Darkspore

The DarkSpore, otherwise simply known as the Mutants, are a combined race of creatures all infected by a amino acid known as E-DNA, and the primary antagonistic force within the SPORE spin-off game under the same name, Darkspore.

They show a number of traits similar to both the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, and The Flood from the Halo universe.

Description
Due to the nature of E-DNA and it's effects on organisms, Darkspores hold numerous amount of various forms, each one having their own kind of specialty and purpose to the Darkspore "hive" as a whole. Many of the Darkspore do hold some form of physical characteristics: their limbs and bodies having a form of exoskeleton as a means of natural armor, some individuals having more armor than others.

All Darkspore have a level of intelligence, but not the exact same level of sapience or sentience. All those considered Darkspore Mutants describe themselves as just that - "The Darkspore", and consider themselves a single entity rather than as individuals.

While never fully clear on reproduction, it is theorized that injection, ingestion of Darkspore corpses, or even inhaling a "Darkspore cloud" (which is a cloud of E-DNA hovering minutes after death) can potentially turn a normal creature into another Darkspore Mutant.

Types
The Darkspore fall under specific categories depending on what abilities each Darkspore type possesses, and it seems as well that depending on the class effects the look of the individual. While found all over the galaxy, the classes are more common on specific planets than others: Bio - The Bio class is the type of Darkspore that can manipulate and control plants, animals, and other life-force. Darkspore with this kind of ability can summon smaller subordinates and create biological projestiles and structures as means of attack. Many Darkspore that fall under this kind of category are green in coloration. This class is more commonly found on the planet Verdanth. Cyber - Cyber-Class Darkspore are the more advanced type that often works with technology and modernized weapons. Cybers are the ones firing bullets, using electromagnetic pulses to shock enemies, and setting up turrets. This type is relatively rare, composing of technological organisms infected, and with only two main types known to exist on the planet Infinity. Necro - Necro Darkspore are the most ominous types of Darkspore known, as it is the type involving those in tune more to death than life. These are capable of twisting the very fabric of reality, absorbing and releasing souls of the dead, creating nightmarish hallucinations and visions, and even casting enemies into limbo. These Darkspore also look more dead than alive with very thin skeletal bodies, their hands very long, dangly and clawed. Their stronghold is on the planet Nocturna. Plasma - Plasma Darkspore are types more known to manipulating heat; namely including fire, lava, magma, and electricity itself. Sometimes electrical Plasma is confused with Cyber due to its connection with electrical power. The key difference is that electrical plasma can literally become lightning whereas Cyber merely uses it. Their main stronghold is located on Cryos. Quantum - Quantum-class Darkspore are capable of manipulating the flow of time and space. These sort of Darkspore can slow down time, teleport, and create gravity fields to pull in or push away threats. While Darkspore Quantum often appear simian, they also possess fish-like physical properties. Their main stronghold can be found on a rock cluster known as Zelem's Nexus - formerly a planet under the name Nakto.

Frost - The Frost Darkspore was a rumored class of Darkspore mutants that never reached the level of stability as the others had. Scientific reports claim this was a class that could manipulate temperatures, and able to freeze their opponents in place. However, this class was never documented nor proven existed, leaving it as a whole a speculative idea.

Origin
The Darkspore Mutants all suffer from the same DNA genetic coding, which is labeled as Exponential DNA, or "E-DNA" for short. An accidental discovery from the Crogenitor race during scientific study, the E-DNA, when left alone, was capable of mutations and evolution under a matter of hours or even minutes, whereas it would take millions of years under normal circumstances.

This was injected into living organisms of numerous unknown species, which allowed the creatures to be molded into anything the scientists desired, which included living weaponry. The E-DNA however became extremely unstable, and those injected by E-DNA began to mutate in their own. This mutating turned it into a virus-like infection, thus birthing the Darkspore species.

The Galactic Quarantine
Not very long after the virus began to spread, the Crogenitors began to succumb to the oncoming infection, thousands upon thousands dying. It didn't take very long until their home planet became completely barren of life, forcing the remaining to flee their homeworld.

Some of the race, specifically The Corruptor, began to spread the Darkspore species onto other known planets in form of reserch, the infection spreading planet after planet at such an alarming rate that the entire known galaxy had to be placed under strict quarentine in order to keep the Darkspore from spread out on a universal level, or even moreso. It wasn't until after the Corruptor was killed by the HELIX officials that the Darkspore began splintering, and over the following months the Darkspore species as a whole became extinct altogether, due to the hive mind being lost and unable to properly survive.