Few game genres have reached oversaturation as fast as the battle royale. For a couple of years, it seemed like a new variation of the one-versus-all arena format was released every couple of months. Darwin Project is a bit of an oddity, then; despite being in early access for a while now, the game was only recently officially released. As a latecomer to the genre, it is unlikely that Darwin Project will be able to dethrone the likes of Fortnite, but it is unique enough to possibly carve out a niche of its own.
Darwin Project boasts a smaller scale and slower pace than its contemporaries. At the beginning of each match, 10 players are dropped into an arena and left to contend with the elements and each other. Much of the early going is spent gathering resources instead of fighting other players, as upgrading and outfitting yourself is the key to survival.
The arena itself is no joke in Darwin Project, as players will have to contend with a freezing environment by seeking out sources of heat or possibly even deal with a game director who can aid or penalize players.
Where Darwin Project excels is resource management. For instance: You will spend a lot of time in Darwin Project cutting down trees for wood—how you use it is where things get interesting. You could build a fire to warm yourself up, but the smoke will give away your position. Knowing this, you could use the smoke as a trap to lure opponents in. Alternatively, you could fashion an arrow out of the wood and give yourself a ranged advantage, but you will have to forgo warmth, a potentially harmful option. Finally, you could save up enough wood to create a shield which will block one attack, giving you a safeguard in case you get ambushed. Deciding when and what to craft is the core of Darwin Project, and it is a consistently engaging process.
Somewhat less successful is Darwin Project’s class system. At the beginning of each match, players will pick one of three classes with specific tools and abilities. In addition to the aforementioned wood, players will also harvest Darwinium in order to craft and upgrade abilities mid-match. It seems there are some clearly dominant options, though. For example, the grappling hook class also comes with a powerful shield on a brief cool-down and the ability to significantly upgrade melee damage, your primary means of attack. It is entirely possible to win with any load-out, but some paths to victory are clearly more straightforward than others.
Darwin Project is a solid addition to the battle royale genre. The relatively slow pace and small scale might not appeal to everybody, but these factors also help the game exist in a space of its own, with less room for direct comparison to the behemoths of the genre. Some minor quibbles aside, Darwin Project is a solid game worth trying out, and it will likely appeal to those looking for something a bit different in an overly familiar genre.
