<s>
Darkspore	B-Application
was	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
that	O
borrowed	O
creature	O
editing	O
technology	O
from	O
Spore	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
fast-paced	O
,	O
science	O
fiction	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
battled	O
across	O
alien	O
worlds	O
to	O
save	O
the	O
galaxy	O
from	O
the	O
mutated	O
forces	O
of	O
Darkspore	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
April	O
28	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	O
has	O
removed	O
the	O
store	O
page	O
of	O
Darkspore	B-Application
from	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
meaning	O
any	O
attempt	O
to	O
purchase	O
it	O
through	O
Steam	B-Application
cannot	O
be	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
the	O
test	O
subjects	O
who	O
came	O
in	O
contact	O
with	O
it	O
were	O
transformed	O
into	O
uncontrollable	O
genetic	O
mutants	O
soon	O
named	O
The	O
Darkspore	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
act	O
transforms	O
him	O
into	O
the	O
Corruptor	O
—	O
a	O
mentally	O
unstable	O
,	O
extraordinarily	O
powerful	O
mutant	O
who	O
can	O
master	O
all	O
Darkspores	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
heroes	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
purge	O
the	O
Darkspore	B-Application
from	O
the	O
galaxy	O
,	O
planet	O
by	O
planet	O
,	O
moving	O
ever	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
ultimate	O
goal	O
of	O
destroying	O
the	O
Corruptor	O
forces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Hero	O
editor	O
in	O
Darkspore	B-Application
has	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
one	O
found	O
in	O
Spore	B-Application
,	O
with	O
thousands	O
of	O
parts	O
to	O
collect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DNA	O
helixes	O
can	O
be	O
collected	O
during	O
gameplay	O
from	O
Darkspores	B-Application
or	O
destructible	O
objects	O
,	O
or	O
obtained	O
by	O
selling	O
pieces	O
of	O
loot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HelpEDNA	O
was	O
a	O
Darkspore	B-Application
alternate	O
reality	O
game	O
that	O
went	O
online	O
in	O
mid-2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
plays	O
out	O
as	O
a	O
puzzle	O
text	O
adventure	O
which	O
gives	O
clues	O
about	O
the	O
Darkspore	B-Application
game	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
set	O
before	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
registration	O
,	O
Darkspore	B-Application
required	O
a	O
persistent	O
,	O
broadband	O
internet	O
connection	O
and	O
an	O
EA	O
account	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
after	O
installation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
combined	O
with	O
Darkspore	B-Application
being	O
removed	O
from	O
Steam	B-Application
led	O
to	O
concerns	O
that	O
EA	O
had	O
abandoned	O
the	O
title	O
and	O
it	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
playable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
,	O
the	O
errors	O
were	O
fixed	O
and	O
Darkspore	B-Application
returned	O
to	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kotaku	O
noted	O
that	O
Darkspore	B-Application
"	O
revealed	O
just	O
how	O
harmful	O
DRM	O
can	O
be	O
for	O
games	O
and	O
their	O
consumers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Darkspore	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Maxis	O
,	O
being	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
they	O
made	O
after	O
Will	O
Wright	O
departed	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
an	O
internal	O
Spore	B-Application
technology	O
review	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
were	O
closely	O
surveying	O
the	O
comments	O
left	O
on	O
the	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fundamentals	O
found	O
in	O
Spore	B-Application
allowed	O
for	O
very	O
quick	O
prototypes	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
became	O
aware	O
that	O
action	B-Application
RPG	I-Application
was	O
very	O
suitable	O
for	O
the	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maxis	O
added	O
"	O
spore	B-Application
"	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
as	O
a	O
homage	O
to	O
the	O
technology	O
that	O
was	O
running	O
it	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
main	O
idea	O
was	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
standalone	O
work	O
that	O
would	O
n't	O
be	O
viewed	O
as	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
nor	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Spore	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
early	O
designs	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
Magic	O
the	O
Gathering	O
and	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
developers	O
thought	O
they	O
needed	O
someone	O
with	O
an	O
experience	O
in	O
that	O
segment	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
hiring	O
Paul	O
Sottosanti	O
,	O
a	O
designer	O
from	O
Wizards	O
of	O
the	O
Coast	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Darkspore	B-Application
has	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
65%	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
