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I've never been anywhere in the realm of what you'd consider a good RTS player. This doesn't stop me from owning a bunch of different ones that all get played through a level or two and never get picked up again since I feel intimidated by them. The games never make me want to stick with them long enough to get comfortable with the controls let alone start thinking about strategy. Multiwinia looks to be set to change all that, but to what extent? Hit the jump to find out.
I covered a lot of ground in my preview of the game a while back so I'm not going to rehash the exact details of the controls again. The only reason I'm even bringing them up is because the streamlined scheme is perfect for the way the game plays out. There's no need to worry about creating and controlling different groups of units, chances are they'll soon be dead anyway. Instead what you're given is a quick way to grab some or a lot of Darwinians and get them on their merry way. They automatically attack in the only way they know how which might sound limiting but in the context of the world of Multiwinia, it all makes perfect sense. What's there is all the control I need. The game allowed me to get comfortable with the controls in about an hour and spend the rest of the time working on my strategy.
As is the case with anything coming out of the Introversion studios Multiwinia has charm and style to spare. The vector-based graphics could very easily be left to live as they are but Introversion decided to slather them in gloss and various particle effects that leave no room for complaint. Every Darwinian, base, object and so forth can be immediately identified. The menus feature big, chunky text and are easily navigated. One of my only complaints is with the server browsing and hosting. When you set up an online game I'm used to choosing the map and other gameplay options and then continuing to a lobby or something of the like. In Multiwinia you just set up the game and wait for other players to join. I can't say if the intention was to make it easier for people but in a multiplayer-only game there's a need to make this exact sort of feature much less confusing.
The gameplay is still as solid as it was in the preview build and the other game modes I hadn't experienced are just pure fun to play. I think that's what appeals to me most about Multiwinia is the sum of all the parts creating a gaming experience that's pure and simply fun. This title should translate well to consoles when it hits XBLA later on as part of Darwinia+ since the simplified control scheme on the PC versions will translate easily to a game pad.
If you're like me and have always had trouble getting in to RTS games but you like the genre anyway (is that specific enough?) then I think Multiwinia is a great place to start. The game mechanics are very easy to understand, there's not a lot of rules and commands to memorize and there's not an overbearing amount of micromanagement. RTS vets might scoff at some of what Multiwinia is "missing" but if they were to give the game a shot they'd find that it's as complex and deep as any game out there. Whether you're on a PC, Mac or Linux machine Multiwinia is worth your time even in this crowded fall season.
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Is the game available on Steam, digital purchase via Introversion's website, or retail "hard copy" (or any/all of the above)? The only thing that might keep me from buying it is that I might wait for its release on the 360, as my PC is getting old.