One of the most unique and engaging experiences I have ever had with a strategy game!
First off, the graphics are meant to be like that! My friend just installed the demo and said he deleted it because the graphics weren't working, the sky was all blocky! I had to laugh at this. This game is set inside a digital world which was created by a doctor over many years. You come along just as a red virus is about to wipe out the darwinians. Your job is simple - save Darwinia.
Before I go any further I should say I am now using v1.2, which changes the one thing I didn't like in the unpatched version, the control system. The control system was very awkward, as it involved drawing shapes with the mouse in order to spawn entities...which was very cumbersome in the heat of battle. Now they have changed to a nice list which you can just click click click.
The story unfolds fast enough that you don't feel it dragging, but slow enough that you learn everything you need to know before the challenging last few levels. One of my only annoyances is it was far too short, but hopefully some good extra maps and campaigns will be released by Introversion and other modders.
There is nothing quite like seeing hundreds of your little Darwinians marching across a map under orders to attack, or see them leap for joy when you win, and mourn a comrade when he falls. You get very attached to your little friends, and the ending is quite emotional. This is a highly addictive and very fun and unique strategy game, which I recommend everyone should get through steam, as it is very cheap!