Contagiosus

2013 (Game Maker) Side Project

Body to protect

Cluster of cells

Contagiosus was my brainchild from a weekend game jam - I had about 48 hours to create a game. The game received special mention as I created a functional game through the weekend whilst working alone. It has evolved since them, and above is the result.

Download: [install] [single executable file - no install]

Description

You play the role of the immune system, where you need to deploy Antiviruses to stop a virus from spreading. In the process you receive some boosts to aid your quest and some infected cells can mutate.

The game mechanic is simple: the virus and antivirus spreads according to its strength and if the cells having matching colors it will transfer faster.

Strategy

Contagiosus is a fast-paced game. You need to act fast, every second counts and every boost is important.

In the first few seconds is about strategy: you need to place your antivirus strategically. Once they are placed, it becomes an action game where you need to be applying the boosts so you can advance faster.

In this game, there two are main strategies elements to be aware of:
1. Speed that you can take ground
2. Virus expansion

Regarding the first element, you need to be aware the connections that each cell has. According to these connections you should apply the boost and the antiviruses.

For example, you need to apply boost to help you reach cells with strong connections. Applying a boost on a cell that has a weak connection will not be as effective as otherwise.

Regarding the second element, the virus will spread fast and if you let it go unattended it will be hard to reach and you may lose faster. When positioning the initial antiviruses, you need place them into strategic places where you can always reach the tail of expansion of the virus.

For example, if you place the antivirus close to each other, the virus will have three other corners to expand and it will be hard to reach them.