Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution

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Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Quasar and was released on September 28, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution" is a simulation game where players create and evolve unique species in a dynamic ecosystem. Observing and manipulating various factors such as genetics, environment, and behavior, players can watch as their creatures adapt and survive in a real-time evolutionary process. With countless possibilities and a sandbox-style gameplay, this game offers a fascinating look into the world of evolutionary biology.

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Single-Player

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution screenshot

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,544 reviews

optimization16 positive mentions

stability104 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and fascinating simulation of evolution, allowing players to watch creatures evolve over time.
The developer is responsive and actively working on updates, showing dedication to improving the game.
The customization options for creatures and the environment provide a lot of depth and potential for varied gameplay.

The game is plagued by frequent crashes and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, which can make it difficult for players to navigate and understand the mechanics.
Many players feel the game is not worth the current price due to its unfinished state and lack of content.

stability
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of frequent crashes, graphical glitches, and overall poor optimization. Many users describe it as extremely buggy, often rendering it unplayable, while some acknowledge its potential if these issues were addressed. Overall, the consensus is that the game is in a rough state, typical of early access titles, and requires significant improvements to stability.
- “Great potential, but the game is bug-ridden to the point of being nonfunctional and the developer has abandoned it.”
- “Constant crashes and glitches make it unplayable and just unpleasant to play; avoid this mess of a game.”
- “It is extremely buggy, crashes every 5 minutes, and lacks direct interaction.”
optimization
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
57%
20%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, especially when the world is large or populated with numerous creatures. While some updates have improved stability, the overall consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, making it challenging to recommend until further improvements are made. A few users report satisfactory performance on lower-end systems, but these instances are not the norm, and many still face lags and crashes.
- “Despite its age, it's very well put together and optimized.”
- “The performance is massively improved over the pre-alpha; the game crashes a whole lot less often.”
- “As of this review, the current version v0.12.0.8, the performance has been spectacularly improved compared to earlier versions.”
- “It is poorly optimized and you will lag in this game if there are too many creatures or the world is too big, no matter what.”
- “Be warned, it's far from finished and more importantly still poorly optimized.”
- “Until the performance issues are resolved, I have to say to everyone - avoid!”
gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
6%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by an interesting concept and engaging mechanics, but it suffers from frequent crashes and instability, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the complexity and potential of the evolution simulation, others find the mechanics difficult to grasp and the gameplay lacking in depth. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy casual, observational gameplay, but caution is advised due to its unfinished state and technical issues.
- “The gameplay is amazing, by the way.”
- “This game goes from 0 to 100 in seconds, and is great fun once you figure out the mechanics, which are a little complicated.”
- “Fun and engaging gameplay that leaves you with many 'wtf' moments.”
- “The gameplay itself is non-existent.”
- “The game may be in early access, but that can't excuse it that much for how bad the quality is, not to mention the gameplay.”
- “Ran into multiple glitches while trying to play that made gameplay impossible or outright crashed the game.”
graphics
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
70%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the smooth visuals and the portrayal of evolving creatures, while others criticize the outdated environmental graphics and frequent glitches. Many users note that a powerful graphics card is necessary to run the game effectively, and there are calls for improvements in both graphics quality and overall aesthetics. Despite these issues, the game's unique simulation of evolution is appreciated, suggesting potential for future enhancements.
- “It's a lot of fun to watch your creatures truly evolve and survive, and the visuals are smooth and enjoyable. After 3 hours of mutating, I have most species walking on two or four legs with actual faces!”
- “This game accomplishes a nice portrayal of evolution with some interesting graphics.”
- “The graphics are excellent, and the development of the creatures is good as well.”
- “Just be prepared for crashes and a few graphical glitches from time to time.”
- “The graphics settings are limiting too.”
- “I launch the game, see the horrible interface, start a new map, I see the ugly, simple yet somehow choppy graphics and hear the hideous soundtrack.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
57%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack as amazing and enhancing the gameplay experience, while others find it overwhelming or wish for the option to mute it entirely. Technical issues, such as volume control malfunctions, have also been reported, leading to frustration among users. Overall, while some enjoy the music, others feel it detracts from their experience.
- “Oh god this soundtrack is amazing.”
- “☐ masterpiece music 10/10.”
- “The occasional bits of music are really nice and enhance the experience.”
- “I don't really like the music in this game and I wish that I could mute it.”
- “Started with little to no sound despite making adjustments to volume, and unless the music was turned off, it would be so loud that it would hurt my ears and blow out my headphones.”
- “I crashed the game because for some reason I can make the music volume go negative in the options.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its humor, with players finding the creatures and gameplay mechanics to be both hilarious and entertaining. Many users appreciate the comedic elements intertwined with educational aspects, making it a fun experience for those interested in biology. Overall, the humor significantly enhances the enjoyment of the game, contributing to its appeal as a lighthearted and engaging pastime.
- “The creatures are hilarious, and there are a ton of things to experiment with!”
- “I'm unclear on what exactly I have birthed in this game and am fairly sure my soul is condemned for laughing at it.”
- “This is a hilarious game.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as the limited tools and variables in its early alpha stage lead to repetitive gameplay. Many express frustration, questioning the value of their purchase due to the lack of engaging content. Overall, the consensus leans towards a significant amount of grinding being required.
- “Decent grinding.”
- “Your life-time of grinding.”
- “It's an interesting game, but its early alpha stage restricts the choice of tools quite obviously, leaving you with a tedious routine of watching creatures thrive and die in a world where you can change only five or six variables. Eventually, you find yourself wondering, 'Why did I even buy this?'”
- “A lot of grinding.”
- “Your lifetime of grinding.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
38%
The story aspect of the game is described as lacking depth, with players expressing a desire for more structured missions to enhance the narrative experience. The whimsical yet chaotic imagery of bizarre creatures consuming everything adds a humorous touch, but overall, the narrative feels underdeveloped.
- “Perhaps if there were missions or something it might be better.”
- “That is the story of how, about half an hour ago, I checked on my computer to find a bunch of omnivorous, nightmare-like creatures munching on whatever they want.”
- “... and thus is the story of how, thirty minutes ago I checked my game and realized that my land was covered in swarms of hundreds of peach-colored, amusingly x-rated creatures munching on bushes wherever they went.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express concerns about the game's monetization, noting a lack of updates and communication from the developer for two years. While they do not label it a cash grab, they highlight significant bugs and suggest the game may be abandoned or neglected.
- “The last update was two years ago, and there has been no communication from the developer on any platform. While I wouldn't call this a cash grab, it's very bug-prone and most likely either abandoned or the developer has contracted the death.”

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4h Median play time

4h Average play time

3-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution is a simulation game.

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution.

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution was released on September 28, 2018.

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution was developed by Quasar.

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its optimization but disliked it for its stability.

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution is a single player game.

Similar games include The Sapling, Ecosystem, Saurian, Thrive, Planetary Life and others.

Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution

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