SimLife

SimLife: The Genetic Playground is a simulation game developed and published by Maxis in 1992. The game is part of the long list of "Sim" games created by Maxis, like SimAnt and SimCity, but Will Wright didn't have a role in this. Simlife was designed and programmed by an independent developer called Ken Karakotsios.

Released initially for Macintosh and Windows 3.x, in 1992, it was ported to Amiga, including a version for AGA machines (A1200, A4000). It was the first case of an AGA game released before the standard one. Of course, the AGA had far better graphics. SimLife was super CPU intensive; the simulations often crank a computer to its limit, even on an A4000.

First, I must say that the game has a huge manual. That is quite understandable regarding the game's depth since it is a world simulation program. If you don't read it, you won't appreciate it. Most of my friends found it annoying because they had never read it.

SimLife has some of the most in-depth simulations I have ever seen in a video game in this genre. You can control anything sensible related to a progressive world: the intelligence of animals, the climate, how many offspring you want from a particular species, what species you want the world to have, and even simulate a natural disaster. This game was an early Christmas gift for kids with ambitions of being environmentalists or ecologists.

SimLife requires patience, just like actual evolution! But there are some cool features: by modifying the creatures' genome, you can evolve your llama into a flying bird, make your chickens immortal, and create a living army of immortal birds; the possibilities were endless. The ability to change the physics of your world? Totally doable with a few minor tweaks. The game keeps records of your action, so you can trace back what you did and realize where something went wrong.

Once you have overcome the first difficulties, the game is fantastic, thanks to in-depth playability. It is the most in-depth life simulation game I have ever played, considering all the biological, creative, and physical variations you can make to the planet. All "sims" enthusiasts should not miss it.