Earnest Evans is a 1991 action

Action game

Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...

 platform game

Platform game

A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...

 which was released in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 for the Sega Mega CD, and in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 for the Sega Genesis. The game was developed by Wolf Team, and was published in the US by Renovation

Renovation

Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...

. Like with Sol-Feace

Sol-Feace

is a shoot 'em up developed by Wolf Team. It was first released for the Sharp X68000 in Japan in 1990, and was later ported in to the Sega Mega-CD in 1991, with rearranged Redbook music. This version was available as a pack-in with the Sega CD when it was first released in North America. In Europe...

, the Mega CD release has a CD soundtrack along with animated cut-scenes. It is the first in a trilogy

Trilogy

A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...

 of games which include El Viento

El Viento

is a 2D platform video game released by Wolf Team and published by Renovation Products for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis game console in 1991. It is the second in a trilogy of games, which include Earnest Evans and Anetto Futatabi....

 and Anetto Futatabi

Anetto Futatabi

Annet Futatabi , is a 1993 side scrolling, beat-em-up video game released by Wolf Team, only in Japan for the Sega Mega CD game console. It is the final in a trilogy of games, which include Earnest Evans, and El Viento...

.

Story

In the 1930s, a man known as Earnest Evans had learned of three ancient idols which hold enough power to destroy the Earth. Evans had decided to search the world to find the scattered idols, but was injured before he could find all three. Now, many years later, his grandson, Earnest Evans III, continues his grandfather's quest to save humanity from total annihilation. However, a rival treasure hunter named Brady Tresidder also seeks the idols to bring the world's destruction. Evans must find the treasures before Tresidder does. During his journey, Evans stumbles upon the beautiful young green-haired girl Annet Myer lying in some ruins in Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 who decides to accompany him for the rest of his adventures. The two encounter a mysterious figure by the name of Sigfried, who has unknown motives, but seems to know a lot about Hastur

Hastur

Hastur is a fictional entity of the Cthulhu Mythos. Hastur first appeared in Ambrose Bierce's short story "Haïta the Shepherd" as a benign god of shepherds. Robert W...

 and his cult

Cult

The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...

.

Gameplay

As a 2D

2D computer graphics

2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...

 side scrolling game in which the hero uses a whip

Whip

A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...

, the gameplay and design is often compared to the Castlevania

Castlevania

Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...

 series. In addition to the whip, there are three other weapons to be found, however they are only used once in certain areas. The three additional weapons are exploding rocks, a morning star

Morning star (weapon)

The term morning star is used to describe medieval club-like weapons which included one or more spikes. Each used, to varying degrees, a combination of blunt-force and puncture attack to kill or wound the enemy.- Design :...

, and a hammer

Hammer

A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...

-like weapon. The adventure takes Earnest to destinations which include raiding tombs in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, moving trains, a forest, the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...

s, while attempting to save the world.

Reception

The game was largely criticized due to the main character's robot

Robot

A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

-like animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

. Programmers used a technique that animated each separate body part in an attempt to create smooth, lifelike movements, with apparently less-than-effective results.