Darwin
Release date: Oct 31, 2024
Developers: Jaden Duchene
Publishers: DIY Studio
Genres: Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie, Racing
Categories: Single-player, Full controller support, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English

Welcome to Slugtopia; Home of a Retro Speedrunner Challenge! Darwin is a daunting gauntlet of an old school speedrunning platformer game. It requires the player to move fast and be agile, but to also be prepared to die. Again. Again. And again. Featuring diverse levels and threats, the adventure is incredibly challenging but focuses on keeping the journey short but sweet, not leaving any room for filler; just a pure adrenaline race to the end, defying all fates and conquering defeats. An old school adventure awaits those young and old alike. Set in the isle known as Slugtopia, take the role of Darwin, a blue gargantuan slug left behind by his herd on a mission to regroup and find his mate; but it's not so easy! FEATURES - Versatile and Capable Player Character Movement: The levels in Darwin can feature great scales and steep risks, and therefore he must be equipped with the mobile means to deal with this environment; Darwin can roll, double jump, wall jump and jump up walls, ground pound, and engage with enemies. The habitat is open for a versatile and quick movement approach with a platforming challenge. Diverse Levels: Each level is host to a unique theme and set of threats often featuring new creatures or obstacles to face. From one area to the next, they tell the story of Darwin finding his way home, and the environment changes subtly to drastically along the way, featuring a short and sweet adventure with a lack of monotony to keep things fresh as new difficult tasks and perils are bestowed before the player. From subterrenean nesting grounds to explosive wurm tunnels, hazardous caverns, steep cliffsides, a magic monkey burrow, and a ravaged factory, there is much to see in the world of Slugtopia. 2 Bosses: Slugtopia is home to a diverse array of threats and vile creatures, but is also home to 2 particularly nasty monstrosities which stand in Darwin's way home. They must go down, one way or another. Retro Art Style: Darwin features a retro nostalgic art style inspired by days of old where pixel beings and visual malformations come together to creature a surreal world separate from reality, home to a new realm dedicated to the old school. Replayability and Unlocked Adventure: Darwin can be a hard game; a very hard game. There are points within the game which a player may feel stuck or frustrated, but it shouldn't be a reason to stop playing. The player can access any level from the start of the game to explore the diverse world and hone their skills. However, true players play from start to finish and get the true story. Recordable Stats: When each level is played, the time, runtime, score, and amount of times the slug has been slaughtered are all tracked and recorded (if chosen to do so) at each level intermission. These stats can then be viewed via the level select screen. Track and keep your highscores and get the best run time! Settings: Modify the game's experience from how the camera follows you to the effects intensity. The control of the experience is in your hands. Controller Support: Hook in a gamepad to have immediate support in-game, or stick to the keyboard keys; whatever your comfort zone is. Achievements and Steam Stats: Your progress through the game is tracked through Steam achievements and both your successes and failures are counted as milestones to show what the player has been through and accomplished. The game will also track various statistics throughout the game, such as the amount of slugberries consumed, killer mushrooms defeated, or high-scores and speedrun information; these statistics can be viewed via the main menu. Can you survive Slugtopia?! Good luck. May your Slug rest in pieces.