46 Okunen Monogatari: The Shinkaron



46 Okunen Monogatari: The Shinka Ron (Japanese: 46億年物語 -THE 進化論, English: 4.6 Billion Year Story: The Evolution Theory), also known as E.V.O.: The Theory of Evolution is a PC-98 roleplaying video game released in 1990. It features the evolution of life on Earth from early jawless fish to humanity, along with an entwined science fiction storyline featuring alien civilizations on the Moon, Venus, Mars, and a fictional fifth rocky planet of the solar system that later became the asteroid belt. This game served as the inspiration for another game by the same company two years later on the SNES, E.V.O.: Search for Eden, featuring a less detailed science fiction storyline and mechanics altered to fit the platformer genre.

Plot
The opening crawl depicts the big bang, formation of the Milky Way galaxy, and the solar system (which is mentioned as having 11 planets). The time then jumps to 4.6 billion years ago on Earth, depicting its formation and cooling. The prologue describes the formation of Earth's oxygen and the protagonist;s evolution from protoplasm through a single celled prokaryote, eukaryote, then a multicellular organism (initially resembling a sessile organism similar to a tunicate, then a free swimming proto-vertebrate resembling a lancelet), then finally a Thelodus.

Chapter one opens with the protagonist awakening among a group of four fellow Thelodus. They are initially joyful and the seas are peaceful, with other organisms greeting the player, including a jellyfish, coral, sea urch, a Hediste polychaete and a Eurypterid. However, a green light appears, and the creatures begin acting differently. The elder Thelodus blames it on the arrival of the protagonist, but a young girl Thelodus intervenes and proves that it was exposure to the green light which caused the change. Nevertheless, the protagonist is banished from the realm of the Thelodus. The girl seas the protagonist off, and tells she sense a great power in him, asking him to one day return. However, soon after the protagonist leaves, narration informs the player that the sea the Thelodus lived in was soon washed away by rapids, but that the protagonist never learned of this. The protagonist battles jellyfish and Thelodus before meeting the same group of Thelodus the protagonist met on awakening. They tell the protagonist about a mysterious power in the eastern ocean, at crushing depths.

The protagonist travels to the bottom of the eastern sea, evolving along the way. There he meets Gaia, a glowing woman who says that she met the protagonist 3 billion years ago and that they have a shared destiny, but that she cannot tell it, and that they will meet again on the shore in 200 million years. On reaching the surface of the water, a meteor crashes into the ocean, causing a tsunami which washes the protagonist away. Millions of years later, the protagonist awakens on a changed ocean floor inhabited by trilobites, nautiloids and stromatolites. These and a group of Eusthenopteron admire a glowing light, said to aid Gaia's chosen. The protagonist enters the light. If the protagonist is a Eusthenopteron, Gaia helps the player evolve into an Ichthyostega, otherwise she tells the protagonist it is too early to evolve. After evolving, the protagonist moves onto land and is welcome to Pangaea by a large tree fern called Prunus spinulosa.

Chapter two starts the protagonist at an Ichthyostega village, where the residents remark that some strange power has given the Eusthenopteron the power to swim on land, and that several Ichthyostega have disappeared searching for the "Flower of Evolution". After the village is destroyed by a swarm of Protophasma and the protagonist bests a carnivorous flower masquerading as the Flower of Evolution, the protagonist encounters a desert, and its edge finds the Flower of Evolution (noted as being the image of a plant that would not exist for hundreds of millions of years, inspiring the plants. Gaia asks the protagonist to save the forest from a "strange mountain" in the desert. The protagonist travels to a mountain where a group of Anubisaurus (a fictional species of dinosaur) tell the protagonist both of the Gold planet (Venus) fought the Red planet (Mars) to save Earth, and of a massive rock blocking a waterfall. The protagonist pushes the rock, creating a vast waterfall and a river through the desert. Deep in the desert, the protagonist finds a ziggurat structure (represented on the overworld by the "face" on Mars). The protagonist finds atop the ziggurat a fossilized Martian, and a recorded message containing an argument in which someone tells the Martian that Lucifer is deceiving the Martians, and begs them to shut down their machine. The protagonist looks upon the "strange mountain" which emits a glow that causes feelings of faintness and nausea (presumably caused by radiation). The protagonists interaction with the control panel shuts down the device, ending the threat of desertification. Gaia evolves the player into an early reptile and sends the protagonist forward in time.

Chapter three opens with Gaia telling the protagonist she must prepare for the future, and that she is worried about something, but that she will meet the protagonist tens of millions of years later to the east (Pangaea has split in two). After climbing a mountain, the player discovers black orb that has crashed into the mountain, and a reptilian being being accosted by reptiles. After driving them off, the being claims to be a Lunarian, and thanks the protagonist for the intervention. The Lunarian claims to be on a reconnaissance mission from Lady Lucifer, since the Martians and Venusians have been destroyed, and only the Lunarians can protect the solar system. A rumoured "Fountain of Evolution" proves to be transforming those who journey to into strange creatures (slimes similar to those in Dragon Quest), rather than evolving them. After the visiting the fountain, the protagonist is taunted by a voice from deep within the Earth. After encountering some animals who have heard a mysterious voice foretelling their doom, Gaia contacts the protagonist to tell them it is the voice of the Devil, or Lucifer, who destroyed the Venusians through environmental destruction and the Martians through nuclear war, and plans to finish off the Lunarians and life on Earth, and that Lucifer was responsible for the green light 200 million years ago. The protagonist travels to Gaia's shrine and is evolved, and Gaia warns the protagonist that Nemesis is coming to wipe out life on Earth. Nemesis is a gigantic celestial body that blocks out the sun, killing all life in the northern hemisphere. Gaia saves some in a cave in the southern, and after Nemesis disappears they evolve very successfully.

Chapter four covers the era of dinosaurs. The protagonist is told of a creature that fell from the stars and lives in a cave. Traveling there, the protagonist encounters a Lunarian golem in a mausoleum, which recognizes the protagonist due to a gift given earlier by the Lunarian. The protagonist interacts with a lunarian device which tells of how Lucifer came to the Moon and developed their civilization, but ultimately destroyed them, scattering the Lunarians across space. It seems to be a signal to other Lunarians that Earth is safe. A dying old Pterandon warns of a coming disaster. The protagonist hears rumours of a terrifying dinosaur called the Lucifer-Tyranno. The Lucifer-Tyranno proves to be a horned and winged Tyrannosaurus, but with an agreeable disposition, who regrets taking Lucifer's offer of power. He befriends the protagonist instead of killing them. Soon after, the player encounters a massive sauropod called Lucifersaurus, who refuses to let the protagonist cross the ocean. Enlisting the Lucifer-Tyranno's aid, they battle each other to the death. Lucifer suddenly appears and offers the protagonist the chance to join forces. Turning her down, the protagonist continues forward. Gaia cries that King of Terror is coming. Herding some animals into Gaia's western shrine, the "King of Terror" strikes the Earth, proving to be a series of giant meteors. Lucifer laughs in triumph, believing that life on Earth has been destroyed. The meteors kill millions of animals, and the dust clouds cause an ice age to occur, killing many of the survivors. Life continues and adapts, however.

In chapter five, the protagonist may evolve down two different paths, one taking the protagonist along the a mammalian path, another along a dinosaurian path, both of which end with the protagonist evolving into Homo sapiens. After aiding a group of herbivorous primates against a group of carnivorous primates by acquiring fire, the protagonist learns to use tools. Traveling to Eurasia, the protagonist travels through a cave system name Shambhala to two fictional continents, Atlantis and Mu. These continents are inhabited by Lunarians who came to Earth after receiving the signal the protagonist activated in chapter four. The Lunarians have split into two nations, with the a war-like nation worshipping a god "Lucifel" on Atlantis, and a peaceful but weak nation residing on Mu. The Mu recognize that Lucifel is Lucifer, who previously led the Lunarians astray. The Atlanteans launch an attack on Mu, who in turn activate a weapon that sinks both their continents. The protagonist travels to a stone henge in Africa, and acquires a tablet with the power of four elements (Ocean, Earth, Air and Love). Lucifer sees this, and confronts the protagonist, showing her true hideous form. The protagonist battles Lucifer with the tablet, seemingly killing her. The protagonist meets a Homo sapiens woman in "Eden", who possesses a matching tablet. Humanity begins.

In chapter sixe, humanity has grown into a civilization of great spiritual power after 60 000 years, with the protagonist as the spiritual leader of humanity. With Lucifer approaching again, the protagonist heads to a plateau in Africa to confront Lucifer. The sages of each continent attempt to aid the protagonist in combating Lucifer, but she easily defeats the protagonist. The protagonist's body is destroyed, but Gaia contacts the protagonist spiritual form. Lucifer emerges from the moon, destroying it. Gaia grants the protagonist the power of every being that ever lived on Earth, while Lucifer fights with the power of the planets she has destroyed and consumed. The protagonist defeats Lucifer forever.

In the epilogue, the protagonist's consciousness merges with Gaia and they telepathically contact every being on Earth, telling them that physical evolution has ended and spiritual evolution will begin. The Earth begins to glow, then disappears.

Characters

 * The protagonist, given no name or sex, repeatedly travels across the Earth over billion years, changing form and evolving, acting as the champion of Gaia.
 * Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, Gaia aids the protagonist and attempts to prevent Lucifer from destroying all life. Takes the form of a green haired young woman wearing a flowing robe.
 * The Creator, an unnamed god who created the planets.
 * Lucifer, a being who claims to be a god. She seduces planetary civilizations with the promise of power, destroys them, then consumes all life on them. She takes the form of a naked blonde woman, with seven feathery wings. Her true form is that of a purple, half-rotted corpse. In the epilogue, she takes the form of a gigantic demon with insectoid limbs and wings.