EvolveLabOnline

This game is like it was made for me. It's both relaxing and let's you play at your own pace but also incredibly deep and engaging.
I love games like Magic the Gathering, Path of Exile, Slay the Spire, etc. Games that leave you endless room for creativity and where the learning curve never stops. Evolve Lab offers exactly this.
You can play casually, while watching a stream or listening to a podcast but you can also lock in and try hard.
The game offers an addicting game loop that always leaves you with the "just one more run" feeling. But above all, it offers endless room for exploration and strategic depth. Just like with my other favorite games, you truly never stop learning and encountering new things. There's a never ending learning curve that also never feels frustrating.
It starts you out slow on a planet with limited options and at first it might seem a little RNG heavy. But by the time you reach the later planets, every decision matters. Everything has a counter. When things start to click and you consistently start diving deep it feels so good. And just when you think you figured it out, you encounter some new build made by someone else that does something you never thought of before.
If it isn't clear by now, I love this game. I highly recommend it. If you watch the trailer and you feel like this might be interesting, try it! I can't wait to face your creations!

A strategic autobattler game. Its like rock paper scissors in a aquarium. You get 3 lives to win and then you can restart.
Understanding which are the best combos will take some experimentation. There is some RNG aspect to it because you may get an opponent that is more defensive or has an aggressive strategy and shop choices are random. Your actions are done in a certain order and you can increase a certain stat with modifiers such as speed or damage. Each turn you can add an action, increase a stat, or add a modifier. After winning, you earn shop re rolls.
Getting research points is fairly simple and you get them by reaching certain depths by beating opponents. Research points are used to unlock better creatures.
Pros:
- Short rounds with speed up option. You can finish a run within 15-20 minutes, so can be played during a lunch break.
- Unlocking new planets and fish is fair and not grindy via research points. Planets give access to new abilities and fish.
- Each player has access to the same fish/resources. There is no pay to win aspect to this game and all planets/fish can be unlocked by playing.
- The silliness and flexibility is what makes the game fun. You can choose your opponent difficulty so you can be more competitive (dangerous/elite) or play casually (average).
Cons:
- Fights at a lower depths feel like there is little counterplay. If your build is weak against the enemy, you lose. For example, If enemy uses projectile attacks, you are probably losing if you build involves going close to your enemy (strength).
- Some core abilities are too weak and some too strong. You get multiple choices, but you will choose cores that help your stronger creature so you can win at the lower depths. Getting weaker or average core choices will limit how many fights you can win.
Suggestions:
- Add more interesting sound effects during battle.
- Add a aquarium collection on the side for players that like collecting things. For example, if you reach max depth with a certain fish, you get coral or some other object.
- Save the speed up option for future fights. I need to change to 2x speed after each new fight because it defaults back to normal speed.
- With the theme of evolving, for the offline version, it would be more interesting if you can save a trait or ability to a future fish. This would differentiate this mode from the online version and allow for more wacky builds.
Conclusion: A fun autobattler game with aquatic animals. Unlocking new animals and planets is fairly quick and I unlocked 2 new planets within 2 hours. Each run will be different since there is a large variety of builds and modifiers. The PVP aspect of the game is great because you face real creations and not AI ones. If you enjoyed games like TFT or Super Auto Pets or are new to the genre, try this game out.
Follow IndieGems for more reviews like this one.

This is a really fun auto battler. It's easy to learn but has a lot of depth. It has that addicting roguelike quality, where you want to jump into another round right away after finishing the current one. I've played it a lot in beta and am excited to try out all the new features in early access!
Give it a try for sure :)

I can fully recommend this game to anyone who enjoys async auto battlers.
Short disclaimer, I only played 2 out of the 4 planets so far since I can still learn a lot from them.
Its real fun to figure out good combinations and where the meta goes, since you can bring more creatures in one run you can have specialized builds fitting best for the upcoming fight. Since the first planets have a more limiting creature/item/passive pool the meta is vastly different from planet to planet.
Even the balance is awesome considering its in EA, runs very smooth and currently didn't discover any bugs.
Since the replay ability is very high even with small changes I have very high hopes for this title. Thus far I had as much fun as I had with the bazzar or tft.

Balanced and simple, the game-play loop is scary addictive.

Bought it at Early Access release and played a few rounds so far. First thought it's not that deep (no pun intended) but you can actually unlock a lof of new stuff. New creatures and planets, each with their own skills and challenges.
Was pleasantly surprised.

In a genre defined by randomness, Evolve Lab stands out with its unique asynchronous multiplayer. Rather than fighting generic AI, you face creatures designed and defeated by other players, creating an ever-changing and unpredictable challenge.

The game's core loop involves designing and programming your own sea creature using a "state machine" system. You decide how your creature will behave in battle by selecting actions, modifiers, and special abilities. As a long-time tester, I've had the pleasure of watching the game evolve over time, and this deep customization is truly the heart of the game, rewarding players who enjoy strategic thinking and build optimization.

The current content offers a massive amount of replayability. The community-driven enemy roster ensures that no two runs are ever the same. If you're a fan of roguelikes and auto-battlers looking for a fresh twist, Evolve Lab is an excellent choice.