Niche - a genetics survival game
Stray Fawn Studio · 2017 · Turn-Based Strategy, Adventure, Puzzle, Singleplayer, Nature
PC
Very Positive89% · 4,32437playing now
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About Niche - a genetics survival game
✦ AI summary
Breed and evolve your own species of animal through realistic genetics while keeping them alive against predators, disease, and environmental threats in procedurally generated worlds. This roguelike strategy sim combines survival strategy with actual genetic mechanics, letting you learn population biology by playing.
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 skills
- Breeding system based on real genetics
- Over 100 genes to shape your species
- Procedurally generated worlds and animals
- Five biomes featuring different predators, prey and flora to explore
- Game mechanics inspired on population genetics
Games/books that inspired us:
- Spore
- Don’t Starve
- The Creatures Series
- Warrior Cats
Educational 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.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
i blame this game for my intense interest in genetics since i was like 123 found this helpful
It's a very cool concept, kinda scratches the same evolutionary itch as spore. But in Niche it doesn't feel great, it feels slow to make any progress, you can (through generations) create offspring that are decent, but either you run out of genetic immunity or you're managing a massive pack. Managing a massive pack feels rough because it takes one or more turn to mate, and then you need to wait for the offspring to grow before it can keep up with the pack, so every time you need new pack members, you need to stop and slow down. Additionally, and potentially the worst part of my experience- bugs, sometimes pack members wouldn't be able to move, full stop- their only option would be to sit there and wait until they die of old age, this happened multiple times in my 7 hours of playing. Another bug would result in invisible barriers, they would appear and disappear without reason, sometimes I'd have to start swimming around the island before the barrier would vanish. Maybe it's something to do with my PC since I can't see any other reviews mentioning these bugs, so you could buy the game and be fine (probably). It's fun for a while, but I don't think it's worth the £15 price tag.1 found this helpful
i literally have no idea what im doing but the creatures are so cute1 found this helpful
Quite fun, but also quite difficult in later game! I guess I just really suck at long term strategizing! xD A super cool mechanic for people that have big-brain energy!
Pretty neat, not too complicated but it is... niche
so much fun and i will keep coming back for more
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