Throughout history, man has grappled with his origins. Great minds that ranged from Mendel to Mothersbaugh presented their ideas to the stage of time, hoping that their theories would change the world. As of recent, a new wave of creationism has started its push outwards, making for intense debate. Both sides are looking, searching for a definitive work that will win teir war of the words. The Adventures of Darwin is not such a work.

To take a look at developer Vingt-et-un Systems' track record, it's hard to find a game that's instantly recognizable to the casual fan that might be drawn into The Adventures of Darwin. Heck, they may be obscure ven to the flotsam and jetsam that roam the internet only chatting about games. To those who have followed D3 Publisher's Japanese budget line, however, two games stand out--The Splatter Action and The Zombie vs. Ambulance.

Two games, both cult classics among importers. The Splatter Action was one of the first titles to really bring attention from the west to the Simple 2000 line with a funky art style and gameplay reminiscent of the (also) Japanese-only release Splatterhouse: Wankpaku Graffiti. Although never attaining the popularity that The Earth Defense Force franchise did, it was still had a strong import fanbase.

The Zombie vs. Ambulance, on the other hand, was a trainwreck curiosity in the vein of Snakes on a Plane. Featuring visuals and a draw distance that border on inexcusable, the game was a quick and dirty way to combine two of Japan's biggest gaming obsessions circa 2001 in Crazy Taxi and Resident Evil. It was pretty terrible, leaving it to become a joke in some circles.

Thankfully, The Adventures of Darwin proves to be good, with a gameplay mechanic somewhat remnant of Pikmin. In the game, you play as a monkey named Darwin who takes it upon himself to lead his village to survival. To do so, you venture out into the field with an ever-growing army of like-evolved mammals to gather goods and defend yourself from predators lying in wait.

On your way around the varied environments, your group will inevitably encounter several things that will change gameplay mechanics. For the most part, food will be the primary influencer with effects that include additional strength, speed, or the inverse of such.

As well, the collection of resources and items will drastically change the way your tribe works. Resources get invested into specific buildings, which will enable tactical formations and improve battle usefulness. Items found otherwise, such as the rock axe, not only evolve your characters but also allow for further access to the game's later levels.

It's as such that The Adventures of Darwin transcends the typical $20 budget titles and becomes a bit more than typical expectations. The visuals are simplistic, yet work. The same could be said of the gameplay, which will last a typical gamer 10-15 hours--each of which is rather enjoyable.

If anything, the game's biggest flaw is the lack of any sort of prompting to the player. Villagers, who should give some information, do nothing but blather uselessly. Items in the environment have unknown effects until you use them, which make for a hard time starting out. It may be a part of the game design, and it kind of makes sense--but the concept is detestable nonetheless.

So while The Adventures of Darwin isn't a AAA title, nor is it without its flaws, it still manages to be a fun little diversion that's worth a try.