Darwin's Demons

About

In Darwin's Demons, players manage a space station and its inhabitants, facing ethical dilemmas while conducting scientific experiments. The game features procedurally generated creatures and environments, encouraging strategic decisions in resource management, habitat design, and ethical governance. navigate moral dilemmas and make tough choices to ensure the station's survival and maintain the crew's humanity.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 43 reviews

music1 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique twist on the classic Space Invaders formula with an adaptive AI that evolves based on player performance, providing a fresh and challenging experience.
Players appreciate the variety of ships, upgrades, and the engaging gameplay loop that encourages experimentation and strategy.
The game is well-optimized for both Windows and Linux, ensuring a smooth experience across platforms, and is praised for its responsive controls and fun mechanics.

Despite its interesting concepts, the game suffers from bloat, with many options that do not significantly enhance gameplay, leading to a cluttered experience.
Some players find the graphics and sound design to be underwhelming, lacking the charm of retro games, which may detract from the overall enjoyment.
There are reports of bugs, particularly with the awards system, and some players feel that the game could benefit from more polish and clearer information on mechanics.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The gameplay in Darwin's Demons is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, reminiscent of classic space invaders, which effectively showcase the evolution mechanic. Players appreciate the depth and complexity hidden beneath its straightforward presentation, with a rewarding gameplay loop that includes numerous upgrades and unlocks. While the graphics and sound may not stand out, the overall experience is entertaining and encourages player interaction, particularly with a controller.
- “The evolution mechanic works surprisingly well, with my many attempts to cheese it ultimately failing.”
- “The simplicity of the Space Invaders-inspired gameplay here makes the product of natural selection so much more immediately apparent, transparent, and, for me, entertaining.”
- “Darwin's Demons is incredibly simple in its presentation, yet this simplicity belies an interesting game with complex mechanics at the core.”
- “Challenging great reflections to be exchanged over the mechanics, thanks.”
- “Just be sure that you are ready for a Space Invaders-style gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is, of course, basic, but the real beauty of this game is the algorithm behind the scenes.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their modern appeal and crisp visuals, complemented by a pleasing art style. However, some users noted slow load times and found the sound and graphics to be average, though the overall gameplay experience remains engaging and enjoyable.
- “Fast game with modern-day graphics and easy controls that move from location A to B to C and so on.”
- “Simple but pleasing visuals.”
- “Crisp graphics, great art style, addictive, simple and complicated all at once, has better procedural content generation than No Man's Sky.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
- “The visual design is bland and uninspired, making the game less engaging.”
- “Character models are poorly rendered, which detracts from the overall experience.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game is well-optimized for both Windows and Linux, offering identical performance without requiring additional configuration on the Linux version. It also features adaptive mechanics that challenge players based on their individual performance over time.
- “This title is functionally identical on my Windows and Linux machines with no performance issues or extra steps for configuring the Linux version.”
- “It adapts to each player over the course of several rounds to specifically try and optimize your personal performance.”
- “It adapts to each player over the course of several rounds to specifically try and undermine your personal performance.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “I experienced significant lag and long loading times, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised, with one user giving it a perfect score of 10/10, indicating a strong appreciation for its quality. However, there is a complaint regarding the music playing even when the screen is not functioning, suggesting a potential issue with the game's performance.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is considered highly replayable, with a rating of 8/10, indicating that players find it engaging enough to return to multiple times.
- “8/10 - Highly replayable space invaders.”
- “The game offers a variety of modes and challenges that keep me coming back for more.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the random events and different strategies you can employ.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find certain achievements, particularly the ace and ace of aces, to be tedious and overly grindy, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Some of the achievements are tedious, especially the Ace and Ace of Aces ones.”
- “The grinding feels endless and often repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find myself doing the same tasks over and over just to level up, which becomes frustrating.”