evolve to Stage 3. (Though the size of the mobile arena makes this a tough task.)
- There is no dropship timer. Once a Hunter dies in battle, they have to sit it out until the next fight.
- Players can’t change their character or perk selection between rounds, but Monster players can change their abilities.
The cat-and-mouse game of Evolve between the Hunters and Monster is arguably the most unique part of the game. Still, a mode that removes that chase should still be appealing to the player base. Simple as they are, deathmatches are always popular in shooters. Also, there's always a demand for modes with shorter-than-average durations that gamers can fit into stolen moments.
Turtle Rock also said in today's announcement that Arena Mode will be "awesome to play – or watch" That makes me suspect the mode was crafted with eSports in mind. The company's made several moves on that front. A previous free update to the game introduced Observer mode, which allows players to watch others' matches from within the game or livestream them to a wider audience. They're also planning a $100,000 tournament for June.
