Topic: What's so great about Darwinia?

[KDR_11k]

The topic is this game. There's a demo available, play that before commenting.

The game got rave reviews from both gaming websites and users, calling it an awesome, innovative new game. And that's what I don't get.
What's awesome about this game? I don't get it. There's no fun in there, you just make a squad, move to the enemy, hold fire until they're all dead, spawn (or move) an engineer there to do the cleanup and go to the next bunch of enemies. The enemies never come after you, they're confined to their spawn areas and won't attack what doesn't come near them. Losing units doesn't matter since you can reproduce them for free. You can't lose since you aren't attacked and there are no ressources to run out of. Strategy in attacks doesn't exist because your squads cannot attack enemies automatically and only shoot while you hold fire, you have to manually aim at enemies. The reviews don't sound like there is anything more to it.

I mean, this game manages to be even less interesting than Rez, what is supposed to be so great?

I'm posting this because I'd like to hear whether someone here can answer the question: What is so great about Darwinia?

[Hostile Creation]

I would say they're declaring it's innovative because it looks like it's supposed to be innovative.  Looks to me like they got lazy and forgot textures.

Honestly, the graphics aren't bad.  Kind of interesting, really, but you can't call it an innovative game just because of that.  Innovative graphics, sure, but not the game as a whole.  Wind Waker had innovative, beautiful graphics, as well as a few other touches (ocean), but for the most part it was a classic Zelda game.

Okay, now I've played it.  I won't deny that it's interesting, but I lost interest pretty quickly.  It doesn't offer much that's new, from what I played.  It just gives the illusion of being new, really it's just another strategy game.  One that's too slow and boring to be particularly fun.

[Dirk Temporo]

For a game from four(?) kids in a basement, it's damn good. It entertains the hell out of me. My favorite part is that you can't lose. Keeps me from getting pissed off.

[Talon]

Its definately one of those games you either love or hate. Personally I like its style and think its quite artistic especially since so many games these days just look like carbon copies of each other.

Good luck to the boys that created Darwinia I think you have quite a bright future ahead of you.

[KDR_11k]

Ah, the looks argument again... You know, that look might work a little better if I wasn't already so used to abstract graphics in indy games. Maybe that's also why Rez didn't seem interesting to me.

[Deguello]

Quote
you just make a squad,

Innovative new game?  SQUAD SQUADY McSQUAD TACTICS COVER ME, SQUAD!

[KDR_11k]

No tactics, a squad is merely four (or 3-6, I think the number depends on the level of research, the demo starts with everything at 2.0) soldiers you command as one unit.