Create your own species of animal resembling cats, foxes, bears, or dogs using actual genetics. Despite threats like ravaging carnivores, a changing environment, and the rise of disease, keep your creatures alive.

The game ends and you must restart your evolution if your species falls extinct.

After a successful Kickstarter crowd-funding effort, Stray Fawn Studio created and released Niche: A Genetics Survival Game as an independent simulation video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Linux on September 15, 2016. Its primary goal is to breed particular characteristics or genes into a pack of canine or feline animals to create a pack that is genetically ideal for its surroundings.

Gameplay

The game begins with the player selecting one of three options: story mode, a brief lesson on how to play, or sandbox mode, in which the player can create their own tribes, environments, and creatures while watching a brief cutscene of a tribe of nichelings living on an island. A big bird tries to fly off with a youngster it has captured, but the child lands on an uninhabited island. Playing as a young man named Adam in the tutorial level kicks off the game. Each animal is allowed a limited number of play actions every day since the game play and turns are divided into "days."

Game setup

Niche offers what is thought to be a very accurate genetic gaming experience because to its population genetics-inspired game mechanisms. Understanding what will make animals survive while taking into account their living environment is essential to not just creating a strong tribe but also succeeding in the game. Animals can die from disease, injury, or even old age. Niche mimics more than 100 genes and contains 4 distinct biomes, each with its own unique predators, vegetation, and prey. To truly create their own animal species, a player can select traits from among the 100 available genes, some of which describe physical traits, illness immunity, fertility, and general dexterity.

Major Highlights

Test your survival skills in a living, dynamic environment.
A breeding methodology based on actual genetics
To shape your species, there are over 100 genes.
Worlds and creatures created automatically
Explore five diverse biomes with a variety of predators, prey, and plants.
Population genetics-inspired game mechanics

Education while playing

The player learns about the scientific principles of genetics while playing Niche (featuring dominant-recessive, co-dominant inheritance, etc). Also included in the game are the foundational concepts of population genetics: (genetic drift, genetic flow, mutation, natural selection, sexual selection). The game mechanisms are entangled with all knowledge. As a result, learning happens while having fun.