Darwin Project

 PC
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Jan 30, 2020
    90
    Darwin Project takes the battle royale formula and turns it on its ear with simple survival mechanics and visceral axe combat. While hunting down your peers, be sure to keep warm, or else you will freeze to death all by yourself. With a tight map, fun and unique classes, and little in the way of intrusive monetization, Darwin Project feels fresh in a quickly crowding market. A battle royale game for those that didn't get hooked on the big titles, Darwin Project is an enjoyable competition with a great community.
  2. CD-Action
    Feb 18, 2020
    80
    Darwin Project seems mediocre at first glance but after just a few matches it becomes apparent that it is a surprisingly fresh shooter that offers experiences unheard of by its competitors. [03/2020, p.52]
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  3. Edge Magazine
    Jan 31, 2020
    80
    This is a fresh take on the battle royale that deserves to be experienced. [Issue#342, p.106]
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  5. Screen Rant
    Jan 23, 2020
    80
    Its lean content may reflect the same kind of problem that many young multiplayer games have, but Darwin Project makes a little go a long way. All of its mechanics and features feed into one another extraordinarily well: the condensed, shifting map with a smaller number of players, the rapid pace leading to high-intensity close-range battles, and of course the Director role and spectator involvement all make for a thrilling and defiantly different battle royale. Darwin Project likely has a bright future ahead of it, and this is definitely a show worth checking out - especially since admission is free.
  6. Game Revolution
    Jan 14, 2020
    80
    Darwin Project isn’t an also-ran, it’s a trendsetter, and anyone still interesting in dropping in hot should take notice.
  7. Digital Chumps
    Jan 21, 2020
    78
    Taking only 10 people into a medium-sized map and letting them go at it is honestly a really great start for someone new like myself. The colors are a cool futuristic look and the map landscape is honestly cool itself, no freezing and snow puns intended. Some of the processes like buying ramen and just how exactly all your special abilities are hard to understand fully at times, but that is OK as the more you go the more you unlock. The way this made me feel was that this is a good starter. If you want to get into the Battle Royale landscape and have no clue how or where to start, Darwin Project is a good ‘starter kit’ for anyone. There are times where its hard to understand and figure out, but that’s OK. It’s a really good game to get you into the genre.
  8. God is a Geek
    Feb 11, 2020
    75
    The Darwin Project is a fun experiment with some solid ideas, but doesn't quite feel fleshed out or feature-rich enough to entirely recommend without caveat.
  9. Multiplayer.it
    Jan 14, 2020
    75
    Darwin Project is a solid, interesting battle royale. Visually inspired by Fortnite, the game introduces some nice ideas to deliver a pretty unique experience.
  10. 4P.de
    Jan 19, 2020
    64
    Solid battle-royale with comic visuals and stronger survival influences than the competition, but also a serious lack of variety.
  11. IGN
    Jan 25, 2020
    60
    Darwin Project is a battle royale that doesn’t properly reward the time you put into it, lacking in both incentives to keep playing and variety when you do. It definitely has a few clever new ideas and combat that’s fun, if repetitive – but that’s about it. As it stands now, without a Battle Pass to reward playtime, actual loot to make scavenging more exciting, or additional modes and maps to mix things up, it’s hard to recommend over the competition.
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  1. Kotaku
    Jan 20, 2020
    By nature of its small match size and focus on streamers, The Darwin Project fosters an intimacy that’s rare in battle royale games. To get the full experience, you really have to talk to each other. For a final release, especially for a free-to-play game, this can be a gamble. But despite some changes that make gameplay feel a little more rote, The Darwin Project still has the weird, charming core that makes it worth checking out. Please don’t be a jerk. [Impressions]

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 58
  3. Negative: 12 out of 58
  1. Shperax
    Jan 20, 2018
    9
    AMAZING. This game is going to change Battle Royal as we know it. There is so much that makes this game good its nearly impossible to explainAMAZING. This game is going to change Battle Royal as we know it. There is so much that makes this game good its nearly impossible to explain it to people.

    You need to play this game. The only issue i can see in the future is that without Battleye anti cheat support the game will be over run with cheaters (aimbots) and that will lead to its destruction. The shooting mechanics are VERY skill based and this will lead to a massive influx of people wanting aimbots.

    In its current state of Beta I give this 9/10. When they release the full game with custom matches and teams its a for sure 10/10. This easily has the potential to be a massive e-sports game. Wow I just can't believe it. Very exciting times to be gaming right now.    … Full Review »
  2. Celsius91
    Jan 17, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.
    SPOILER: You will have fun.    … Full Review »
  3. vahn
    Jan 15, 2020
    8
    Rather than a Battle Royale, this game is more like a regular deathmatch game with survival elements and it's not a bad thing at all!

    I'm    Rather than a Battle Royale, this game is more like a regular deathmatch game with survival elements and it's not a bad thing at all!

    I'm not a huge fan of BR to begin with - I only really ever played Apex Legends and SOME fortnite before getting bored - but this game surprised at how simple and yet so complex it can be.

    For starters, the game matches have only 10 players plus the announcer if there is one (more to that later) and the game is split into 7 areas where players will randomly spawn, rather than drop by from the sky. Once the game started your focus is to kill the other enemies...before the cold kills you.

    This is where the survival mechanics come in: you can gather wood and leather and they're required to make everything you need, from arrows for your bows to upgrades to your coat to help to reduce the cold, including enough wood to make a fire. The game has no guns: you have a bow and an axe while the rest is meant to be taken from the ground. On top of that the cold is your enemy and to avoid dying from it you have to put up a fire that will reveal your position and can potentially get you killed.
    And even then, enemies can still track you down if they scout the places you've looted which means there's always some tension behind, whether from the cold, scavenging, or running away from another player.

    Another feature that makes the game very fun is how the arena is split into 7 hexagons and instead of a ring that shrinks now and then you can get a random area being denied after several seconds: this makes the overall game much easier to breathe and it gives a lot of time to search before going away...however the electronics will force players to eventually go an area and retrieve it since electronics are the only method to obtain extra skills. Said extra skills are chosen before a match via a proper skill selector which allows you to choose all sorts of varieties of upgrades and the skills you need, from invisibility to jump higher or glide, etc.

    And last but not least, the announcer is probably the funniest thing you can do: it's essentially an eleventh player who doesn't play the game but instead affects the game itself by making decisions, such as giving items to a player to help him out or deciding which area to eliminate or to ask players to talk if they want rewards. I didn't get many matches with an announcer but when I did it was always fun because it forced players to either play along or be punished.

    Bottom line, this game is very fun, much smaller in scale and simpler in terms of mechanics but there's a lot of fun to be had. I played it while in beta and i was really enjoying and now that it's released I highly recommend to give it a shot.    … Full Review »
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