Plague Inc: Evolved (PC) Review

Plague Inc: Evolved is a prime example of why genre labels still work sometimes, as it is, in the purest sense, an RTS. The player will pick a type of disease between bacteria, viruses, or a myriad of other disease types. A starting destination will be chosen afterwards, and off the deadly plight goes. DNA points will have to be collected from around the map, which can used towards upgrading the disease, and further wreak havoc on the world.

The system at play is simple. The player just needs to click on a country to see how well their disease is performing at any locale. They also need to keep an eye on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, which shows them how well a cure is spreading. It's all very simple, which could explain why every "match" is so quick.

A successful game lasts roughly ten to fifteen minutes, until one of two things happen. Either the entire world map is covered in red dots, or a cure sneaks up on you, almost like the antithesis of a zombie biting your neck. It's sudden, unexpected, and frequently unfair. Plague Inc is simple enough to grasp, but it's even simpler to fail.

Because the games end so quickly, progress is instantaneous, and it's refreshing. Because one must think quickly, results are mapped just moments later, and the sense of pride is almost constant - one second a move is made, and the next one plays out the results. While the momentary elation can be swayed into dark waters with a spike in the cure, something undermines the experience even more.

The sense of progress in here is more fleeting then the moment of success for two reasons. One, more minor then the other is the constant sense of needing to maintain your commanding lead over the cure. The other is the lack of a real sense of progression. While more types of genetic mutations and even different kinds of diseases will get unlocked, at the end of each round the stats are reset. It's hard to imagine the sense of progression not being higher, if the player could take over individual regions per game, instead of getting the whole world then having their victory reset.

Graphically, this is a series of stereotypical sci-fi monitors, along with a textbook map of the globe. It's honestly perfect for the mission that is bestowed, as everything is available with a single mouse click. Being able to flip between the screens quickly is highly efficient. Despite blocking the view of the screen, however, some of the pop ups in the main game don't pause the action, and the same seems to be true for the additional menus. This means balancing pushing forward, and actively watching for DNA points to appear, which can get chaotic rather quickly.

Plague Inc: Evolved is a great shot of adrenaline, that unfortunately wears off and requires another quick dose. While it isn't a perfect system, like the virus it seems to emulating, it gets the job done rather effectively. Unfortunately, it can be dangerous for anyone to try and balance the constant chaos of the game, even though that is clearly the point. While the chaos is certainly fast paced and capable of keeping attention intact, it just seems to falter when it occurs to the player that everything they've worked for is over as quickly as the human race.