Darwin Project Review PlayStation 4

So, just because it’s 2020, you thought that the genre of 2019 (and, honestly, probably the genre of the last decade) was going to cool off? Think again. While plenty of players may have wished that the battle royale genre was slowly going the way of the buffalo, Scavengers Studio’s newly released Darwin Project continues the fight. Although Darwin Project has💟 some neat in-game features and community interactions, the game is ultimately forgettable with its all too familiar gameplay mechanics preventing it from standing out from the crowd.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before…

Darwin Project is set in a post-apocalyptic setting in which a new ice age has created a Hunger Games-type of real🐲ity show where contestants fight to the death until only one person remains standing. Out of the gate, players are able to select from a few different class options with abilities such as a jet pack or grappling hook, with more classes available to unlock after reaching a certain level. Each class also comes wi🎶th its own special abilities, such as the ground-pounding Meteor ability, or the ability to create a dome that forces players to throw fisticuffs in close-quarters combat. These special abilities require resources can be found scattered around the map and collected.

All players, regardless of class, come equipped with an ax to swing as well as a bow with which to shoot arrows; there are no firearms in the game at the moment. Of course, those arrows don’t just grow on trees… Oh, wait, yes they do. With an in-game mechanic similar to Fortnite, players can build up their suppওly of arrows by chopping down trees w𒁃ith their ax and crafting the arrows. Power-ups can also be added to the arrows to increase their damage potential.

Arts & Crafts

Crafting is an essential component for success in Darwin Project. The snowy landscape of the arena actually serves a purpose, requiring players to stay warm through various methods - such as drinking warm coffee - but the primary heat source is achieved by crafting campfires. Although a little time consuming, it is an effective feature that forces players to be strategic with their resource management. Is that extra arrow going to be worth it if you’re freezing to death? Probably not. I have never been good at the quick-building crafting dynamic of Fortnite. The slowed-down pace of Darwin Project’s methodical crafting can be appreci🌳ated by those who lack the skill to build a 20-story tall skyscraper in eight seconds.

Lights, Camera, Action!

While the majority of players will play the part of contestants, one player in each match takes on the role of the Show Direꦅctor, who is able to oversee the entire battle. The Director can offer up support to players, or dish out punishment as they see fit. This is achieved in the form of supply drops, healing deserving players, player location pings, and map manipulation.

The arena is comprised of a hive-like grid. Unlike most other battle royale titles where the playing field reduces in size through the use of a rapidly closing circle, segments of the hive are eventually marked as forbidden, requiring players to get to the safe segments as soon as possible. The map itself is pretty straightforward, featuring snow-covered terrain with mountains to climb and log cabins to investigate, some of which hous💮e loot chests with power-ups or other resources.

Combat - be it long-range or melee - doesn’t feel as tight as it could be. More than once, my aim seemed to drift on its o🉐wn, leading to my eventual demise. I would imagine that the controls and mechanics will be tightened up in future patches, but I was unimpressed in my initial gamepl💝ay sessions.

Are You Not Entertained?!

In what could be the most Hunger Games-y part of Darwin Project, Twitch viewers can actually watch the matches and bet on who they think will win the match through the Darwin Project Spectator Experience on-screen Twitch integration, while aiding the Show Director in manipulating the arena. Viewers can even try to convince the Director (via voting) which players deserve support or put in harm's way.

The Darwin Project Spectator Experience sounds great in theory, but in execution, it feels like it could use some work. Between matches, abilities to support players can be purchased with Scav Coins which get cheaper as time goes on, ultimately becoming free. Then, you just have to be the q✅uickest on the click to claim the ability. Actually using the ability while players are in the match feels a bit pointless. It seemed as though any ability I used had no effect whatsoever on the player I awarded it to. Maybe it did, but there seemed to be no indication from my perspective as a viewer that anything happened.

If you have spent any time whatsoever in a battle royale game (namely Fortnite), you’ll know exactly what to expect when dropping into Darwin Project. The Hunger Games element of the game is very cool and intriguing, but doesn't feel quite as impactful as I was hoping, especially considering that the isn’t very high at the time of this writing. It has its charms and is worth a try if you’re in need of another free-to-play battle royale, but Darwin Project is ultimately 𓄧just another average drop in the bucket for the genre.