''Niche: A Genetics Survival Game'' is an

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

simulation video game developed and published by Stray Fawn Studio, and was released on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

Early Access for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Mac OS Two major famlies of Mac operating systems were developed by Apple Inc. In 1984, Apple debuted the operating system that is now known as the "Classic" Mac OS with its release of the original Macintosh System Software. The system, rebranded "M ...

, and

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

-based systems on September 15, 2016 after a successful

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

crowd-funding campaign. Its main aim is to breed certain traits or genes into a group of canine or feline creatures to make the pack genetically perfect for its environment.

Gameplay

The game starts off with the player choosing story mode, a quick how-to tutorial or sandbox mode, where the player chooses their animals and terrain for their tribes and environment and a short cut-scene of a tribe of nichelings living on an island. A large bird takes a child niche and tries to fly off with him but he falls onto a random island. This starts off the game by playing as a nicheling named Adam and the tutorial level. Game play and turns are organized into "days" which gives each animal a few actions of play each day.

Game Mechanics

Niche's game mechanics were inspired by

population genetics Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and between populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as adaptation, speciation, and pop ...

and effectively provide what is considered a fairly realistic genetic gaming experience. Animals can perish due to illness, injury, and even old age, so learning what will help them thrive with consideration to their living environment is key to not only building a solid tribe, but winning the game as well. Niche simulates over 100 genes, houses 4 different biomes with each having their very own predators, plants, and prey. Within the 100 available genes, there are characteristic options which a player can choose in order to realistically develop their own animal species, some of which detail physical characteristics, disease immunity, fertility, and overall dexterity. There are additional genetic options available as the gamer unlocks and utilizes new environments and events in-game.

Development

The game was crowdfunded on

. It was inspired by ''Creatures'', ''

Spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

'', and ''

Don't Starve ''Don't Starve'' is a survival video game developed by the Canadian indie video game developer Klei Entertainment. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on April 23, 2013. A PlayStation 4 port, renamed ''Do ...

''. It is available on

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

. The world and all the animals are procedurally generated. The game was released out of early access on 21 September 2017.

Reception

Critics at ''Metascore'' found the game to be a charismatic infusion of simulation and creative freedom that is strategy-based and fun. Users enjoy the ability to create and develop their own animal tribes while finding ways to best grow their numbers and ultimately keep their tribes thriving. This is a brain game that takes a fun look at serious topics like climate change and disease spread and bases much of its content on real genetic researching. It's a great game that makes using your brain for conservation fun and environmentally smart. This game, though thought-provoking, has not found favor with every game player. Zachary Miller, an Associate Editor wit
Nintendo World Report
states that the game seems geared more towards science and learning than about gaming at all. Miller likens this genetics driven game to "''North Star Games,''
''Evolution''
tabletop game, and wonders where the creative charm is, and notes that the format is clearly developed for PC play and not handheld action because of the many "mouse over" prompts that are filtered into the menu. In a nutshell, Miller finds the game to be generic in totality and fairly uninteresting.

References

External links

Official website
{{Portal bar, Video games 2017 video games Indie video games Kickstarter-funded video games Linux games MacOS games Biological simulation video games Video games about evolution Video games developed in Switzerland Windows games