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Fun, intuitive, and a joy to play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: June 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I came across the demo for this game via Valve's Steam program and downloaded it to see what it was all about. Based upon the strength of the demo I opted to go ahead and purchase the game. Initially one might be less than impressed with the graphics as they don't appear to be mindblowing in and of themselves, but here is where the single biggest miscalculation is to be made. The game is just a blast and is extremely addictive and well executed!

The plot involves a group of sentient computer beings known as "Darwinians", flat, 2-Dimensional beings who wander about various areas on their server in Lemmings-esque fashion. You, as the player, have stumbled into the Darwinians server as a hacker, and are immediately confronted by the Darwinians creator, a human doctor from the outside world, who appears to you in a small video-conference style box. It would appear that your arrival on the server coincides with the accidental release of a super-destructive computer virus which has wiped out large numbers of Darwinians, save for those in remote corners of the server. Given tasks by the doctor your job is to rally the Darwinians and defend them from the corrupting influences of the virus.

The player begins with meager defensive capabilities, namely a small squad of digitized soldiers who fire short-range lasers at viral units. However these units can be upgraded through frequent "version upgrades" so that there are more soldiers per squad, fire speed and distance is increased, and access is granted to new weapons like grenades and rockets. Specialized Engineer units (looking suspiciously like Recognizers from the movie "Tron") can also be built to help hack distant communications nodes and to gather spirits of slain viral units and Darwinians.

And here's where the underlying spiritual theme of "Darwinia" comes into play. Darwinians (as well as their viral counterparts) are supposed to be living creatures, and as such when they are killed they release a digital "soul" which floats on the landscape until either collected by an engineer (to be recycled as a new Darwinian) or to rise into the skies overhead and lost forever. Suffice it to say that harvesting souls with your Engineers becomes a requisite task since many tasks require lots of Darwinians to execute. The game is, under it's surface, a quasi-religious morality tale which incorporates a number of different theological ideas; good vs. evil, the concept of God, as well as reincarnation. It's strikingly unique in a genre which otherwise doesn't lend itself well to the ideas presented.

As your experience grows you'll have to tackle increasingly difficult missions, leapfrogging from area to area and cleaning out viral infestations, gathering souls for the manufacture of new Darwinians, and researching new version upgrades for your digital military units. The final mission is mindblowingly difficult but the game can be won. The game's graphics actually add to the experience and give it a truly stand-alone type of experience which is really without comparison. The contours of the terain, the grid lines, and the bright colors and simple sound effects may remind one of the Tron universe in many ways, which I don't feel is entirely without coincidence. This is combined with a half Lemmings/half standard RTS play format which feels almost unprecedented. And the whole thing is just a lot of fun.

No game is without some kind of flaw though, and this one is no exception. The game is lots of fun the first time one plays it, however I found that it had almost no replayability. One gains access to a map/mission builder after completing the game, and this helps some, but the bottom line is that this game appears to be a one-shot type of experience, which saddens me because it is a really fun game to play. The game is also notoriously short. I finished my copy in about 10-13 hours and a lot of people will be put off by this I suspect.

Still, it's a ton of fun to play and a sterling example that over-the-top graphics and blood and guts do not always make a top notch game. Would that other game developers took a hint from the makers of "Darwinia"!

Play this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: August 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you're on the fence about _Darwinia_, you think you might like it but haven't bought it yet, stop reading right now and buy the game. You'll love it. If you're looking for some light strategy and fun puzzles packaged together with beautiful (if unconventional) visuals and a great sound track (search the web for trash80), stop reading and go buy this game. You can thank me later.

For anyone who is still reading, I guess you need a little more convincing. I'll try, but there are so many great things about _Darwinia_ that it's hard to know where to start. Chances are, you've seen the screenshots, so you know it has a wonderful pseudo-retro look about it. The story is that the land of Darwinia was programmed on a massive network of 80s-era machines and that its inhabitants, the little green Darwinians developed their own artificial intelligence. The problem is, they weren't equipped to deal with the 21st-century viruses that somehow infected their world. They need someone to clear out the bugs and viruses and restore order. That's where you come in.

Technically, I guess you'd have to call Darwinia a Real-Time Strategy game. There are several units you'll build and control in your war against the viruses. There's also a limited tech tree you'll use to upgrade weapons and units. It's different from other RTSs, though, in that it's on a much smaller scale. You'll only have a few combat squads on the map at any one time and you'll only need a couple of engineer units to support them, so you don't have to worry about running a massive battle involving hundreds of units. What's more, the fact that you'll have to protect (and eventually employ) the "civilian" Darwinians gives the game a very different feel. You can't just think about fighting the battles, you'll also have to make sure you're keeping them safe.

In fact, it's this dynamic that gives the game its emotional impact. When a Darwinian dies, it leaves a soul behind. Your engineers can collect these souls and re-initialize them into living Darwinians. But if a bug or virus gets there first, they can turn the soul into another virus. If no one claims the soul, in a short time it will just float away. During or after a battle, it's not uncommon to see a cloud of these souls float up past the sky into the darkness.

There must be _something_ about this game that isn't perfect. If I had to criticize it, I'd say that it might be a bit short. There are ten levels, and most of them can be finished in about an hour on medium difficulty. Hopefully someday we'll see a sequel or an expansion. In the meantime, though, the game
includes mod tools and with a little searching you can find some user-generated maps on-line.

One last thing I have to mention is the development team. Introversion Software calls itself "the last of the bedroom programmers." The game was made by just a few people who work independent of any large company with a multi million dollar budget. And unlike a lot of those big companies, Introversion really seems to support their products. This game was patched quickly and frequently. And if you go to the game website, you'll find all sorts of support, including an "extras" section that details the game's production with plenty of art and design notes. (The manual is there in .pdf format if you want to take a look).

So if you're not convinced yet, maybe I should come right out and say it: _Darwinia_ is one great game. It's fun, it's light, and it's entertaining. It looks good, and it sounds good. It may not replace all the other games in your collection, but if you give it a try, you'll definitely remember it a few years from now when you've forgotten all about <--!insert name of generic shooter #751 here-->.

If you're not convinced yet, give the demo a try. Unlike most games, the latest demo gives you a level _not_ in the final game, making it a sort of bonus content even for those of us who've played the full version. There you go, another reason why Introversion is a great bunch of folks.

something new!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: July 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

you! yes, you! stop playing doom (read: every shooter) and try something new! no, not a generic hack'n'slash (im looking at you dynasty warriors), not even a semi-generic rpg (*cough* final fantasy *cough*). this game is just...different. it takes the great aspects of multiple games/genres. youve got your shooting, your unit building, your upgrading, your strategy, your tough gameplay. yep, this game has got it all. if you can stick through the tougher parts, this game is short. the only real negative part is that the story, although creative, is just a little too "out-there," if you know what i mean. other than that, hey, its twenty bucks for the game, a poster, and a keychain (which rocks!), so really, you dont have much too lose.

Interesting, but lacks depth

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Darwinia is a short game that only took me one weekend to finish. There is a nice charm to the game, especially if you remember "hacking" the types of computer games that were available on PCs in the late 80's to early 90's. Ultimately the game fails because it lacks depth of strategy. Basically in each world you plop down a "squad" of fighters and shoot all of the viruses until you create enough of a beach head to begin reproducing Darwinian citizens. You continue to hunt all of the viruses on the map with either your squad, Darwinians, or cannons until there are none left. That's about it. Your squads have infinite lives, so you have little motivation to not give them suicide missions. Just have them charge into the enemy, drop a bunch of bombs, then do it all over again with a new squad. The Darwinians are rock stupid since all they can do it walk in a straight line (they have no path-finding ability). Don't give them grenades or they will keep blowing themselves up. Once I learned the poor interface and figured out how to use officers to lead the Darwinians around, the game became very easy and somewhat monotonous.

Surprisingly entertaining.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

After trying out the demo, I bought the game on a chance that it was going to be good. I've heard from a few people that it was good and I've read good reviews, but the demo was discouraging because it didn't give you an idea of the story. Technically it did, but it wasn't made aware. It seemed like I completed the story, which was a weird thing to happen in a demo.

The story to the game is as follows: This scientist created a world with really good AI; green computer people that have digital souls. These are the Darwinians. They live in Darwinia. But virii have attacked them and now you have to kill them and replendish the Darwinian population. You help the Darwinians and the scientist with this task. This is pretty much it. Throughout the game, though, the scientist explains how the entire world of Darwinia works. He explains all about Darwinia and the Darwinians and how they are created, live, evolve and what happens when they die. It's interesting.

The game starts out slow paced and speeds up later. This is about the same time when you get to the red Darwinians, corrupt versions. They also start getting more creative with level design and you'll need to use more strategy to win. There are a few levels, though, that look really difficult, due to so many enemies, but are way too easy. Still, at times, the game has me asking, "What are they going to hit me with next?"

You may wonder what the scientist is doing while you're here doing all the killing. Throughout the game, he works on updating the programs (weapons and other tools) that you use in the game to help you. He either increases efficiency or adds new capabilities to them. And you get to choose what you want him to update. You won't have time throughout the game to update all of them so, choose well.

Other than a few questionable level designs, the game lacks polish elsewhere. In some of the last few levels, having the sound quality turned all the way up induces crashes in later levels. There is no patch available yet, so tuning it down is the only option. You still get a lot of slow downs and pauses. It's annoying, but never got me killed.

The game's strongest point is its display of personality. Every time you start the game, a different introduction shows. It cycles through a hand full of them. The game also does a good job of making you feel connected to the Darwinians by personifying them through the stories the scientist tells you. And the graphics close the deal; they are most unique and colorful.

Overall, the game stands as a simple strategy, providing hours of fun for even non-strategy gamers. The price also helps drown out the lack of polish.

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