First released on
Nintendo Switch on August 19, 2020,
Evergate is a puzzle platformer indie game developed by Stone Lantern Games. Taking on the role of a spirit named Ki, the player must use the guidance of two spirits and a weapon called the Soulflame to navigate through the afterlife and back to worlds Ki visited during previous lifes to find out her connection to those worlds.
Evergate features these tropes:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The final life explored is set in 2071, about 51 years after the release of this game. It's mainly portrayed as a Cyberpunk-like society, with technological advancements apparently including police drones and better cybernetic limbs.
- Addled Addict: The 2071 version of Ki's brother is seen popping pills, shabby in appearance, and targeted by the police, and the situation is desperate enough that Ki tries to get medical help for him.
- Afterlife Antechamber: The game begins in the afterlife and it also becomes the Hub World to navigate to different living worlds.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: Whilst you normally play as Ki for the entire game, one section sees you play as her brother as he is attempting to extract her memories.
- Big Brother Instinct: Especially so during the Once More, with Clarity version of events.
- The England levels end with Ki managing to rescue her brother by calling for aid in the middle of a bomb raid, although Ki's brother remembers it as Ki leaving him to die.
- The levels set in 2071 show Ki trying to help her brother by getting him treatment for his drug addictions.
- Broken Glass Penalty: The England part of the game features Ki and her brother accidentally throwing a football into the window and being promptly chased by Military Police. It’s the fact that Ki left her brother behind to face them that forms part of his resentment towards her.
- Creepy Crows: The nightmares are crow-like enemies which try to attack the main spirit in the levels set in China. Her exploration through the first life also shows Ki's brother coming to the aid of Ki when she is attacked by crows. Finally, the levels set during 2071 are interrupted by a brief boss fight with a giant, three-eyed crow.
- Cyberpunk: The world of 2071 is a grungy society with high-tech police and cybernetic limbs. Notably, this is the life where Ki's brother is at his most depressed and resentful before he takes his anger out on the afterlife.
- Cyborg: Ki's brother sports a cybernetic leg in the world of 2071.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: All that dying does in this game is reset the level that Ki is on.
- Death of a Child: An implied case with the 1942 version of the male spirit, who on top of apparently being still of school age, is last seen at the mercy of debris whilst Ki wanders off still looking for him. Thankfully, when we see it again in the final level, it is shown that Ki managed to save him in time.
- Fairy Companion: The two spirits have to guide Ki through the afterlife world.
- Ghost Memory: Ki is tasked with going through books of memories before being reincarnated. However, it is noted that these are not their memories.
- Good Colours, Evil Colours: Whilst Ki has a white coloration, representing her status as the hero, her brother has more of an ominous purple color, showing how he has been corrupted. Notably, once Ki manages to get through to her brother, he gains the same coloration as her.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Upon his Heel–Face Turn, Ki's brother intends to give himself up to the Storm to stop it and asks Ki to get out whilst she still can. Luckily, Ki is having none of it.
- Heroic Suicide: After he realizes the consequences of his actions, Ki's brother feels that the afterlife would be better off without him and intends to be consumed by the Storm, which would save the afterlife. Thankfully, Ki convinces him to stop.
- Hub World: Ki has to navigate through the afterlife to access the different living world levels.
- Once More, with Clarity: When Ki''s brother goes through Ki's memories, several past events are shown in a different light. For instance, the final WWII memories, which showed Ki seemingly leaving her brother to die by debris, are recontextualized as her trying to save him, and we see that she was successful in her endeavor.
- Reincarnation: This game interprets the afterlife as ending with reincarnation through the Evergate. However, Ki is tasked with going through the past lives of their brother, who is responsible for the Storm ravaging the afterlife, before they can reincarnate themselves.
- Reincarnation Friendship: Kindred Spirits have the unique attribute of always living together as brother and sister in each of their many lives, which is shown as the fact that Ki and the male spirit are always siblings in each life. In fact, the goal of Ki's brother is to sever this bond.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: The Alaska levels take place in a frozen land, complete with icicles and random killer ice storms.
