
$93.00
Niche - a genetics survival game is a turn-based strategy game combined with simulation and roguelike elements. Shape your own species of animals based on real genetics. Keep your species alive against all odds, such as predators, climate change and spreading sickness.
Niche - a genetics survival game is a fresh blend of turn-based strategy and simulation combined with roguelike elements. Shape your own species of cat/fox/bear/dog-like animals based on real genetics. Keep your animals alive against all odds, such as hungry predators, climate change and spreading sickness. If your species goes extinct the game is lost and your evolution needs to start anew.Key Features:Living, dynamic world to test your survival skillsBreeding system based on real geneticsOver 100 genes to shape your speciesProcedurally generated worlds and animalsFive biomes featuring different predators, prey and flora to exploreGame mechanics inspired on population geneticsGames/books that inspired us:SporeDon’t Starve The Creatures SeriesWarrior CatsEducational aspects:While playing Niche, the player is introduced to the scientific mechanics of genetics (featuring dominant-recessive, co-dominant inheritance, etc). The game also features the five pillars of population genetics (genetic drift, genetic flow, mutation, natural selection, sexual selection). All knowledge is interwoven with the game-mechanics. This creates the effect of learning by playing.
Developer
Stray Fawn Studio
Publisher
Stray Fawn Publishing, WhisperGames
Release Date
21 Sep, 2017
Platforms
Reviews
4,263
Languages
English*, German*, French*, Spanish - Spain*, Portuguese - Brazil*, Traditional Chinese*, Simplified Chinese*, Russian*, Japanese*, Polish**languages with full audio support
Minimum
Minimum:OS *: Windows Vista®, Windows® 7, Windows® 8, Windows® 10Processor: 2 GHz Dual CoreMemory: 4 GB RAMGraphics: nVidia® 8800 GT / AMD® 4670 or fasterDirectX: Version 9.0cStorage: 2 GB available space
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I'm a bit split on if I should recommend the game or not. The graphics are charming, it has a unique gameplay loop, the premise is interesting and the price is very affordable. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy my first two(?) playthroughs. Above all else, however: I don't understand how anyone can find it overly challenging. It is *stupidly* easy to cheese the game by lingering on islands with abundant resources while not over-staying on challenging ones. A sense of completionism, or more specifically, the unlocking of new genes is the only incentive to stick around on unique islands for any time longer than it takes you to cross them, but most traits are not going to be useful in the long run and once you realize the magic sort of disappears. (Arguably, the optimal strategy while playing is to maintain a large population of "generalists", with minimal adaptations to any given island.) One pitfall new players can fall into is the assumption that you are supposed to entirely avoid inbreeding, when the game in fact incentivises it: Rogue males have horrible genetics, random encounters with new nichelings are unreliable AND much of the gameplay involves "curating" the genes of your nichelings, in short: the game expects you to mostly breed within your pack. But that being said, unless you do a self-imposed challenge run, entirely neglect resource gathering or don't breed it's VERY hard to lose. For as interesting of a game as it is conceptually, it is in my opinion a bit shallow in execution. Basically, one of those sandbox games which is fun for some time, but eventually gets pretty boring unless you add an element of personal roleplay and/or challenge. Worth buying if you find yourself intrigued, but go in with tempered expectations.
This game is very relaxing and a way/create to find cool new creatures. You can collect all the genes like Pokemon. It's a place to create your own niches story through the bloodline. One downside is it can get boring over long periods of time and they don't update it much.
I just like this game :D
very fun playing eungenics the game :)