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Replayability
How many can you kill?
I’m not a big game player, in fact my phone/tablet only has three of them installed at the moment. I usually just look at the productivity apps in the app stores but occasionally I’ll wander over to the games and see if anything jumps out at me.
Well, I found one the other day that intrigued me. The game is called Plague Inc. and basically your job is to create a pandemic that wipes out the entire population of the earth. Lighthearted game right?? I was a little disturbed at the premise until I played for the first time. The strategy and realistic simulation of the game makes it a very enjoyable game to play.
Create Your Bug
The first step in Plague Inc. is to create your pathogen. You choose from Bacteria, Virus, Fungus, Parasite, Prion, Nano-Virus, and Bio-Weapon. The game has three levels of play Casual, Normal, and Brutal. In the beginning you can only choose Bacteria. You must beat the game on Normal or Brutal level to unlock another pathogen. Now you give your pathogen a name. I guess you could be creative here or name it your third grade teacher’s name if you so desire.
Modify The Genetic Code
Now comes the part where you can modify the genetic code of your bug before the game begins. Through gameplay you will eventually discover all of the genes but you can unlock all genes through an in app purchase if you don’t want to wait.
Release It
Plague Inc. includes over 50 countries to infect and your next step is to choose one to release your bug. Where you release your pathogen decides how you will proceed in later steps. Different types of pathogens flourish in different regions and climates.
Gameplay
Now that your bug is released it’s time to ensure that it is not snuffed out by some Tylenol Cold. You gain DNA points throughout the game by popping dna “bubbles” that come up on the map and when your disease spreads to a new country. You use these points to change your Transmission, Symptoms, and Abilities.
- Transmission: This is how your pathogen is spread. The more transmissions methods you use the faster your disease progresses. Choose from bird, vermin, insect, livestock, blood, air, and water. There are multiple levels within each method.
- Symptoms: Here is where you decide what effects your pathogen has on it’s host. Your disease starts as a basic bug so you must add symptoms to make it more deadly…but you must do this at the correct timing for maximum effect. Symptoms in Plague Inc. include Nausea, Insomnia, Coughing, Cysts, Rash, and Anemia. Of course as you expose each symptom more symptoms based on that one become available.
- Abilities: This is where you customize the strength of your disease and resistance to eradication methods. You can choose from cold resistance, heat resistance, drug resistance, and bacterial resilience (with the bacteria pathogen).
As you evolve your pathogen in Plague Inc. , the game simulates the spread and effectiveness of the disease. You also get news items which help you know how to evolve your pathogen next.
Plague Inc. features in app purchases which allow you to have immediate access to several features or you can play the game and slowly gain access. You can also purchase the full version which basically removes ads, fast forward, and other options.
Conclusion
I tried this game based on curiosity but after playing it a few times I am hooked. The gameplay is somewhat slow and there is some waiting around but it’s very interesting to see how certain symptoms or transmission methods affect the spread and effectiveness of your transmission. If you can get by the morbid goal of eradicating the entire earth, then give Plague Inc. a chance.
Plague on Google Play
Plague on iTunes
