Get Even is a first-person action game that blends shooter elements with puzzle-solving and narrative exploration. Players step into the role of Cole Black, who awakens in an abandoned asylum with fragmented memories of a failed rescue attempt involving a teenage girl and a bomb. A mysterious figure named Red guides him through the facility, directing the use of specialized technology to delve into Black's own mind and reconstruct past events.
Gameplay
The core loop revolves around alternating between exploration in the asylum and entry into reconstructed memories that serve as playable sequences. In the asylum, players navigate dimly lit corridors, interact with other residents, and gather clues. These clues feed into memory segments where Black relives key moments from his past, often involving tense navigation through hostile environments.
A smartphone serves as the central tool across both settings. Its apps include a scanner for analyzing objects and evidence, a map for navigation and enemy tracking, thermal vision to detect heat signatures, a UV light to reveal traces like fingerprints or blood, and messaging functions for communications. Players collect notes, photographs, and audio recordings throughout the levels. These items populate an evidence room accessible between segments, and full collection in a memory unlocks additional access codes for doors.
Combat appears in the memory sequences but receives explicit discouragement within the story, as aggressive actions risk destabilizing the reconstructed events. Stealth approaches, including close-quarters takedowns, prove more stable. The arsenal features pistols, assault rifles, and shotguns, with one standout weapon being the CornerGun. This device allows the barrel to bend at a 90-degree angle, enabling players to aim and fire around corners or from cover while viewing the feed through the smartphone screen. Later sequences shift control to the character Red, who relies on assimilation mechanics to take over enemies and acquire their weapons rather than using the phone or CornerGun.
Puzzles integrate directly with the phone's functions, such as tracing electrical wiring via thermal imaging to locate fuse boxes or using UV light to uncover hidden codes. Player choices between stealth and direct confrontation, along with other decisions during exploration, influence the story's conclusion and multiple possible endings.
Game Modes
Get Even operates entirely as a single-player experience focused on its linear yet branching narrative campaign. There are no separate multiplayer modes or co-op options. The structure consists of asylum exploration interspersed with memory reconstruction sequences that advance the plot. These sequences function as the primary levels, each tied to specific events in Black's history and requiring a mix of investigation, light combat or avoidance, and puzzle resolution to progress.
Difficulty settings adjust enemy behavior and combat challenge, with one mode emphasizing gentler encounters and another increasing tension through more aggressive opposition. Replay value stems from pursuing full evidence collection, experimenting with different approaches to encounters, and unlocking alternate endings based on prior choices. The campaign typically requires around ten hours for a focused playthrough that prioritizes story progression.
Story and Atmosphere
The narrative centers on Black's quest to answer fundamental questions about his involvement in the bombing incident and the identity of the girl involved. Red's directives push the investigation deeper into fractured memories, revealing layers of corporate intrigue, personal trauma, and shifting realities. Voice acting and sound design heighten the psychological tension, with environmental audio and score underscoring the disorienting nature of memory reconstruction.
Environments range from the decaying asylum to varied memory settings that include warehouses and other locations tied to the unfolding events. The game encourages careful observation of details, as small environmental interactions and collected evidence contribute to a fuller understanding of the plot without requiring exhaustive searching for completion.
Is It Worth Playing?
Get Even suits players who prioritize narrative depth and inventive mechanics over polished action sequences. Its strengths lie in the integration of puzzle elements with the phone system, the distinctive CornerGun gameplay, and a story that rewards attention to choices and evidence. The single-player campaign delivers a self-contained experience with multiple endings that encourage at least one replay for those interested in different outcomes.
Reception highlights the atmospheric presentation and thought-provoking conclusion while noting that shooting segments feel less refined compared to dedicated shooters. On Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles, the game runs as a complete title without ongoing seasonal content or updates. Those drawn to psychological thrillers with exploration and light stealth elements will find the most value, particularly if they appreciate games that blend investigation with occasional action rather than constant combat.
