Cell Stage
Spore divides the evolutionary stages into five parts and the first one you’ll start with is a rather unimpressive one: the cell stage. Basically, you’re a unicellular organism that was just brought to live and you have to feed yourself, while making sure you’re avoiding the bigger and meaner organisms (in Spore, there is always a being that’s bigger, stronger and better than you). It’s like a top-down view of a more advanced Pac man game that can last less than the first level in the afore-mentioned game.
The Cell Stage is by far the most simplistic one in Spore and can be finished in a few minutes if the player wants to. It is perfect for first time plays since it starts to get the player used with the control mechanics, with the visuals and the general concept, while teaching an important aspect in Spore: you are what you do. In other words, if you are a carnivore and keep killing creatures, don’t expect to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize!
Creature Stage
The Creature Stage kicks off after your cell gets big enough to climb onto dry land. The perspective changes into a full 3D one and you have the impression the real game has just started. You’ll soon be disappointed since it won’t take long for you to realize that it’s mostly the Cell Stage but with a few more options and freedom.
Your main goal will obviously be to evolve: this time you won’t be eating green blurbs, but fighting other creatures or, on the contrary, becoming their ally. Either way you choose to do it, it will get pretty annoying. If you want to be a friendly dude, you’ll have to impress the other creatures by using four types of social interactions (dance, sing, pose or charm). However, the other creatures choose how you have to impress them by randomly performing one of the four social actions – an action you have to mechanically repeat. Having in mind that in order to get a step further with your evolution and earn the needed DNA points you’ll have to impress dozens of creatures using the same repetitive techniques, it gets boring to the bone.