EVA – The End of the World As We Know It?

It started (as these things so often do) with a cryptic website: in this case, a MySpace belonging to a mysterious entity calling itself EVA and bearing a disturbing message:

I have returned. Awaken[sic] by disturbance. The sickness of humanity. You have grown undeserving. The preciouse[sic] life you take for granted. a test. To prove your worthiness. to prove your will to live. Ensure your safety. The prophecy. When it is to be. none will be safe. to stop it. Take the challenge

The “challenge” appears to be a seven-round test, with each round based on a different world mythology. The author of the test, Ovdasupal, is challenging us to save Janna, whom he claims is his songstress and soon to be the mother of his child. Ovdasupal is being helped by the Scions of Punishment, who in turn have enlisted the Deceiver, Jonathan, to help them translate certain texts that would help their cause. Working against the Scions and Ovdasupal is EVA. EVA claims he is helping humanity as the Scions wish to bring a punishing purification to the human race. Although EVA also wants to purify humanity, he claims to offer a kinder, gentler purification, and may even give humanity to live if we can prove ourselves.

What would appear to be a classic struggle for power has been turned around with the murder of The Deceiver’s son by the Scions. Jonathan has now pledged to help bring down the Scions and, to prove his point, he has given players information allowing them to hack into the Scion’s MySpace site. It remains to be seen if Jonathan will ally himself with EVA, or if EVA will allow it, but as “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” they would probably do well to trust each other until the Scions are brought down.

This game has been utilizing numerous mythologies and unsolved mysterious throughout the game. So far, players have had to learn about Hopi, Finnish, Inca, Norse, Welsh and Egyptian mythologies. They have also researched the famously undeciphered Voynich Manuscript and the Zodiac Killer. As to how these things all tie together, only time will tell. But as players are only on Round Two of Ovdasupal, there are plenty of opportunities for players to discover all the connections. There is also plenty of time for new players to hop on board and help figure out what’s going on!

Thanks to Jessica Price for her contributions to this article.

** A bit of an editorial warning here — there are some words used in the game that may be offensive to some. Player discretion is advised.