Darwinia was a stand-out title when it was released in 2005 for PC. It was very much an RTS, but it differed from the rest of the genre by shrinking the overall scope of the game, simplifying the mechanics, and a striking premise and graphical style. Fast-forward to 2010, where Introversion released Darwinia+, which is a bundle of the original game and its companion multiplayer game Multiwinia, on XBLA. This is significant because RTS games have had a hard time making the transition to consoles. Given that the core game itself is unchanged, this might have been a worry if it were any other RTS. However, as it turns out, Darwinia is extremely well-suited to the console experience and show how the genre can work in this environment in three simple ways.

1. Limit the units.

The huge scope of most RTS games is to necessitate the vast amount of units that the player will be producing and promptly giving orders to. This doesn’t translate to consoles simply because the micromanagement required to handle all those units needs a more versatile input method than a controller. However, this isn’t a problem with Darwinia. The game only allows a small handful of normal units at a time. As well, there are only three regular unit types to utilize. While this sounds lacking, the trick is in how they designed the levels and objectives. The layout of the maps isn’t open, but rather several islands of constrained space, which allows for many different possibilities using the limited tools at your disposal. These measures also prevent the player from creating a force so large that the controller can’t handle managing them all. This is the key. To be realistic with what you can do on consoles, you have to do more with less.

2. Provide an avatar for the player to directly control.

More than most RTS games, Darwinia is a game about traversal. The structure of the levels provides linear paths through the maps towards objectives impeded by enemies. This is where the Squad unit comes into play. By themselves, they shoot at any enemies that come near, making them able defenders. However, they can’t move on their own. This is where the player comes in. Rather than providing a procedural order, you directly control one of them, where it takes on controls similar to a twin stick shooter. It works really well and gives the game a sensible ebb and flow, exterminating enemies manually then using your other units to complete the objectives. The player can also take direct control of the stationary turrets and fire from first-person view. The notable thing here is that the places where units can be directly controlled fully exploit the strengths of the controller, filling in the gaps where micromanagement would have been in PC RTS games.

3. Simplify resources.

The other part of micromanagement is collecting different resources to build more units. This is another area where less is more for consoles. Darwinia’s only real resource is the Darwinian souls, which enemies leave behind. They produce Darwinians, which are required for operating many of the objective structures across the maps. The engineer, one of the controllable units, has the job of collecting the souls and bringing them to generators to make Darwinians. You don’t need to command them to since they will automatically collect souls if you don’t give them any other commands. In the same vein, the controllable units themselves don’t require resources to construct. If a unit dies, it can be reconstructed right away at any structure the player controls, effectively replacing a resource penalty with what is essentially a checkpoint system. This reductive approach to resources keeps the spirit of the mechanic intact while simplifying the systems to work on consoles.

This generation has seen many different ports of PC RTS games, all of which are hampered by their control schemes and broad scope. Even games made for consoles have struggled to find footing. This is mostly because developers are unwilling to rethink how they are structured for the benefit of the console experience. Even though it was not made with this experience in mind, Darwinia’s unique design brought successfully to consoles brings hope that we may yet see the RTS stretch successfully beyond the land of the PC.