Origins makes use of the iPhone accelerometer for movement; simply tilt the device in any direction to guide your creature around. Eating is as simple as maneuvering the front-facing part of your creation into a nearby food source. When that little morsel is part of a larger group, combos are racked up by repeatedly tilting the iPhone or Touch in random directions until all the food has been consumed. It sounds a bit wonky, but everything works quite well in practice.

Every few levels, an evolution point is earned for use in the game’s creature customization area. Between stages, players are able to freely edit the basic size & shape of their creation as well as its color scheme. Once an evolution point has been banked, it can be spent on additional appendages which serve to make your creature more effective in one of four categories: offense, defense, movement and perception. Each category offers three levels of upgrades, with more effective options unlocking only after the lower-level one has been “purchased.”