The game is divided into six stages, each based around a different lifeform. Players take control of the central lifeform in each stage and attempt to survive. The stages include: "Amoeba", "Frog", "Rodent", "Beaver", "Gorilla", and "Human".[3] Each stage involves different gameplay mechanics and strategy to complete. It supports both keyboard and joystick controls, and features full color graphics.[5]
The first three levels deal with players controlling a lifeform that must eat and avoid being eaten.[6] During the "Amoeba" stage, players must eat DNA and avoid being killed by spores, antibodies, and microbes. During the "Frog" stage, players eat water flies and avoid being eaten by fish, while the "Rodent" stage involves digging tunnels to avoid snakes.[7]
As players progress to stages with more evolved species, their goals become more complex.[6] The "Beaver" stage requires players to build a dam while avoiding alligators. In the "Gorilla" stage, players must hit monkeys with apples to prevent them from stealing their coconuts. The final stage takes place in the future, during a conflict between humans and mutants. The player must kill ten mutant revolutionaries to complete the final stage.[7] The stage ends after a nuclear apocalypse that resets the evolutionary cycle, returning to the "amoeba" level.[6] The game has three difficulty settings: beginner, intermediate, and expert.[8]
