What becomes random
Unintelligent Design gives you a random evolution instead of the normal choice between evolutions. Do not plan a fixed acquisition order or confuse it with Amnesia, which hides evolution information.
Challenges
Unintelligent Design Challenge Guide
Unintelligent Design makes evolution acquisition random. Compare the choices players report retaining and the limits of Simple, Minimalist and Spawn of Chaos examples.
Decisions players report retaining
Players describe decisions that remain: SonOfKhmer points to upgrading owned evolutions, specialisations and points of interest; Fayrek reports still choosing which attack goes on the bar. Spend around what the run actually gives you, rather than waiting for a missing recipe.
FiveFives and Manoreded explain why feeding speed can help while avoiding or being chased by enemies. A food-oriented roll can change where you travel and which fights you avoid; it is not automatically a failed damage build.
Compare genetic examples
Simple: different player experiences
Simple has reported clears: myoldaccountisdead and IMM_Austin both say they won with it. Synchro Star’s Steam comment calling it especially difficult is one player’s opinion, not a shared ranking. These accounts do not establish the easiest genetic or a success rate.
Minimalist: use the starting attack
Ok-Caterpillar-4213 reports a Minimalist clear where an upgraded Bop compensated for poor weapon luck. This supports considering the starting attack you already have, not assuming Fibroblasts, Hump or Trunk will appear.
Spawn of Chaos: a random opening
marighost reports a Chaos start with high Physical and Ability, followed by Beak, after many attempts. Treat this as a historical example dependent on random results, not a guaranteed opening.
A documented completion
HomemadeHoboSnickers’ completion image shows Unintelligent Design success with Really? and 100% Crab messages, 9,399 damage dealt, 1,241 damage taken and 38 points of interest. The popup hides the starting genetic and other results; this proves a completion example, not its full route.
Explore the relevant rules
Make a plan after each random acquisition
Inspect the result before spending
Start with what was actually acquired, then separate the decisions still available. SonOfKhmer describes upgrading owned evolutions, choosing specialisations and using points of interest. Fayrek’s attack-bar comment concerns which acquired attack to equip. Neither statement means you can select the next new evolution instead of receiving the challenge’s random result. Unintelligent Design · named player replies
Compare an owned upgrade with a missing recipe
Next, decide whether an existing tool can cover the immediate gap. Ok-Caterpillar-4213’s Minimalist example is useful because an upgraded Bop carried poor weapon luck. The decision it illustrates is investing in an attack already available, rather than reserving the whole plan for a missing weapon. It does not show that every starting Genetic has the same fallback or guarantee that a particular upgrade will be offered. Unintelligent Design · named player replies
Let the food plan change with the rolls
Reassess the travel plan as well as damage. FiveFives and Manoreded discuss feeding speed while avoiding enemies or being chased. If the random choices favour feeding, consider how they support time spent collecting food and escaping, rather than judging every roll solely by its attack contribution. This advice is a response to the run’s actual tools, not a prescribed acquisition order. Unintelligent Design · named player replies
Keep a random start separate from random later choices
marighost’s Spawn of Chaos example combines a high-Physical, high-Ability start with a later Beak after many attempts. A favourable opening and a later random acquisition are separate parts of that report. Selecting the same Genetic therefore does not reproduce the whole account, and the number of attempts described does not supply a success probability for another player. marighost and Synchro Star · Steam discussion
FAQ
Can I choose my next evolution because I can choose an attack for the bar?
No. The retained attack-bar choice reported by Fayrek concerns an attack already available; it does not replace random acquisition with the normal offer selection. Similarly, upgrading an owned evolution is a different decision from choosing a new one. Keeping those controls separate prevents a fixed shopping list from masquerading as a workable challenge plan. Unintelligent Design · named player replies
Is Simple impossible, or guaranteed to be the easiest start?
Neither conclusion follows from these reports. myoldaccountisdead and IMM_Austin report Simple clears, while Synchro Star describes personal difficulty with it. The clears contradict an impossibility claim; the difficulty opinion does not erase them. None of these accounts measures comparable success rates across Genetics or proves an easiest start. Unintelligent Design · named player replies marighost and Synchro Star · Steam discussion
Update history
: Expanded decisions after a random acquisition using named player accounts. Distinguished upgrading and equipping owned choices from selecting a new Evolution, and kept Simple clear reports separate from difficulty opinions.