Darwinia+ review

CommentFebruary 12th, 2010 16:07

TGL’s Joseph Murphy delves into a world where talking about a virus makes you cool

Darwinia is a strange game. An amalgamation of polygons, abstract sounds, little green men and strategy gameplay. On the “box” it would sound like some sort of mutant game gone rogue but upon closer inspection, the game falls nothing short of genius.

Introversion launched the cult classic game back in 2005. Since then, there has been a huge following, respect and interest in what could be perceived as a “simple” idea. What’s surprising about the game is that it may seem simple, but it cleverly hides all the intelligent gameplay under a bonnet of exposed polygons and a slightly 80′s sci-fi narration. The whole concept of the game is that you are in a world where a computer virus has run riot. Your job is to help clean up this world restore peace and tranquility to the Darwinians. The Darwinians are the little green guys you will see walking around the map (even sometimes hopping up and down with happiness). The virus is visually represented by anything red and can come in all shapes and forms – spiders, ants and more. I can’t stress how well this works as you immediately associate green with friendly and red with danger.

The graphics will be hated by some, let’s face it. But personally I fell in love with them. Having worked on games and in games development in the past, I have become accustomed to that “3-d world” look. The exposed polygons, the sharp edges, it all brings back memories for me. Aesthetically, It couldn’t be anymore refined. With the shapes and designs oozing soul, effort and work. A quote from Introversion about Darwinia+ is “A game made with soul”. That couldn’t be any more noticeable and true. This is a game made with the love for gaming entrenched deep within it: that spills out of your HD TV and into your lap. With virtually no loading, the gameplay never stops until you want it to.

The gamplay is essentially a mix of RTS gameplay and shooters like Robotron X. You can control the movement of “squads” by using the analogs. Squads are basically the muscle that helps you to eliminate the virus and protect the Darwinians (who can be defenseless- but more on this later). You move them with the left analog and by moving the right analog, you shoot in that direction. Very easy to move, very easy to manipulate them into play. You can also designate a path for them to follow. So, if your attention is drawn to something else, you can direct them by pressing “Y” to enter order mode, then choose and area for them to head towards. This works great but it can sometimes let you down as the characters find themselves getting stuck half-way up a hill or something similar. After dealing with the business that distracted you, you become frustrated as you scroll back to them only to find they haven’t made much progress towards that faithful destination. This is only a minor issue though but an issue nonetheless.

You can cleverly direct the Darwinians (who are born from incubated souls of the dead virus) by means of an Officer. So by shooting the virus with your squad, issuing a command to the engineers to collect the remnants of the virus (their souls), you can then go on to incubate what was once a threat, and create something that is positive, something friendly: a Darwinian. The Darwinian officer is in effect a pointer that directs the Darwinians to a place. As they stand, you cannot direct the Darwinians, instead you nominate a Darwinian (any will do) with the “X” button, then by clicking where you want them to go they will follow like sheep. This works tremendously well as you grow fond of protecting the Darwinians, getting them safely to areas and suddenly becoming god of their world. This can then be upgraded and expanded into orders like follow, which allows you to nominate a Darwinian to become an officer. After choosing the area you want him to bring people to, he will march with his comrades in suit.

There is a detailed upgrading system in place within the game. Like XP earned in other games, you can upgrade your commands, weapons, how many people you can have on the screen amongst other items. This is a great function within the game as you can customise your play towards more physical numbers, more towards weapons or you can even go as far as upgrading the defenseless Darwinians into small little laser carrying soldiers. The upgrading system implores you to find more of the wicked virus, eliminate it and enjoy more upgrades. There is also a bunch a research “cubes” that are scattered within the world. These open even more options like grenades and airstrikes. Yes, airstrikes!

After you play single player, the multiplayer option is there also. Multiplayer and multiplaying games for me are always good and this is no exception. Although it can be frantic (as with all RTS games), multiplayer Darwinia, or Multi-winia as it’s known is yet another reason to own this game. Solid, interesting and literally lag-free. The multiplayer runs well and is just an enjoyable as the single player option. “Survival of the flattest” as it’s named on the net pits you against the opposition is what can be frustrating but equally as funny as you launch ridiculously over the top rockets and attacks on your foe. Having played the single player I became way too attached to my Darwinians and by switching to Multiwinia meant a tear shed for every lost victim. Maybe that’s why I lost so many times? The game converts you from a passive player to a concerned one, wanting to salvage as many Darwinians as you can: something I have felt very rarely in RTS typed games.

Darwinia+ will set you back 1200 MS points but is worth every single point. Darwinia+ will not be loved by everyone, but Darwinia+ is a masterpiece in gaming and should be tried if not bought by anyone who can wrap their heads around such beautiful things. The attraction of Darwinia+ cannot be ignored, shouldn’t be underestimated and will never be “forgotten”. With so many big AA titles on the horizon, Darwinia+ will keep you entertained for months to come. It’s as interesting as it’s beautiful, a delight to play.

We have also launched our Darwinia+ competition, feel free to enter!

TGL SCORE 9/10