Darwinia

 PC
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
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  1. Edge Magazine
    70
    Where most games are built out of wood, bullets and money, Darwinia has an unapologetically spiritual vision, its geeky god presiding over a world which dares to make an imagined religion into a ruleset. That in some places it falls short of its ambitions is not what makes this game important. [March 2005, p.82]
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  2. GameShark
    70
    Sadly, the bugs I encountered during the game (especially with the way the graphics engine started chugging so severely in the later levels) really hurt my experience, and the action just eventually ended up being reduced to using the same strategy over and over again.
  3. games(TM)
    70
    The action-RTS tomfoolery is remarkably compelling once you get a feeling for the basics... Darwinia is proof that you don’t need huge budgets and flashy visuals to make a decent title. [Apr 2005, p.112]
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  5. Game Chronicles
    70
    Darwinia is immersive, with a quality mix between unique game play and off-the-wall graphics. This title isn’t particularly successful, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the elements that Introversion has brought to the table appear in future RTS titles.
  6. Digital Entertainment News
    65
    Darwinia is certainly “unique” and “original”. It’s a shame it’s not very “fun”.
  7. GamesRadar+
    60
    Darwinia 's weird, but it might well not be your kind of weird.
  8. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    59
    We’re left with a fairly annoying RTS title full of niggling and frustrating bugs, poor design decisions, and pathfinding that has dripped directly from the nose of Satan himself.
  9. Game Revolution
    58
    I just about guarantee you’ve not experienced a game like this before, and while it stumbles in its gameplay, it soars in its style and whimsy.

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Best PC Game of 2005
28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
92
#92 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 102 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 140
  3. Negative: 22 out of 140
  1. tech-noir
    Jan 28, 2012
    4
    In the first five minutes, you will realize that this game offers close to zero instruction on how to play, and its in-story helpIn the first five minutes, you will realize that this game offers close to zero instruction on how to play, and its in-story help mode/tutorial are deplorable examples thereof. Then, about 30 minutes into the game you will realize that the path finding is probably the absolute worst in any game you have ever played. The controls and operational methods are so inadequate and poor that you will wonder if this is the result of a bug (or many bugs), or even if the game has been installed correctly. Proceeding past the second mission without help is impossible. Because Darwinia does not explain itself to the player, you will be forced to search on Google for help and explanations, as this is the only way to make sense out of this presentational disaster. Further, because many aspects of the game are obscured by terrible presentation choices, you will feel as if the game does not allow you to play it. You will not know how to do several things that are required to achieve many of the mission objectives, thanks to the developer's choice in being vague and uninformative. The goals in Darwinia are explained so badly, that once again, I imagine that this portion of the game is also among the worst in any game I have played. The developers clearly did not have any care in designing a game that is intuitive, user friendly, and enjoyable. The feeling is that Darwinia is simply not complete, nor is it fully operable by the user. It is as if there are numerous amounts of game play that were not done to completeness, leaving the player at a loss and in frustration. In addition to the aforementioned problems, you can not save during a mission. The game does all the saving for you, after you complete each mission objective and at other seemingly random moments. This means, that you sometimes have to restart a mission from the very beginning, if something does not go according to plan. This is totally unacceptable. If the rest of the game was better suited, this saving problem would not bother me as much. The responsiveness of your units is atrocious. Ordering the units and Darwinians around is quite problematic, as they simply do not respond as they should, nor are they very useful to your commands. The processes required to order them around are tedious, slow, and unresponsive. They have such a difficult time maneuvering around the map, it's disgruntling. These shortcomings are so major, that enjoying the game as a whole is an arduous chore as you progress through the missions. Slowly, as you learn to endure Darwinia's league of problems, there are minor and sparse hints of quality gaming behind it all. Achieving the mission objectives as you hurdle past the developmental shortcomings and obstacles can give the player feelings of accomplishment and relief, since Darwinia is so inefficient and unfriendly. After all, this takes more work than it is fun. The creativity from the developers is undeniably present. The plot and storyline are original, going along well with the artwork and aesthetic style. Each map is basic, but they do have their stylistic charms. The missions can be repetitive, but at least they make sense in relation to the story. Unfortunately for the developers, creativity does not equal a quality product. There is a serious and widely known bug that will not allow you to deploy new units to the map, and the only way around it is to quit and restart the game. There are also some placement glitches that mysteriously do not allow you to deploy units. Darwinia is all about being an annoyance, a bother, a bore; a game with severe flaws that barely works or provides the player with anything remotely enjoyable. It is an incredibly tedious and inconvenient game. You will be spending your time and money better elsewhere.… Full Review »
  2. Ross
    May 12, 2006
    4
    I just cannot see what all the jumping up and down is for. All these 8's and 9's, for a game where you cannot actually fail? Where I just cannot see what all the jumping up and down is for. All these 8's and 9's, for a game where you cannot actually fail? Where is the challenge in that? To me it was just a fairly entertaining way to pass several tens of hours doing exactly the same thing over and over. In the end I got bored and it now just languishes morosely in my steam window. If you want existentialism with decent challenging gameplay, go download Mistake of Pythagoras mod for Half Life 2. Its free and actually worth dedicating hours of your life to.… Full Review »
  3. keefbaker
    Oct 27, 2013
    10
    Cannon Fodder mixed with Tron. Fantastic atmosphere and brilliantly stylized visuals. Recommended for everyone who likes a good blast and anCannon Fodder mixed with Tron. Fantastic atmosphere and brilliantly stylized visuals. Recommended for everyone who likes a good blast and an interest in the cyber.… Full Review »
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