Genomicide Demo

Evolution is pretty miraculous if you study it close, but you need to observe the process over long periods of time in order to truly appreciate its beauty. Mutations seem to be the basis for it, but adaptation is obviously part of it as well. In essence, it’s a battle of the most resilient organism, with the winner being able to spread his genes and give birth to a similar generation.

Genomicide is a multiplayer game in which you play as a tiny microorganism on its way up the evolution ladder. In order to grow, you must eat protein and various other small chunks of biomass, while also battling other players that are trying to do the same. Hence, it’s actually a race between organisms that try to survive and grow, and it doesn’t always end pretty.

Besides trying to eat in order to grow, you can also pick up DNA and unlock more powerful mutations, which are actual special skills you can use during the gameplay. There are both defensive and offensive abilities, and it’s up to you to use them properly during a skirmish. On the other hand, the units move very slowly after a certain size, so the actual battles are very boring and repetitive.

After one of the players in the arena reaches a certain size, a timer activates that counts down from 60 seconds. When the minute is over, the player with the greatest mass is declared the winner and is rewarded with points. These can then be used in the mutations screen, where you can choose from a variety of cell skins and abilities to empower your organism with.

As far as the graphics quality is concerned, the game looks very much like Spore did, with a few differences. However, the textures appear rather blunt in some cases, especially when it comes to the ones used for cells. The controls are also a bit clunky, mainly because they feel like they would work better on a touchscreen than with a mouse and keyboard.

In the end, Genomicide can be quite the entertaining activity, especially if you enjoy skirmishing with other players online. However, it is too simple to engage more serious gamers, and there aren’t enough options to keep one interested for very long.