The deep snow freezes my legs as I trudge forwards. I find a cabin and make a fire to warm up before I head out again. Then the director says: “Nuke in North West zone. 40 Seconds.” I run as fast as I can running past the trees. An arrow flies at my head and out of nowhere another contestant swings his axe at me. I fall back and as I hit the snow I see a large mushroom cloud emerge above the trees.
The Darwin Project is a game preview title and hasn’t been out long. However, it is very good so far and the best battle royale style game so far. There is only one game mode at the moment but there looks to be plans to have more. You can play as either the contestant or the show director.
There are good selection of design options available at the moment where you can change the look of your clothing, weapons and armour. They have also done event items which look pretty decent but for a battle royale game you do stand out a lot with an easter egg on your head.
As the show director you can make or break a player. You can close off any zone that you want and even nuke a zone. I saw a show director make a game 10 minutes long by closing off the zones quickly and another that made a game 18 minutes long by not closing a zone until 6 minutes in. Both of these game were very exciting the first was quick battles usually one on one and the second was larger group battles.
I really liked this because each game feels very different and you have the show director to effect the game massively. One of the better show directors I saw was someone who gave challenges and rewards like health boosts etc.
Darwin Project is far more in-depth than other battle royale games. You not only have other contestants and the show director to challenge but you have the cold to battle. I really liked this because you are never safe. To warm up you have to set a fire but it reveals your location to nearby players because they will be able to see the light.
There are lots of tactical options that you can do use to your advantage. I was low health and in a cabin. I saw there was players nearby so I set bear traps near the doors and windows and lit a fire. It drew in some players who I was able to fight as they stood in the traps.
Overall I loved playing Darwin Project. I really enjoyed that you could use tactics or just go full attack to win a match. Visually the game is quite nice. It doesn’t use over the top graphics but it is perfect for the game’s style. When tracking an enemy the footprints are very easy to see. It is very nice to see a new angle on the battle royale genre and have more than just other players to fight.
GameCritUK 