Darkspore

Darkspore
Darkspore cover art
Developer(s)	Maxis Software
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Producer(s)	Thomas Vu[1]
Designer(s)	Paul Sottosanti, Fred Dieckmann[2]
Composer(s)	JunkieXL
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows[3]
Release date(s)	NA April 26, 2011[4] EU April 28, 2011[4]
Genre(s)	Sci-fi Action-RPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer, Cooperative, and Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T
Media/distribution	DVD-ROM, Digital download
System requirements Windows XP/Vista/7

Darkspore is a video game in the original Darkspore universe that borrows the award-winning creature editor technology from the 2008 video game Spore. It is described as "a fast-paced, sci-fi Action-RPG in which the player battles across alien worlds to save the galaxy from the mutated forces of Darkspore."^[5] In addition to the creature editor, it features a unique squad-based mechanic, various multiplayer options, and a PvP arena. The game was released in North America on April 26, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, and in Europe on April 28, 2011.

Plot

The Crogenitors were a race of unrivaled scientists. As masters of genetic manipulation, they used their knowledge to create an army of genetic heroes, often called "living weapons", and established a massive galactic empire. Many of them lived on the planets of their empire and would perform experiments on the populations they oversaw. However, Crogenitor Xylan's discovery of E-DNA—an experimental amino acid that bonds to DNA—changed everything. Capable of achieving a millennium's worth of evolution in a matter of hours, it was used to weaponize life itself.

Unfortunately, E-DNA proved unstable. All of the subjects who came in contact with it were transformed into genetic nightmares; each connected to the others through a hive mind known as "The Darkspore". Fearing these new creations, the Crogenitors threw Xylan into exile and outlawed the use of E-DNA. Xylan, believing himself able to control these new entities, then injected himself with E-DNA. This act transformed him into the Corruptor: a mentally unstable, but extraordinarily powerful, master of all Darkspore and bent on infecting the planets of the Crogenitor empire through the use of E-DNA bombs.

The first planet to fall was Zelem's Nexus, home of the most brilliant Crogenitor scientist. During the resulting war, almost all genetic heroes were slaughtered, the majority of all Crogenitors were killed, and the Crogenitor empire dissipated, star by star. Retreating to their home planet, the Crogenitors put selected companions into cryogenic pods and launched them into space mere minutes before the Corruptor's final attack. Four of the surviving Crogenitors returned to their base planets and, accompanied by the AI network HELIX, were tasked with constructing new living weapons, untouched by Darkspore, to help support the resistance of the native populations. The final surviving Crogenitor was left sleeping indefinitely in an enormous laboratory spacecraft, awaiting the moment when the HELIX network had stabilized the E-DNA. After 1000 years of calculation, the HELIX succeeded. The 5th Crogenitor awoke and began to gather the surviving genetic heroes, strengthening them with the power of the stabilized E-DNA.

As the game begins, the player takes on the role of this 5th Crogenitor. Starting with only a few brave heroes, your goal is to purge the Darkspore from the galaxy, moving ever closer to your ultimate goal of destroying the Corruptor.

In the end, after building your army of genetic heroes and eliminating Darkspore on each of the base planets, the Corruptor's hideout is located on the ruined desert planet of Scaldron. Ultimately, the Corruptor is defeated, and exploding into a burst of white light. After his demise, all that remains of him is the mask of Xylan, laying lifeless on the ground.

In the closing moments of the game, HELIX then informs the player that without their leader, the Darkspore forces are splintering and life is returning to normal on the various planets that you have aided. The game then zooms back down to Scaldron where Xylan's mask lay dormant on the ground, but one of the mask's eye holes flickers red before the screen fades out...^[6]

Characters

The heroes or "Living Weapons" are divided in five genesis types: Plasma, Quantum, Bio, Cyber, and Necro. Plasma genesis deals with fire and electricity, Quantum genesis deals with time-space and matter ability, Bio genesis deals with plants, animals, poisons and life-force, Cyber genesis use bullets and energy beams, Necro genesis deals with death, darkness, fear, souls, and twisting reality. A subdivision of the heroes divided them in Sentinel, Ravager and Tempest heroes. Sentinels are bulky beings with high defense and melee powers but are very slow, Ravagers have balanced stats and high speed, Tempests are heroes with ranged attacks and support abilities. Although there are only 25 basic heroes, the player will be able to unlock 3 other "genetic variants" of each hero, raising the number of total heroes to 100. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants exist, each of them with a unique ability different for each genetic types. The Darkspore enemies also follow the genesis division, but have different ranks.

• Zrin - Zrin was a lowly criminal and was kept in a prison on Cryos until the Darkspore mutated his guards, leaving Zrin to slowly die. When he was at the end, Crogenitor Ptyron appeared before him and painfully transformed him, gaining the power of Plasmagenesis. His left hand and minor circulatory system became engulfed in a biological plasma, enabling him to manipulate magma, lava, fire and electric plasma, and incinerate almost any obstacle. He also gained incredible endurance and tough skin. The Darkspore offered Zrin Power, Fun and Revenge, with the title of "The Sun Fist", as a Plasma Sentinel. His left hand is constantly aflame while the right hand is crossed by electric sparks, and he wears two metallic gauntlets on his forearms.^[7]
• Vex - Vex worked as a mechanic in Zelem Nexus' teleporter system, not knowing that a Crogenitor scientist named Zelem was actually observing how the radiation from the reactors would effect the engineers. While he was trying to activate a teleporter, Vex accidentally naturally teleported into the enclave of Zelem. Scared by the horrified appearance of Zelem's hulking size, Vex began teleporting casually throughout the laboratory, destroying nearly everything and unwillingly making his powers increasingly-stronger on each shift, subsequently becoming a Quantum Ravager. When the Darkspore invaded the nexus, he used this ability to fight them gaining the title "the Chrono Shifter". He fights using two temporal blades set on his forearms that slow down enemies he attacks.^[8]
• Sage - Sage, a scientist who initially warned the Crogenitors about the power of E-DNA, was forced to watch as his home world, Verdanth, was destroyed by the unstable substance. Re-engineering his bio-technology as a weapon, Sage gained healing powers and control over flora and fauna. He has vowed to free his planet from the Darkspore. He is a Bio Tempest, and appears similar to a mix between a centaur and a tree. He is now known as "The Life Forester" and his weapon is an energy cannon fixed in place of his right hand.^[9]
• Goliath - Goliath is a Cyber Sentinel from the planet Infinity. According to the legend he descended from a tecnomartial order. But the truth is another. Once forced to flee for his life as a fugitive, he was found by Crogenitor Suzu, nearly dead after burning in a pool of acid. Suzu healed him and gave him a weapon, the powerful Electric Sword, and was able to wipe out his chasers, and now defends all innocent fugitives and exiles in his battle against the mutants as "The Energy Guardian".^[10]
• Arakna - One of the many horrific breeding experiments of Crogenitor Ingto, and an esteemed and feared member of the Nocturni Legion, Arakna is known as "the Soul Collector" for her ability to harness the neuro-intellectual energy that holds identities and secrets of her fallen opponents. Feeding her thousands of young in her egg sack, she fights on to fulfill her duty in the Legion. She is a Necro Ravager similar to a spider and her weapon is a neuro based gun set on her abdomen.^[11]
• Meditron - An explorer from Infinity and an ex-medic, Meditron returned from a long trip to find his home infested by the Darkspore. He fled for safety, trying to spread to news of the invasion and went into hiding in a crevasse called Iktotom's Skull, where he discovered an old refuge of Crogenitor Suzu and used that technology to re-purpose his healing nanobots to harm and control his enemies and to assist his allies. He then encountered the Insurgency and joined them as the "Repair-Bot". He is a Cyber Tempest with six legs and possesses a laser device that shoots swarms of nano-bots in place of his right hand.^[12]
• Blitz - Once a simple reptiloid, Blitz, "The Storm Striker", armed with a pair of claw gauntlets and possessing control over electro plasma, and his twelve sibling were all mutated in powerful and sapiens beings by Crogenitor Ptyron. He has traveled across the frozen lands of Cryos after the shattering of its old civilization because of the ice age, losing almost all of his siblings to start a new life in the equatorial area of the planet. There he become a leader and began to organize a new society creating bands of warriors, hunters and those who had something to contribute to society. He is ever willing to fight against anyone who threatens this newfound peace, and is determined to defeat the Darkspore. He is a Plasma Ravager.^[13]
• Jinx - Jinx was one of the many Nocturni gifted with Necrogenetic powers, these were "gifted" by the Crogenitor Ingto when he destroyed the web of life between the Bioforms and the Necroform spirits of Nocturna. These powers were far from a blessing, as many of the "Chosen" Nocturni died in their infancy,with only the Strongest surviving;,Jinx was the Strongest of these.Why Jinx joined the Nocturni Legion, the military force that conquered her people, was a mystery,Some believed she was a Traitor,Some believed that she was working as a Spy and some thought that she had been brainwashed by one of the Nocturni Eternals. But eventually she broke with the Legion when she rose to the rank of commander and vowed to destroy its leadership. Jinx, and followers loyal to her, turned on their fellow commanders in a devastating betrayal. Employing powers she'd kept hidden from the Legion, Jinx hurled dark matter devastators—darma—like necrotic grenades at her former Legion-mates. Taking her finest warriors with her back to their ancestral hives, Jinx sought to liberate her enslaved people. She might have succeeded, had the Darkspore invasion not forced her to change her target from worldly to interplanetary as "The Dark Reaper". She is a Necro Tempest similar to a mosquito with four large wings and two arms and fights with a dreadful staff to channel her powers.^[14]
• Magnos - Possessing the natural (and mutated) ability to manipulate mass and gravity to be able to absorb radiation and cosmic rays thanks to Zelem, Magnos became the strongest wrestler of his clan, defeating all of opponents in the rings of Zelem's Nexus until the Darkspore attack. He then formed a team with his mightiest opponents (the few who he let survive) to oppose the Darkspore, even being able to rip apart a Darkspore Dreadnought with their armored hands. After, he joined the Insurgency with the title of "The Binary Star Sentinel". He is a Quantum Sentinel who fight only with his physical strength and his clawed hands.^[15]
• Tork - Tork, also known as "The Fungal King", is a Bio Tempest from the planet Verdanth. He uses a pump-mask on his face to pump spores through a pack on his back that will put enemies to sleep. Before the Darkspore invaded, he was a scoundrel and outcast who took whatever he could from anyone until he could overpower. Crogenitor Astra, disgusted by his behavior, kidnapped him and used him as a test subject for a decade to teach him a lesson. After a decade, Astra allowed him to escape and save the rest of Astra's test subjects. He is equipped with a pair of gas cannons set on his forearms.
• Titan - Titan, called "The Impenetrable", is a quadrupedal Cyber Sentinel. He has shoulder-mounted machine-guns and large feet powerful enough to cause small earthquakes with a single stomp. One of the last of his kind, Titan was an engineer on the super-polluted Infinity. Building soaring towers and vast bridges, delighting in the power of his mind to connect and create, Titan dreamed of resurrecting the ancient factory-cities to make his world alive again. But working alone for decades took its toll on Titan's body, until the day he fell to his death... Only to be resurrected by Crogenitor Suzu. For Titan, it seemed like a nightmare transformed into a dream. He remembered plummeting horribly, his body battered against steel and rock before crashing into a toxic tailings pond. And then blackness, and agony...and finally, a symphony of electrical sensation. His body surged with the energy and power of his rebuilt, Cybernetically infused body. Reborn for forces he did not understand, Titan emerged from Suzu's enclave to continue his vast project of rebuilding his word. But the Darkspore descended to incinerate those dreams. Repurposing whatever Reparibots he could find into his own personal legion, Titan shifted from resurrector to destroyer, specializing in guerrilla raids that taunted his enemies. Defended by his personally-designed energy shield and conflicting consultative blasts at will against ensnared enemies, Titan vowed to wipe out the Darkspore on his world, so he could live long enough to put down the weapons of chaos for his beloved tools of order.
• Andromeda - Andromeda is a Quantum Tempest. She is very humanoid in appearance, albeit sporting wing-like appendages, tentacle-like hair, four-jointed legs, and a tail. She carries around a staff and is known as "The Gravatic Warmaster". Before the Darkspore invaded, she was an elite engineer on Zelem's Nexus. She became a hero when she used her experience to avoid the collision between her floating home island Mishina and a dozen of other islands, and since that she was Zelem's favorite apprentice, calling her "his child" until he was killed during the Darkspore attack. She uses a staff to channel her powers.
• Wraith - Wraith is a Necro Sentinel know as "the Spectre of Vengeance". He resembles a werewolf with an avian skull for a mask. He carries around a large axe as a weapon and can turn transparent to elude attacks . Before the Darkspore invaded, he was a necro guardian, one of the energy wielder beings that kept the life and the necrotic energies stable on Nocturna, something that became increasingly difficult as Crogenitor Ingto had ravaged the membrane that separates the two worlds, until the Nocturni Legion conquered his clan and forced him into the hiding in one of the nearby mines. There the enormous concentration of necrotic radiation mutated him, granting him the necro genesis. Wraith then fled, obliterating all who stood in his way. And when the Darkspore toppled the Legion, Wraith fell upon them with even greater fury.
• SRS-42 - SRS-42 certainly deserves the titles of Living Weapon and "the Missile Commander ". He is a Cyber Tempest that resembles a walking army tank. He can fire missiles that hone in on enemies and cause area damage. After having been nearly killed by a deadly neurotoxin that was accidentally released into the factory he worked at on Infinity, he was resurrected by Crogenitor Suzu as a Cyborg. With the powerful missiles equipped on his body he was capable to destroy an armada of Darkspore, even their battle machines. His special abilities allow him to work at a distance or charge in for short periods of time with invulnerability. Being stationary for 5 seconds increases the damage SRS-42 can do to the Darkspore. He is bipedal, has no arms and is considerably less agile than Titan.
• Krel - Krel is a Plasma Ravager that resembles a demonic canine-like beast. He is known as "The Living Firestorm". Seeing how desperate Krel was to protect his children on Cryos, Crogenitor Ptyron granted him the power of fire and electroplasma. Unfortunately, all of Krel's children were killed by the Darkspore, and Krel is now the last of his kind. He is the only Living Weapon that doesn't belong to a sapient species. He use his teeth and claws as a weapon together with plasma breath and a tri-cannon set on his shoulders that shoot fiery darts.
• Viper - Viper is a Bio Ravager known as "The Toxic Ravager". Originally a guerrilla weapon maker from Verdanth, he see all of the legions he had armed, fall after the Darkspore. He the n was kidnapped by Crogenitor Astra and mutate to be ten times stronger than his kind. He became a guerrilla leader, and after some time his skin evolved to be poisonous. His military success however, prompted The Corruptor to spread a lethal virus on Verdanth. He resembles a cross between a cactus and a cricket with four arms and his weapons are a pair of wrist mounted blades that draw poison from his skin.
• Maldri - Maldri is known as "The Quantum Raider" and is a very special hero. He is an extremely powerful Quantum Ravager and is quite unique in appearance. However, those who pre-order Darkspore will automatically unlock his gamma variant on day one. Once a burglar he is the only one who sees the Darkspore invasion as an occasion... for looting. While raiding Zelem's abandoned enclave on the Nexus, he accidentally activated a laser device that gave him his Quantum powers. He uses a pair of wrist-mounted sickles and his hind-legs to attack. The "gamma" variant of Maldri is unlocked at the start of the game for players who pre-ordered their copy of Darkspore, while the Alpha variant can be unlocked when you reach the Crogenitor level 11.
• Orion - Also known as "The Lightspeed Tempest", Orion was originally a technician on Zelem's Nexus. One Day Zelem sent out a wave of energy from his enclave that heavily hit the Nexus' power plant's center of a near island. All in the building fled except Orion and he was hit by the energy wake granting Quantum Tempest powers. By instinct Orion used his new-found powers to avoid the collision of two highly populated islands, almost losing is life. When the Darkspore attacked he went into hiding and then joined the Insurgency. He travels with a hover-pack and two of his four hands hold a pair of celestial blasters that damage enemies greatly, but at the cost of increasing the enemy's speed with every hit.
• Lumin - Also called "The Lightning Provoker", Lumin is a Plasma Tempest from Cryos. Lumin was once a hero that led his warriors against the Darkspore. However, many of his warriors and friends were infected by the Darkspore virus and he was forced to kill them. This brought him to the brink of insanity. After finding him, Crogenitor Ptyron realized that the only hope to heal him was to give him another chance to save his people. So he give him Plasma lightning-based powers that Lumin channeled across his staff.
• Skar - Skar "The Shadow of Death" is a Necro Ravager from Nocturna. Like many other nocturni he was genetically altered by Crogenitor Ingto. He later joined the Nocturni Legion, and he would have been able reaching ultimate power on Nocturna if not forced into hiding after the Darkspore invaded the planet. He plans to rule Nocturna one day after the Darkspore are all gone. He is similar to centaur-like spider and his weapon is a pair of small daggers set on his wrists. He is able to turn invisible and his attacks are more dangerous if dealt behind the enemy.
• Revenant - Revenant is a member of the Nocturni Legion and is known as "Deathraider of the Stars." He was given his cosmic abilities from Crogenitor Ingto, when he used the orphan as a subject of his experiments. Until the Darkspore invaded, Revenant had never faced defeat before, and now dreams of slaughtering the Corruptor himself. This Necro Tempest has three legs and uses the mystical crystal set on his head to channel his necro powers.
• Arborus - Arborus is a Bio Sentinel from Verdanth. He is known as "The Veridian Protector", and was granted the power to reshape the natural environment of his world by Crogenitor Astra as like some others verdanthi used as test subjects for an experiments. However he surpasses every else. He is a hulking being, similar to an ogre or a troll mixed with a tree with four arms and a heavy spiked wooden club.
• Savage - Savage, "Lord of the Beasts", is a Bio Sentinel from Verdanth. After his parents were killed in a massive earthquake as a child, he ran into the rain forests, where he became more like a beast, especially because he possesses the rare ability to communicate with the animals. One day he was directed by Crogenitor Astra to a field of specifically designed mutagenic fungus, that transformed him, granting him of an enhanced version of his ability and making him similar of his companions. He then became the king of the local wildlife, sometimes saving the lives of missing verdanthi until the Darkspore conquered, where he fought alongside his powerful pet. His weapon is a pair of gauntlets on his forearms with long curved blades.
• Char - Char is a Plasma Tempest from Cryos and is known as "The Blazing Inferno". He was originally a destroyer, a hunter of criminals, but not even he could catch everyone; and when he was left to die from the wounds a team of rebels scarred him with, Crogenitor Ptyron healed him and gave him the ability to use pyrokinesis. He has two eyes, a flat face, five oddly-positioned legs, but no arms.
• Seraph-XS - Seraph-XS also called "The Infiltrator", is a Cyber Ravager from the planet Infinity. She is the last surviving Combot, a cyborg war drone used by the Randayn faction in their civil wars, but was reprogrammed by Crogenitor Suzu to have free will and a personality, hoping she'd be able to one day live a meaningful life, free of Darkspore. She has four legs and two arms with a grenade-launching cannon in place of her right hand.

Non-Hero characters

• Zelem - The most brilliant Crogenitor scientist. Along with the other Crogenitors, Zelem in the past created multiple living weapons using the Quantum genesis; unlike many of the other Crogenitor scientists, he had few qualms injuring innocent people while seeking to strengthen the resistance to the Darkspore hordes. Unfortunately, all but four of his quantum heroes perished during the first coordinated attack on Zelem's Nexus by the Darkspore, now known as "The Nexus Massacre". When the Darkspore invaded Zelem's Nexus, he tried to flee, but met his demise in the Outer Rings of the Nexus.
• Ptyron - Crogenitor Ptyron is the surviving Crogenitor that landed on Cryos and is the largest of them. He seemed to be the most kindhearted of them: instead of seeking powerful beings to turn into living weapons, he gave the power of the Plasma genesis to the ones who touched him. Even before the Darkspore invasion he had tried to help the frozen planet, but it is unknown if he is responsible for the white hole incident.
• Astra - Astra landed on Verdanth a long time ago. He appreciated the positive qualities but employed questionable methods for his goals. He created living weapons from the Bio genesis. When the Darkspore attacked he saw it as the perfect excuse for experimentation of new lifeforms.
• Suzu - The Crogenitor that resided on Infinity. He, like Ptyron, has a kind personality helping the suffering people of the super polluted Infinity with his Cyber genesis modifications.
• Ingto - Like Zelem, Ingto had no problems with performing dangerous experiments on the people of Nocturna and on the planet itself, as his goal was to wipe out the majority of the population and then mutate the strongest in powerful soldiers. His plans were however halted by the invasion of the mutants. Long ago he ripped the membrane that separates the living world to the world of dead on Nocturna, making it unstable.
• Xylan - Crogenitor Xylan is the one who discovered E-DNA. After Verdanth fell under siege, Xylan was thrown into exile and tried to transfect himself with E-DNA, but his plan went awry, mutating and becoming The Corruptor, leader of the Darkspore. After the Crogenitors fled Verdanth, Xylan revealed himself to be The Corruptor to all the other Crogenitors, and E-DNA experimentation was then outlawed. After this, Xylan fled to planet Cryos, where he gathered five Crogenitors similar to him and turned them into the Destructors, the game's bosses.
• The Player - The player is the last of the surviving Crogenitors to awaken. He has remained dormant in a cryogenic capsule aboard of one of the last Crogenitor ships for 1000 years, until he was awoken by the A.I. HELIX, that informed him of his task to create the Insurgency.
• HELIX - The A.I. network of the Crogenitor fleet, HELIX was tasked to awaken the Crogenitors and purify the E-DNA, a task that succeeded after 1000 years of elaboration. It awakens the player, one of the last of the surviving Crogenitors. It speaks with a soft feminine voice.
• The Destructors - These five Crogenitors allied themselves with The Corruptor and became the most powerful Darkspore after him. All of them belong to one of the genetic types, and are at the command of one of the five planets presented in the game. Their names are : Merak, Nashira, Orcus, Polaris and Arcturus.
• The Darkspore - These horrible nightmares have a hive mind and an unstoppable instinct to kill everything on sight. They are indeed intelligent but not sentient, and require someone to lead them in a true battle.

Abilities

Each hero possesses one basic attack, used by left-clicking; one unique ability, used by pressing 1; one variant ability, used by pressing 2; a passive ability that is always active; and a squad ability, used by pressing 3,4, or 5. The squad abilities can be used by all members of the squad. Passive abilities of the squad members are available to the current hero (improved during Overdrive), or by using Revenant's Soul Link ability. Some passive abilities, like Tork's Rampant Growth aura, can help the heroes of other players in on the team. Each ability, except the passive, has a cooldown time.

Planets

• Zelem's Nexus – Home of Quantumgenesis. Once a peaceful planet called Nakto, it was destroyed when its sun Zee-Nakto collapsed into a black hole, dubbed Wha Nakto. Zelem attempted to preserve this world by creating an artificial gravity-field, but even then the planet was nothing more than a series of floating isles that collided continuously. After their takeover, however, the Darkspore were able to perfect the gravity ring. It currently serves as the main base for the Darkspore. The fearless Crogenitor Zelem resided long time ago on this planet.

The Destructor that awaits the player at the end of the Nexus is Polaris, the Gravity Manipulator, a black hole-generating mastermind who can manipulate gravity and space time to warp at will.^[16]

• Nocturna - Home of Necrogenesis. It has three moons and is constantly detached by the sunlight so it is also called the planet of eternal night. Nocturna was the second planet to fall victim to the Darkspore Siege after a barrage of Mutation Agents bombarded the planet. It was the home world of the Nocturni Legion, a fighting force led by the Nocturni Ethernals that have conquered many peoples of the planet. Habituated to fight between each other the population of Nocturna didn' t react immediatily at the invasion, and were easily conquered. The main features of this planet are rivers of liquid plasma, gigantic crystalline formations, and large moving plants. Plasma storms are seen inside the mountains of the planet, and the plants and creatures native to Nocturna are usually bioluminescent. The cruel Crogenitor Ingto resides on this planet.

The Destructor that awaits the player at the end of Nocturna is Nashira, the Shadow Void, the insectoid queen who's fearsome power frightens even the other darkspore on her planet.

• Verdanth - Home of Biogenesis. Verdanth was once a bright, beautiful, lush world full of rainforests of jungles, but after the Darkspore invaded, the civilizations quickly fell into ruin, and the wildlife became a dreadful danger, mutated by the power of E-DNA. The verdanthi are a highly advanced society, both spiritually and scientifically, and once a generation a few of them are born with the ability to comprehend the animals' languages. The mysterious Crogenitor Astra resides on this planet.

The Destructor that awaits the player at the end of Verdanth is Orcus, Devourer of Life, the emperator of all mutated animals. Orcus can summon minions to attack, or consume them to regain health, and long time ago he was a bacteria specialist.

• Infinity - Home of Cybergenesis. Infinity is a heavily-polluted planet covered in poisoned oceans and factories. Many of the inhabitants have either fled or perished due of the pollution, or during the many civil wars that the uncontrolled industrialization brought. The majority of those who remained were either outcasts, bounty hunters, zealots or mobs, competing with each other for whatever resources still remained. Most of the surviving inhabitants are cyborgs, who require neither food or water, and were thus able to survive the supply shortages. As it possessed very few defenses, the Darkspore easily conquered this planet and enslaved all the remaining natives. The kindhearted Crogenitor Suzu resides on this planet.

The Destructor that awaits the player at the end of this planet is Arcturus, the Cybernetic Colossus, a hulking robotic being who attacks with missiles and lasers.

• Cryos – Home of Plasmagenesis, Cryos is a planet currently in a state of extreme ice age that has destroyed nearly all the local fauna, including the planet's population. In an attempt to heat the planet, the Crogenitors placed a "white hole" in its core; a nearly infinite source of heat. However, this only worsened the situation; now the planet is covered with rivers of molten plasma, though it still remains frozen. The Darkspore easily conquered this planet after a combined attack of all the Destructors, whom wiped out all of the escaped Crogenitor residing on the planet. Harboring a unique variety of geological features, Cryos contains ancient Crogenitor technology that the Darkspore have yet managed to discover. The passionate Crogenitor Ptyron resided on this planet.

The Destructor that awaits the player at the end of this planet is the very first ally of the Corruptor, Merak, the Devastator, a towering golem made of lava that harnesses the power of plasmatic energy to destroy his enemies.^[17]

• Scaldron – Scaldron was once called Preceptum, the Crogenitor's homeworld, but now is an endless wasteland, containing only a few of ruins of the once glorious civilization. Life had never evolved here, so the Crogenitors made the planet suitable for all 5 genesis types. The Corruptor uses this planet as his hideout.

Hero Editor

See also: Spore Creature Creator

The Hero editor in Darkspore has been described as an enhanced version of the one found in Spore. There are thousands of parts to collect, enabling the customization of several aspects of the characters, including body parts, armor, weapons, facial features and coloration. The hero remains recognizable but at the same time unique.^[18]

Alternate Reality Game

HelpEDNA was a Darkspore ARG that went online in mid 2010. It plays out as a puzzle text adventure which gives clues on the Darkspore game, and is set before the events of the game.

HelpEDNA is a puzzle text adventure, in which you play as a contact that has begun receiving messages from an unknown character. Players must register for the site with a user name and password, and log in before joining the game. Players were at first required to ask questions of the character, which would be answered, before receiving puzzles, one of which revealed the time and location of Darkspore's reveal at the PAX game conference. After many challenging mathematical puzzles were solved by the players, the site was updated, disabling the ability to ask questions or solve new puzzles, instead requiring players to work out genetic calculations, charging them with the task of creating the E-DNA genome for the abilities of the game's heroes. Players had to process 10 000 genes in order to complete all of them. After the completion of Meditron, Magnos, Blitz, Arakna, and Jinx, the website's genetic conversion system went unresponsive for several days, before it reactivated with updated text and two newly completed heroes, Goliath, and Tork. Tork had not yet been revealed on the main Darkspore website at the time. The website soon also featured two short in-game videos of Tork. After Tork's revealing, a new hero, Titan, was revealed, also with two short videos of the hero. Following that, another video was shown that featured an unknown hero. Eventually, on 15 October 2010, the number of genes to be processed reached 55, and stopped. Anyone logging into the site from now on will the usual partially corrupted text before it suddenly gives way to a stream of corrupted text data with a message from the Darkspore, stating that they have conquered yet again. The game is over, but still has an epilogue page containing a message from Maxis, and links to all of the pictures and videos from the website.

Plot

Establishing a connection with an unknown source, a contact begins receiving data and messages from a mysterious person who claims to have been isolated in space for more than two million years, and is in danger of being tracked down by another malignant source. After receiving some garbled information, the contact is prompted to ask questions of the person. The person is soon revealed to in fact be a social computer AI known as the HELIX, in a galaxy almost completely conquered by the Darkspore, a strain of aggressive, swarming mutants. Because of these mutants' attempts to track it down, the HELIX was forced to disconnect from the mass network that connected it to all other computer AIs. After completing several puzzles, receiving new information, and processing corrupted text feeds activated by entering select keywords into the HELIX's localized network, the contact is charged with the task of purifying 10, 000 eDNA genes before they mutate into Darkspore strains. The resulting genes were to form the basis for the abilities of the powerful heroes selected to fight the Darkspore. The contact gets to work, assisting the HELIX with processing ten thousand genes. After processing Meditron, Magnos, Blitz, Arakna and Jinx, a virus suddenly causes the HELIX to go into security shutdown mode, rendering the contact unable to finish processing the genomes. But soon the HELIX reactivates, plagued with data corruption but bearing the sequences for two heroes, Goliath and Tork. The contact soon resumes work on the genes, completing the sequences for a hero known as Titan as well as an unknown hero. As the contact processes the final genes, with the gene count down to 55, the contact logs onto the network only to have the message degrade into a stream of unintelligible, corrupted data. The Darkspore's computer virus had finally cracked the HELIX's link to the contact. Three cold, chilling words stand out: "WE HAVE YOU - One life, one purpose - Darkspore expands". The mutants had conquered again...

The website now eventually displays the message:

"WE HAVE YOU
one life, one purpose

DARKSPORE EXPANDS"

while the background is filled with white corrupted coding that scrolls down continuously.

It was then revealed on the Darkspore forum that the ARG was designed by some of the Maxis team members to give away small bits of information regarding the game, announce new heroes and plot details, and advertise the game.

DRM

In addition to a serial key registration, Darkspore requires a persistent, broadband internet connection and an EA account in order to play the game after installation.^[19]

Beta

Wednesday 13 April 2011 the Darkspore Open BETA test opened for business. Unlike the previous BETA sessions, no beta key was required for download, and it was completely free. Players could unlock up to 15 heroes (or 18 via a glitch) and play up to the game's level 3-4. All existing accounts from the previous sessions had been wiped, and were wiped once more before the game's launch.^[20] The open beta test ended on April 23, 2011.

Reception

Darkspore has received mixed reviews, with an average of 65% on Metacritic.^[21]

See also

• Spore

References

1. ^ "Developer Introductions: Meet the Makers". Forum.ea.com. http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/1261263.page. Retrieved 2011-06-10. 
2. ^ Game credits, (screenshot)
3. ^ "Darkspore FAQ". Forum.ea.com. http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/1261092.page. Retrieved 2011-06-10. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Reilly, Jim (2011-03-18). "Darkspore Delayed". IGN Entertainment. http://pc.ign.com/articles/115/1156425p1.html. Retrieved 2011-03-18. 
5. ^ Darkspore overview from the official website
6. ^ Plot^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Living Weapons - Zrin^{[dead link]}
8. ^ Living Weapons - Vex^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Living Weapons - Sage^{[dead link]}
10. ^ Living Weapons - Goliath^{[dead link]}
11. ^ Living Weapons - Arakna^{[dead link]}
12. ^ Living Weapons - Meditron^{[dead link]}
13. ^ Living Weapons - Blitz^{[dead link]}
14. ^ Living Weapons - Jinx^{[dead link]}
15. ^ Living Weapons - Magnos^{[dead link]}
16. ^ Planets - Zelem's Nexus^{[dead link]}
17. ^ Planets - Cryos^{[dead link]}
18. ^ "Darkspore Editor Maxis". Darkspore.com. http://www.darkspore.com/editor.php. Retrieved 2011-06-10. 
19. ^ "Darkspore requires constant Internet connection (Update)". Destructoid. 2006-03-16. http://www.destructoid.com/darkspore-requires-constant-internet-connection-on-pc-196271.phtml. Retrieved 2011-06-10. 
20. ^ "Darkspore - Home". Gb.darkspore.com. http://gb.darkspore.com. Retrieved 2011-06-10. 
21. ^ "Darkspore on Metacritic". Metacritic. 2011-04-26. http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/darkspore. Retrieved 2011-11-24. 

External links

• Official game website
• Official Spore website
• Darkspore guide at StrategyWiki