Vilmonic - Evolve Pixel Life

Vilmonic is a living virtual world.
Your goal is to bring life back from the brink of extinction...
Protect and breed unique pixel-art life forms whose pixels and color have meaning. Experiment with natural selection and artificial selection. Craft tools, construct buildings and change the environment. Uncover the secrets of the past as you dig up ancient tech and fend off the mindless haywire zombitons.

Evolving genetic code generates each creature's pixel-art body.
The shape, or morphology, of each animatroid or fungol is determined by its genes. Genes control the bending of internal bones or branches. Pixels cover the bones to create the shape of the body. The shape of the body and the number of different pixels determine the physiology of the life form.

Pixels and body shape determine biological function.
Hydration, nutrient use, movement, perception...
Each life form has a metabolism that processes hydration and nutrients at a rate determined by the metabo gene. The larger the life form (the more pixels in its body), the more hydration and nutrients it will need each metabolic cycle. Surface area determines how much hydration each life form evaporates. The more wrinkled the body is, the more surface area there is.

Simple graph-shaped brains create emergent behavior.
Fear, aggression, attraction...
A simple set of rules, derived from genes, controls the behavior of each animatroid. Animatroids have external sensors (motion/scent/water) and internal sensors (hunger/stress/thirst). Animatroids' brains have attraction/repulsion relationships between these sensors. It is these relationships that determine each animatroid's behavior.

Natural selection and breeding are the only way to evolve your life forms.
Unless you "cheat" with genetic engineering...
Your animatroids and fungols will evolve over many generations into new species. The genetic code of each life form is passed down to its offspring during reproduction, with a chance of mutation. Evolution is a slow process. To speed things up, try crafting and drinking a lot of sugary beverages. Toxic waste can also be useful (and dangerous!) It can cause drastic mutations in offspring.

Use observation and experimentation to learn the hidden rules of the world and its weird biology.
You must work from within the world to change the world, you have no godlike powers. Spread dangerous toxic waste to increase reproductive mutation rates. Drink sugary beverages to speed up time and get a better view of the process of evolution.

You are not totally alone.
There are others like you, but they don’t care about you or your important task. The uncaring, haywire zombitons are everywhere! They’re violent, selfish, and love to build their own cities. Figure out how to live with them, or risk their wrath!