2nd EVE (Early Access) Review

By Justin D Williams

2nd EVE launched into Early Access on April 14th, 2026, developed and published by a small self-funded indie studio, Gamer Cloud. Priced at $14.99 on Steam and Epic Games Store. This is a narrative-driven sci-fi action RPG presented as a 2.5D side-scroller with heavy souls-like and tactical combat influences, set aboard the doomed colony ship Argos. The early access has the first three chapters playable at the moment, roughly the opening arc, with a full ten-chapter game to be released in about twelve months.

The game has Earth is doomed after the Moon is shattered and sent on a collision course. Three colony ships head for Proxima B, carrying the very last survivors in cryosleep. Players will play as Sister Superior Zola, a nun, psychiatrist, and high-ranking officer whose job was to keep the colonists mentally stable during the long voyage. I won't dive deeper into the story. I will say that your goal is to fight through various corridors, save whomever you can, and make some moral choices. The choices shape the outcomes, logs that reveal the hyperspace disaster and Zola's conflict between her faith, science, and survival. The story, unfortunately, is delivered through quick cutscenes, and the use of A.I. voice acting really hurts the emotional punch the story is trying to tell. The story is not a total miss, but in this early access stage, there is needs for improvement on how it is presented.

In terms of the gameplay, 2nd Eve is more tactical than a hack-and-slash. You wield Zola's staff for melee combat and have various abilities that require a cooldown after use. Attacks require positioning, timing your dash and counters, and ability usage matter a lot. The game thankfully doesn't offer a class system; instead follows the route of skill progression via upgrades. However, that is all good in concept. The combat feels janky and slow, and the hit animation on enemies feels off and undercooked. Yes, I know this is early access, but this game needs a bit more development. The enemies can also become predictable once you figure out that you can dash behind them and just hit them. It becomes super easy, and it's a tactic I think players will abuse. The boss battles also don't offer much to be desired. They feel like the regular enemies we have encountered, but only spiced up a bit.

This doesn't mean the game is terrible! In fact, I enjoy the concept, the world that is presented, but it needs a lot of work in terms of voice acting, animation, and gameplay. If you like sci-fi with a tactical side-scrolling combat that has progression and upgrades, and can accept this is early access, give it a look. However, if you need something fluid, high-style combat, a story fully realized, then you need to wait till it's out of the oven. Right 2nd EVE is good in concept, but needs a lot in execution. The price is low enough to take the risk, but at the moment I would give it a wait.

RATING