If only there were a way to play a game that had a vintage feel with a modern day twist. I want a game that is a throw back of earlier games in terms of scenery, but hurls them into the third dimension. I want a game with no walls, a transparent ceiling and squadrons of virtual military men at my disposal. If you have ever contemplated creating a game with any of these characteristics, I am glad to say that Darwinia has beaten you to it. Making the jump over the Atlantic, Darwinia comes from the U.K. and makes a huge splash in the U.S. This wildly original pseudoRTS shoves the player into a virus plagued virtual theme park with a mission of exterminating the virus alongside saving the inhabitants that live in the park. Like I said… big ups for the originality.

Red : Stop Yellow : Slow down Little Green Men : SAVE THEM

You as the player head to your favorite online virtual theme park for an evening of surreal fun when out of nowhere; a virus has attacked your destination of choice. Thrust into the middle of the battle between the virus against the creator of this virtual world, you take the role of General, commanding your troops and ensuring the survival of the virtual online people. These people, or "Darwinians", need your superior intellect and commanding abilities to ensure their survival against the virus. While some of the missions focus on you exterminating all things virus, others forego that goal in favor of helping the absent-minded Darwinians escape to a safe zone.

There is nothing else like this game out on the market today. The levels look like they are out of an Atari 2600 game but set in the most wonderful third dimension. It is marvelous to control an unlimited amount of virtual figures in the "RTS meets 3rd person shooter-esk" title straight from the UK. Started as a game strictly released in Europe, developers quickly realized that Darwinia was something that needed to be shared with the world. It is a good thing they realized this because otherwise we would be missing out on the most creative idea since Mario Paint.

If I Didn't Know Any Better, I Would Swear The Darwinians Were Consorting Against Me...

If there is one statement that could be made about the graphics in Darwinia, it’s that they are simple. They basically took Space Invaders figures, fleshed them into that pesky third dimension, and (rather ironically) made them your bombers. More to the point, this game is made up of two dimensional figures slightly rounded into basic figures you would expect in any modern virtual reality world. I know what you are thinking though, and this is not a bad thing. In fact, it is one of the most imaginative graphical interfaces I have encountered in quite a while. The basic enemy snake viruses are made up of a succession of triangles that turn at 90 degree angles while the more advanced (and ever annoying) jumping spiders are 2 balls with 8 legs.

In this virtual world: there are no walls that limit the camera, there are no ceilings that limit the camera, there is only the ground. This freedom makes for very cinematic camera angles as you watch your men totally wreck the enemy. In this game, even the water looks as if it came out of a game from 1977 (year the Atari 2600 was released).

Even After 20+ Years, Little Blaster Sounds Are Still Enjoyable

Coming straight from Space Invaders and Centipede, the sound is fitting and very refreshing. Sure the little songs played can get monotonous, but the little blaster sounds your troops make are priceless as you rip into your foes. The sound is nothing special; it is simply fitting for the forum in which it is put into. One could have hoped for better, but you can’t win them all.

God Help You If Your Keyboard Sticks

The only obvious flaw in this game is the control scheme. It is simple enough to control your squad or engineer; however the reaction time from when you click your mouse and when your squad actually does something is sometimes the difference between life and death for your virtual men. Aside from the slowdown that can sometimes occur, the game did not effectively utilize the keyboard to jump from where one of your squads is to the other. Being spoiled and coming from such RTS greats as Warcraft III, I am used to being able to double-click on a shortcut for my men and have the camera automatically take me to their location. This game does not have that feature and sometimes it is quite difficult to locate your different squads on the map. This problem is made slightly less painful with an ambiguous yellow pointer-locator-deely.

Unique, Inventive, Original, Creative, Imaginative

One aspect of Darwinia that stood out more then anything else is the sheer level of originality displayed throughout the game. The creators at Marquee certainly did something that no one else has done, and they did it well. The 3D figures coupled with their 2D image alone warrant the game a 2nd look but the level design and original story earns it its keep. In this case, a picture is worth more then 1000 words.

Another reason for the high score is the price. For a measly $30 at your local retailer, you can be defending your own society of Darwinians in less then an hour!

And You're Waiting Why?

Oh yeah, it’s all that and a bag of potato chips. These Darwinians need your help, now are you really going to deny them their salvation just because you can’t fork over $30? Think about it; it’s not expensive, it’s fun, and it’s within your grasp.