Alright, let’s get this bit out of the way. Adapt looks a lot like the planetary parts of Spore. I know it, you know it, and I’m sure the developer knows it too. The promise of evolving and guiding a species through the aeons was something that sold itself to tons of us, but that promise has never quite been fulfilled. Now, Adapt has arisen from the primordial soup to take the evolutionary crown, and it’s looking quite crown-worthy indeed.
In the upcoming Adapt, you’ll design your own species of creature, aiming to survive as long as possible in a world that never ceases its tumultuous cycle of change. This evolutionary survival game has lofty ambitions, looking to simulate the interaction between evolution and the changing conditions of a world, albeit in game form.
What sets Adapt apart from the famous 2008 forerunner is that it’s both smaller and more detailed in scope. You won’t be going from single-celled organism to space-faring superpower in this game, instead it will focus on organic evolution in the face of a constantly shifting set of circumstances. As you play, you’ll have to find the right food and carve out territory to be your species’ home and breeding grounds, all the time earning evolution points which you can spend to customize your creatures.
Every day and season will see the world offer new challenges, some of which your species will be able to survive, some of which will require spending some points to enhance and evolve your animals. Maybe there’s a flood so it’s time to go amphibious, maybe another species wants your land so you’ll need to get some warlike modifications, or maybe you need to head to the mountains so you’ll want a little extra hardiness.
Adapt will let you try to survive in any climate on the planet, from under the sea to the highest places of the world. In addition, the game will feature complex interactions between the many different types of creatures that populate it, working together or starting fights when in their own best interest.
While early in its development, Adapt is a game that’s swimming in a sea of potential and may yet capitalize on the dream that Spore failed to fully realize. If you’d like to get your hands on the game, you can either head to the Steam page and grab the free demo, or if you’re in London between Thursday, April 25 and Saturday, April 27, Adapt will be playable on the WASD show floor.
Should you want to delve further into sims, our guide to the best simulation games on PC will get you the granular gaming you’re looking for. If the call of the wild is calling you, head out the door with our guide to the best open world games you can play in 2024.
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