Microcosmum: survival of cells
- July 24, 2015
- Satur Entertainment
- 13h median play time
Get on Steam"Microcosmum: Survival of Cells" is a simulation game where players manage a cell's survival in a microscopic world. They must balance resource gathering, growth, and defense against threats while adapting to different environments. The game offers a unique and educational experience, blending strategy and biology in an engaging package.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing atmosphere with beautiful graphics and soothing music, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- It features a simple yet engaging gameplay mechanic that allows players to strategize and upgrade their cells, providing a sense of progression.
- The game is easy to pick up and play, making it accessible for players of all skill levels.
- The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, as many levels follow a similar strategy and lack variety.
- The AI can be unchallenging, often focusing solely on the player while ignoring other opponents, which diminishes the competitive aspect.
- Controls can be clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustration when trying to maneuver cells or select antibodies.
- gameplay69 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Microcosmum is characterized by its relaxing atmosphere and simple mechanics, making it enjoyable for casual players. However, many reviews highlight its repetitive nature and lack of variety, with some levels feeling overly simplistic and the AI being underwhelming. While the game offers a meditative experience with beautiful graphics and music, it may not satisfy those seeking deeper gameplay complexity or action-packed experiences.
“With its relaxing atmosphere and original gameplay, it offers a unique and enjoyable gaming experience.”
“Great gameplay, nice and relaxing :) I could play this all day and I strongly recommend getting it!”
“The gameplay is simple, grow your cell and protect yourself from enemy cells.”
“However, once introduced to the core gameplay mechanics in the first levels, the rest of the campaign gets pretty repetitive.”
“The gameplay is boring, extremely repetitive, and completely unfair.”
“The game could've been along the lines of 'Eufloria' or other such relaxing, casual games, but I found the lack of depth (there's only one game mechanic) and the glitches (sometimes 'bad guys' will get bumped and just keep on going away forever, making it impossible to finish a level).”
- music50 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as calming and soothing, enhancing the relaxing atmosphere and visual appeal. However, many players find it repetitive and uninspired, leading some to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the experience, its lack of variety can detract from long-term enjoyment.
“I'm just captivated by the dark aquatic atmosphere, and the music added to the experience.”
“The game itself is visually pleasing with a very chill and relaxed soundtrack.”
“The relaxing music, along with bright and highly-detailed graphics, provide an enjoyable atmosphere to this game, as it helps the player in keeping calm even during 4-to-1 stages.”
“The music and sound effects get boring really fast and both are fairly unnecessary.”
“Gameplay is repetitive with little variety; the soundtrack is uninspired.”
“For the love of god, please do something about the soundtrack - it really gets on your nerves after the first 10-20 minutes.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Microcosmum" are widely praised for their high quality, beautiful aesthetics, and soothing design, contributing to a relaxing gaming experience. Players appreciate the minimalistic yet immersive visuals that enhance gameplay, although some note that the graphics can be overlooked during intense moments. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing, with many describing it as a standout feature despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
“For me, it was easy to be amazed by the graphics and design of the cells and the environment.”
“The relaxing music, along with bright and highly-detailed graphics, provide an enjoyable atmosphere to this game, as it helps the player in keeping calm even during 4-to-1 stages.”
“It's also got stunning minimalistic visuals at close view, some sort of scalable vector graphics with really pretty lighting effects.”
“I may be stingy, but this game is not worth the listed $9 in my opinion given I'm fairly certain that anyone that's done enough Unity tutorials could clone this game in a fairly short period of time, excluding the graphics.”
“At the current state, I just can't recommend the game. The difficulty is weirdly balanced, the graphics are kind of bad, and the controls are really, really bad. They give almost no feedback when you're selecting your units and sending them somewhere; a lot of times you can't even tell for a few seconds if it worked or not.”
“I managed to find four major bugs within 5 minutes which made the graphics so bad I had to reset the entire game.”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, enhanced by calming music and visually appealing graphics. Players appreciate the unique blend of gameplay and ambiance, which creates a captivating experience, although some note that the music can become repetitive. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the enjoyment and appeal of the game, making it a standout feature.
“I'm just captivated by the dark aquatic atmosphere, and the music added to the experience.”
“The relaxing music, along with bright and highly-detailed graphics, provide an enjoyable atmosphere to this game, as it helps the player in keeping calm even during 4-to-1 stages.”
“This game has an amazing and relaxing atmosphere, and the gameplay is fun.”
“Oh, and the music is nice, it adds to the atmosphere, but it gets repetitive very quickly.”
“This all being said, its atmosphere and music fit the overall theme of low difficulty and make for a relaxing experience.”
“If you like this kind of gameplay with the chill atmosphere and simple but pleasing visuals, and you want something more, I'd recommend Osmos.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, reviews on replayability are mixed; while some players find the game lacks replay value due to its short length and limited content, others appreciate the entertaining levels and potential for casual play. Suggestions for improvement include the addition of random levels and adjustable difficulty to enhance replayability. Ultimately, the game may appeal to those seeking short, enjoyable sessions, but it may not satisfy players looking for extensive replay options.
“The levels are endlessly entertaining; even though I think this game is too short, the sheer amount of fun this game provides is enough to add replay value.”
“Lots of replayability.”
“An addictive game if you like casual RTS, with good replay value - perfect for short bursts of semi-immersive distraction.”
“Not entirely sure I'd pay full price for it, as it is very short and has no replay value whatsoever.”
“Overall a great relaxing game but no replay value once making it through all campaigns.”
“If this game offered 'random levels' that had an adjustable difficulty setting so they were playable earlier (meaning you wouldn't need to grind for days on the exact same levels just to be able to advance), that might put me just over that 50-50 line into recommending it, but such random levels would have to be included with the game, not as DLC (because they are essential to enjoying the game).”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to achieve optimal upgrades. While some enjoy the challenge and recommend farming at lower levels, others criticize the difficulty spikes and lack of variety in grinding, suggesting that it detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the grinding can be a double-edged sword, appealing to some while frustrating others.
“Once you get close to maxing out your cell, you're stupid OP but will have to spend a lot of time grinding to get it 'perfect'.”
“The 'random levels' (I assume this is the 'pool' tab in the game) are so ridiculously difficult as to be a complete waste of time. Maybe the pool levels are better if you grind lower levels like crazy, but I'm not interested in grinding the exact same levels over and over and over... and over again.”
“It's a nice idea, but it needs some serious difficulty tweaks and something to make grinding less repetitive before I could recommend buying this game, even on sale.”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by various bugs and glitches, particularly in pathfinding and unit responsiveness, leading to occasional issues like units ignoring commands or colliding with walls. While some players report minor glitches, others experience more significant problems that can hinder gameplay, especially in levels with multiple enemies. Overall, the game has a mix of stability issues that detract from the experience, despite some players noting a lack of major lag or performance problems.
“+1 for being totally bug-free with no lags, even with fantastic graphics.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never drops in performance.”
“The downside is that sometimes the antibodies are quite buggy in the way that they don't always listen to your commands. Out of a cloud of, for example, 100 antibodies, it's just a couple that go out of boundaries or out of the map.”
“Various bugs and glitches: sometimes there are glitchy pathfinding issues for both your own units and enemy units, occasional collision detection problems (antibodies flying through walls), and sometimes units don't respond to orders.”
“It is buggy at the level with two enemies.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by clever contrasts, such as enemies receiving progress bars while players do not, which adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. While not a central feature, this comedic element enhances the overall experience without detracting from the game's strategy.
“Which is funny because the enemy gets progress bars when you don't.”
“Ultimately not game-killing, just kinda funny.”
“Funny little strategy game.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a simple cell tasked with feeding its antigens and completing various campaign missions to earn upgrades. However, players express frustration with technical issues that can lead to lost progress, and a desire for multiplayer options to enhance the challenge and engagement of the narrative.
“Hmm... I beat all but one mission; some several times over to upgrade, and suddenly my progress is lost. As soon as I click any link, it stops working.”
“Multiplayer would be nice, because there isn't a real challenge to complete all the missions.”
“You are a simple cell with a simple mission: feed your 'antigens'.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have reported significant performance issues, such as severe stuttering and pathfinding problems, likely due to excessive antibodies in the game. Despite these optimization concerns, many users express a strong appreciation for the game's style and hope for improvements in future updates.
“Too many antibodies lead to severe stuttering and breaking of the pathfinding.”
“That being said, I love this style of game and hope to see a bit more optimization soon.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of frustration and amusement regarding certain levels where enemies inadvertently trigger mines, leading to moments where they feel disengaged from the gameplay. This can create an emotional disconnect, as the lack of player interaction diminishes the sense of agency and involvement in the game.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is free to play but relies heavily on in-game purchases, resembling a mobile app without significant enhancements, which has led to criticism regarding its overall quality and originality.
“It's free with in-game purchases on Google Play, so it's just a copy of a phone app and it's exactly the caliber of game you'd expect for a copy of an app meant to be played on phones with zero improvements.”
“The monetization model is aggressive, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
“I feel like the game is designed to make you spend money at every turn, which really ruins the experience.”
