Multiwinia
Multiwinia
Game
Game2005
Darwinia
Developer Introversion Software
Darwinia is a 2005 real-time tactics and real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It is the second game developed by Introversion Software, and is set within a computer environment that simulates artificial intelligence. It received favourable reviews and won three awards at the 2006 Independent Games Festival. A multiplayer sequel, Multiwinia, was released for Windows in 2008. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
213 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Oct 29, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
87
LovedLoved
160 positive · 23 negative
95% range 82–91%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 160 | 23 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
727 of 876 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
88% recommend · 163 yes, 23 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 186 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (912 of 1,135 positive).
Players praise Darwinia as a timeless, unique RTS with a compelling narrative and distinctive visuals. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game's short length and occasional pathfinding issues. [4][5][6] A few players find the gameplay slow or boring, with poor AI. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
Interesting idea and a curiosity, but t he gameplay is subpar and gets boring quickly, especially with the game's horrible AI.
- [1]
This is the first game I played that completely eradicated the 4th wall; from the moment you launch the game you are inside and a part of the narrative. EDIT: I am aware it says I only played for 5 min on this profile. It is entirely possible to have played a game elsewhere. I liked the game so much I bought it for this profile as well to support the developers and to have it in my Steam library.
- [2]
This game is timeless. I first bought it over 20 years ago from Ambrosia Software, and the busier levels would bring my G3 iMac to its knees and prevent the gesture-based commands from registering properly. The gesture commands were soon replaced by something more sensible, but the amazing thing is that - decades later - they're still updating this. I've bought it again on Xbox 360 around 2010, and again on Steam, …
- [3]
This game is fascinating and special in a way I have never seen before or since
- [4]
I first played this game freshman or sophomore year of University. It was good then, it's still good now. You can probably finish it all up within 4-6 hours. Lovely little story, fun mechanics. I would get the game and soundtrack on sale (or just the soundtrack, to be honest).
Summarised from 34 of the 215 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
88% of the 186 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Darwinia. The complaint that keeps coming up: pathfinding issues with Darwinians. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Darwinia and Darwinia+ were positively received by critics, garnering "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic. The PC version won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at IGF 2006, as well as the Technical Excellence and Innovation in Visual Art awards. New Age Gaming magazine awarded the game a score of 97, its highest ever as of June 2007, and an Editor's Choice award. It scored 90% from PC Gamer UK and reached number 21 on its 'Top 100 PC Games' list. PC Review described it as "one game that simply has to be played". Darwinia won PC Gamer US's 2005 "Special Achievement in Creativity" award. The editors wrote, "Part RTS game, part sandbox, part Sea Monkeys — Darwinia's retro-cool…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 213 · most liked firstFATUM RACING CLUB A race against time and fate in a digital vector world of early 2000s. This is a design concept inspired by the visuals of Wipeout, N, Darwinia and Colin McRae 2.0 Would you play a game like this?
neutral · AI labelView post →This is the first game I played that completely eradicated the 4th wall; from the moment you launch the game you are inside and a part of the narrative. EDIT: I am aware it says I only played for 5 min on this profile. It is entirely possible to have played a game elsewhere. I liked the game so much I bought it for this profile as well to support the developers and to have it in my Steam library.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game wasn't for me. I floated around looking at all the models. nothing really else to it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deliberately misinterpreting "bad representation": Darwinia, the PC game (one of the first ever non-Valve games on Steam). As a teenager I thought it had "bad graphics" because its art style was all polygons and 2D sprites. So the game's *representation* on-screen was *bad*. See what I did there? I don't even remember why I bought and played it at all, probably just curiosity, but it wasn't long before I fell in love with it. Within a week I switched from "this game sucks" to "I love this…
neutral · AI labelView post →Game design is "The art of getting players to take interesting action." I like this definition a lot. AW HELL YA! We get a Darwinia screenshot in this article? 10/10.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is timeless. I first bought it over 20 years ago from Ambrosia Software, and the busier levels would bring my G3 iMac to its knees and prevent the gesture-based commands from registering properly. The gesture commands were soon replaced by something more sensible, but the amazing thing is that - decades later - they're still updating this. I've bought it again on Xbox 360 around 2010, and again on Steam, by which point it will run on a handheld console. It's one of my favourite…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have never heard of this game before. This is an unique RTS, where you have to help a developer to save his digital world from a virus with different units called programs, meanwhile you upgrading them by completing objectives and defeating the different units, made by the virus. The idea is good: you have limited number of units and no way to build a base, so you only have to manage your units and complete the levels with them. The graphics is good looking, the sound design is alright,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No particular order: It's kinda cheating, but the game Capsized is a decent XBLA-era side scrolling shooter-platformer with an excellent soundtrack. That's because it uses the existing album *Movements* by Solar Fields. Solar Fields actually scored a different game with an excellent soundtrack: Mirrors Edge Uplink and Darwinia, Introversion Software's first two games, have lovely soundtracks. Nitronic Rush, a student game that got remade into the survival racing game Distance, has one of…
neutral · AI labelView post →I bought this in 2005 (23rd December). I did not expect to still be getting updates in 2026; and also for the game to still be so much fun. I don't play often, but when I do I enjoy it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The style of graphics is unique. Both pixel style, and yet of higher quality. A point and click game to build Darwinians, protect them, train them, and eradicate the red virus. Inventive story line. It can be a bit fiddly to figure out at first as the guidance is a bit lacking - but you get the hang of it. Hit <H> when something is selected for specific guidance, <SPACE> to deselect and ask for help again for something more generic. Once you have met the objectives, hit <ESC> and leave the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →>stumbles into life simulation >kills virus >zerg rushes the enemy with overwhelming forces After getting spawner >sends every being to die with help of suicide squads Am I the real virus?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love how this game is regularly updated. I have played it roughly every 10 years since release and each time the game's controls are improved. Still a great game after 20 years.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting idea and a curiosity, but t he gameplay is subpar and gets boring quickly, especially with the game's horrible AI.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Darwinia - a real time strategy video game with a lemmings vibe "Darwinia was created as a digital theme world for artificially intelligent polygons by Dr. Sepulveda. Housed in a massive network of surplus Protologic 68000 machines from the 1980s" 😊
neutral · AI labelView post →those tiny green guys keep drowning themselves are they suicidal
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sentinel meets Defender meets Settlers. With a touch of MOBA and a splash of Lemmings. You'll need an imagination. If you lack that then you probably won't get into it. Well worth the price tag and still being updated 18 years down the line, which shows the affection the author/s have for this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I first played this game freshman or sophomore year of University. It was good then, it's still good now. You can probably finish it all up within 4-6 hours. Lovely little story, fun mechanics. I would get the game and soundtrack on sale (or just the soundtrack, to be honest).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Going live for a bit with this old game I got, DARWINIA! www.twitch.tv/zmannzilla
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is fascinating and special in a way I have never seen before or since
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Timeless Gem Game remains an unique gem to this day. There are very few games which tries to portray a feeling of being in a virtual world. It retains an unique aesthetic and feeling. One which was very impressive back then and still holds up to this day. It is a timeless game, but these days and in the future we are cby a mediocre slop. ☠️It should be the sin to be poor☠️ I remember seeing this game in a gaming magazine. It struck me as such an unique and good looking game. Back then, games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →28. Favourite game developer Introversion Software! They're the creators of several amazing games: Uplink (my fav hacking game), Darwinia/Multiwinia, Defcon, Prison Architect... and I've always enjoyed their devlogs.
neutral · AI labelView post →I noticed today that Introversion Software has released its latest game, The Last Starship. Their prior work includes Defcon, Prisoner Architect, Darwinia, Uplink...going to check this out tonight. #indiedev #steam #spacegame store.steampowered.com/app/1857080/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Took the game about 10 minutes to win me over, if you enjoyed creeper world this is right up your alley. Charming and worth twice what their asking for
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A simple, fun and very basic game. Not for everyone. Super old school feel but I liked it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Darwinia is a nice little RTS which reminded me a lot of the movie TRON. It is not an overly long game, and you could probably beat it in around 10 hours, less if you try to get through as speedily as possible. The writing is decent. The gameplay is decent. The soundtrack is okay. It should be noted that the game is single-player only, unlike most well-known RTS games. You can tell that a lot of care went into this game. It runs well, did not have any noticeable bugs, and also includes some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just revisited Darwinia after quite some years. Still fun and holding up today.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game. Bought it in 2015 and still play through this once a year. Easy to play, doesn't take long to master. Great Tron-ish graphics and butter smooth performance. Good music, cute retroloading- and demo scene intros. Kind of wish someone made a Cannon Fodder total conversion mod for this ;) (It's 2025, and I still play it once a year.)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's Darwinia d00d. It's a short single-player RTS experience that is utterly unique in premise and execution. There's never been anything quite like it in the decade since its creation, and I think that's a shame.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Other than some small pathfinding issues this game is a work of Art. Someone will dig this out of an archive one day in the future and it will blow them away.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is amazing. its not very complicated which i enjoy, the art style is interesting and simplistic, absolutly worth buying for a 20 year old game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i love this game so much. hidden gem. must play
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You don't need 1 hour to tell this game is a masterpiece. From the nonexistent pathfinding to the NPC Darwinians, Darwinia is a game where you have to do things yourself. That's the reason for 200 of these bad reviews. I have to say, this is probably the most underrated game of all time. It's legitimately a masterpiece, especially in 2022 after the full remaster. I am never disappointed by an Introversion game :) Please, don't listen to the bad reviews, and at least try the game in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The slow game and the purity of the Darwinians is great for recovering from stress.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple and in ways primitive, but elegant. Unchanging, but endlessly replayable. Beautiful sound, emotionally resonant, a great game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fascinating POV, gameplay real time, strategy is dimensional rather than linear. Single player game lovers will enjoy this one!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How do you beat the tutorial???
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not a bad agame per se, but it's also not that great. My main gripe is that it's nearly impossible to lose so it feels more like a puzzle game than a strategy game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ooh these graphics are reminding me of that game Darwinia. It's funny that I went there over any older Amiga/DOS game, lol.
neutral · AI labelView post →Introversion carried on this tradition, I liked the random intros built into Darwinia more than anything in the game. youtu.be/vlmaXRF0hm4
neutral · AI labelView post →Fun and original swarm management game, sort of Pikmin-y, sort of RTS-y, and as aesthetic as TRON.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There aren't many games like this. The music and atmosphere is so good. The gameplay is, odd. You really feel like you are transported into some retro futuristic computer world and you gotta save those little green men.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still a brilliant game 😍👍🏻 #IntroversionSoftware were my favourite Indie Devs for years, after buying this game. Loved the gameplay and the meta (insert below the disc tray in the jewel case was on point👍🏻). I've bought almost all of their games, my favourite being Darwinia 😍
positive · AI labelView post →Darwinia, developed and published by Introversion Software, stands as one of the most creative and distinct independent games ever made. It merges the structure of a real-time strategy game with elements of action, puzzle solving, and digital simulation, wrapped in a visual style that feels like a living homage to the early days of computing. The story unfolds within a massive virtual theme park known as Darwinia—a digital world created to simulate the evolution of artificial life. When a viral…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still a great game almost 20 years later.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Never heard of that one, but "Uplink" by Introversion Software (2001) did 😎👍🏻 Brilliant Indie game 😍 They also released the games Darwinia, Scanner Sombre and Defcon.
neutral · AI labelView post →i love the 2005 pahtfinding. I also really appreciated how V-Sauce guided me through the game as emotional support through this tortourous hellhole.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I made 20+ wallpapers of Darwinia! 😀 (Very nostalgic game for me) Forced the screen to show 16K and got some really nice pics! 📷 Download links for high resolution -> sonigon.com/darwinia-wal... 🙂 #introversionsoftware #darwinia
positive · AI labelView post →Quite a unique little game. Nice blast from the past. Had no problem making this work on the Win 10 and new hardware.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No idea what the Nintendo playtest is going to be but the phrase “voxel Lemmings geoengineering strand game” is now stuck in my head Also vaguely recalls Darwinia for some reason
neutral · AI labelView post →I remember first playing Darwinia at an IGF exhibition at ACMI back in the day, it was the first time I played something that truly transfixed me, from the weird controls to all the wonderful sounds and music and visuals, I wanted to understand it, to be able to truly appreciate it.
positive · AI labelView post →One of the best classic games ever. It is a brilliant story with a very clever gameplay. It is a digital experience until the end....
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got this game in the Introversion Classics Pack, which I got as a gift years ago from a friend. Unfortunately, that friend told me they got it for me because I played a lot of local multiplayer games, and it turns out that none of the games in the pack are local multiplayer (whoops). I never actually ended up playing any of them at the time, but I decided to try them out now, starting with Darwinia, and while the game did show some promise with a unique low poly art style and an interesting…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a fantastic game. One of the few that surprisingly make you sympathize and care about pixels on the screen, 2d creatures with extremely simple design. I played this game as a kid, and replaying it was just as pleasant. It starts off easy and slowly becomes more challenging, but completing a level always feels rewarding. It's truly one of a kind game, highly recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →little buddy defender the game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Literally the most fun I've had from a game as of recent. this games an amazing play.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☐ Good ☑ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☑ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☑ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☑ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some how this game manages to be a masterpiece of squad based tactical command. There's no other game like this, except for Infested Planet which you should also try, and probably others. The evolution of the game goes from progressing into the environments and conquering the locations from which you can now spawn your units, closer to the front line. All the while you are researching upgrades that expand your capabilities. It all feels good. That's enough of a review. I want to goo eat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i'm not good at strategy games but this game made me feel like gaius iulius caesar
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun casual offline game to play through
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most original multigenre indie games I've ever played.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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