Reviewed by Eva Cekanska
I think perhaps the most endearing feature of Darwinia is the fact that it came out the same year as the Xbox 360. This is supposed to be the beginning of the High Definition generation, the new digital age is upon us. Things will get bigger, they will get louder and they will by necessity get better. Right? Right?! The developers of Darwinia seem to have a different take on what ‘better’ might mean.
To discuss Darwinia’s ‘graphics’ seems almost foolish. The game boasts no bump-mapping, no detailed textures to be put through our graphic card’s anisotropic filters, and plenty of jaggies. Darwinia is as close to ‘old school’ as it’s going to get in this day and age, and surprisingly enough, it’s a good thing. The game’s graphic engine consists of sprites and basic maps meant to reflect the inside of a computer program. The game does this adequately and anyone running any kind of computer should really be able to play this game without any problems. The menus are equally simple, and the game has no intro to speak of. The moment you double click the little Darwinian icon you are blasted into the midst of things.
The actual gameplay aspect of Darwinia centres around a civilization of little green stick figures called not surprisingly Darwinians. It so turns out that in the midst of creating a new computer program, the game’s narrator, Dr. Sepulveda ended up creating a whole new sentient species. The problem is that a virus has spread to the theme park and is destroying it from the inside. You, as the player, are tasked with the difficult role of being Darwinia’s savior. To accomplish this you will have to call on the help of ‘programs’.
Darwinia’s gameplay mechanics are relatively simple. It’s essentially an RTS, in order to call up these said programs you will have to draw corresponding symbols with the mouse. They are simple signs and should not be a problem for anybody able to keep their hand from shaking uncontrollably. The programs themselves range from your builders – the ‘engineers’ – through ‘squads’ which you can use to destroy the virus. The Darwinians themselves can also be equipped with weapons which helps things out enormously further down the line. You can also upgrade your programs by asking Dr. Sepulveda to do so.
The viruses are equally varied. They range from little worms that hug the ground and crawl around aimlessly to disgusting flying orbs that descend and attack at will. In order to recover buildings, expand your territory and rescue the Darwinians, you will need to deploy and manage your programs wisely. In order to create more of a challenge for the players, the developers chose to allow the player to only run a certain amount of programs at a time, so it becomes imperative that as the game progresses the player learns to deactivate unnecessary programs and manage active ones wisely. This is rarely a problem as the game’s mechanics are very simple, and no cluttered menus are ever necessary. Basically, anything you need to get done can be accomplished with a click of the mouse. Just point and send your units to an area, the engineers will know what to do on their own, and the squads need only to fire their weapons at the enemy (with your control).
Because the game is so simple, Darwinia suffers from very few problems. The camera is fully controllable, and the zoom function is even more impressive than Black & White 2 (although considering the immense graphic punch the latter packs, Darwinia fades in comparison at least a bit). The controls are simple and straightforward, so much so that perhaps even your parents could pick this game up and understand it within minutes. Gameplay can also seem as simplistic as it seems intuitive at times. At the same time, those strengths can work against Darwinia just as easily. The game is plain, graphically speaking. While this may appeal to some, others will be turned off by the game’s lack of visual prowess in comparison to titles such as the aforementioned Black & White 2 or Civilization 4.
This is not a game for everyone, but I strongly believe that those able to see past the lack of eye candy will find it a worthy experience for any real gamer.