Charles Robert Darwin proposed the theory that all species descended from common ancestors in a branching pattern of evolution. This idea is the basis for the real-time strategy game of Darwinia+ by Introversion Software. Darwinia was initially released for the PC in 2005 and was popularized as cult classic. The game has been improved upon visually, expanded with new content, and has now been ported over to the Xbox Live Arcade.
A vicious group of viruses called "virii" have taken over the once peaceful land of Darwinia. Players control a group of sprites called Darwinians in attempts to recapture bases and recoup their world. Players are tasked with the mission to reclaim their bases which are able to churn out more Darwinians and improve their armies' numbers. With more Darwinians, the fight to eliminate the virii becomes more feasible. When virii are destroyed, they drop resources called "souls" which the Darwinian engineers are able to scavenge and bring back to base and used them to build even more Darwinians or other military weapons and vehicles such as transports and grenades.
The game is broken up into stages where players must travel from one area to the next via a branching map to places such as the "mine," the "yard," and the "generator." Dr. Sepulveda is the programmer of this digital world and serves as a guide for players. He brief players at the start of every mission and provides updates through the game. Darwinia contains varied colorful environments from the deep crimson hues of the mines to the lush greens of forested areas. At the start of every stage, players begin with a meager set of troops and slowly capture bases while killing off the virii, collect souls, and build their Darwinians to tackle bigger and badder virii that are scattered throughout the stages. As the game progresses, players are introduced to more items and units to wreak havoc on the evil computer virii.
The developers of the title took a humorous approach to Darwinia+ and it shows. The game doesn't take itself seriously and surreal feeling of the worlds and Dr. Sepulveda's presence set the mood of the game. The Darwinians are a two dimensional green sprite that just glide around the surface of the world with no realistic movements. Still, it's awe inspiring to see a horde of Darwinians bunched up toward the end of a long bout. The game developers gave them much personality too. In between stages, the Darwinians will pop up with signs telling you how they're feeling with smiley faces or thumbs down depending on efficient you were in the last mission and you're decisions for the next mission. It made me chuckle.
Darwinia+ looks like a title that was produced in the 80's, but it was done like that on purpose. It harks back to the early days of video gaming and works well with the whole Darwin theory of evolution. The worlds surface is usually a shade of one color with three dimensional topography. There are plains, hills, and valley which affect battles and strategic placement of troops help to overcome odds. The world is drawn in grids to add to the purposely rudimentary feel of everything. The maps are surprisingly large and the actual design and layout of structures is intelligent and pretty.
The music is an eerie mix of 80's electric funk and techno which works well with the art styling of the rest of Darwinia+. Coupling with the old school styling, the sound effects of squad guns are the generic "pew-pew" of lasers and the digitized howls of dying virii which sound like a mix of babies crying and elephants trumpeting. There is an added multiplayer mode in this iteration of Darwinia and it is well done. Players who need to take a break from the campaign can hop into a skirmish with up to 7 other players to duke it out on any of the plethora of stages. The same game mechanics apply to the multiplayer mode, except players are now dealing with tactical and strategic humans. The gameplay is more competitive and challenging and makes it highly rewarding to know that you've beaten another person.
Darwinia+ is a bizarre game that infuses a retro 80's art style with military real-time strategy gameplay. Its creative world and gameplay is fun and intriguing. The story behind the world is interesting and the new multiplayer mode brings strong replayability to the game. If you're willing to invest yourself into a strange world with odd technological references and tongue in cheek humor, Darwinia+ is a solid purchase.
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