Plague Inc.
- May 26, 2012
- Ndemic Creations
- 8h median play time
Get on Play Store
Get on Apple Store"Plague Inc." is a strategic simulation game where you create and evolve a pathogen to infect and ultimately wipe out humanity. With over a billion games played and praised for its realism, it has even been used as a teaching tool at the CDC. Your goal is to outsmart global defenses and bring about the end of human history through disease, requiring tactical decision-making and adaptability.
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Reviews
- Engaging gameplay with a unique concept of spreading diseases and strategizing to win.
- Variety of pathogens and scenarios keeps the game interesting and replayable.
- No intrusive ads during gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.
- Frequent crashes and loss of progress can be frustrating for players.
- Many features and upgrades are locked behind a paywall, limiting free gameplay.
- Difficulty spikes in certain modes make it nearly impossible to progress without purchasing additional content.
- monetization676 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 68 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reactions from users, with many expressing frustration over the prevalence of ads and in-app purchases. While some players appreciate the option to pay for an ad-free experience and additional content, others feel that the game has shifted towards a cash grab model, locking essential features behind paywalls and introducing intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game remains enjoyable, its monetization practices detract from the overall experience.
“The in-app purchases are cheap and always worth the money, and you can be happy knowing you're supporting great game developers.”
“Despite the game being free to download, it pretty much requires the $1 AUD in-app purchase that lets you fast forward time and removes the giant advertisement that blocks the bottom of the screen.”
“It's a really fun strategy game with intelligent in-game purchases which can make the game easier and add content without taking away from the experience of the free version.”
“The game is basically unplayable without paying and there's constant ads.”
“This used to be a fun game about strategy, now it's an unplayable cash grab.”
“I paid for the full version to remove ads, yet I still get ads and paywall blocks for simple features.”
- gameplay408 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its engaging mechanics and strategic depth, offering a unique and immersive experience. However, many players express frustration over the prevalence of paywalls that restrict access to essential features, as well as frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt the experience. While the core gameplay is enjoyable and challenging, the monetization strategies and technical issues detract from the overall enjoyment.
“The gameplay is fun and addicting yet tricky and requires some strategy.”
“Great gameplay, very fun.”
“The gameplay is smooth and intuitive.”
“Glitches that break the gameplay have never been patched, achievements don't restore, and, even paying for the premium unlock, every single aspect of the game is behind a paywall, and the game is practically unbeatable on fungus without these microtransactions.”
“Half of the gameplay is locked behind a premium, no adding stuff you unlocked (like Darwinism, which makes your plague mutate more often), only 2 special scenarios, no mega brutal difficulty, always close to freezing up, normal difficulty is hard, and if you even delete and reinstall the app you lose everything you unlocked.”
“The gameplay is absolutely ruined by having everything be a purchasable (with real money) upgrade.”
- graphics228 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that they appear outdated and in need of a significant overhaul compared to modern standards and the PC version. While some players appreciate the simplicity and functionality of the graphics, others criticize them as blurry, pixelated, or lacking detail, suggesting that improvements could enhance the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many still find the gameplay engaging and enjoyable, indicating that while graphics are important, they do not overshadow the game's strategic elements.
“This game is absolutely amazing; easy to pick up, great graphics, and even graphs that even I can understand.”
“The graphics are smooth, and most of the things you could pay for can be unlocked through gameplay.”
“Amazing graphics, couldn't be better sound and addicting gameplay.”
“The current graphics kind of look old.”
“The graphics are very limited, and in my opinion, ugly.”
“Aside from that, the menus and visuals are incredibly ugly and straight out of 2011; this game seriously needs a visual overhaul.”
- music222 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its atmospheric and immersive qualities, describing it as fitting and even enjoyable. However, a significant number of users report persistent issues with the music not playing at all or stopping unexpectedly during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the eerie and creepy elements of the soundtrack, others find certain sound effects, like children's voices, unsettling, leading to a desire for improvements and bug fixes.
“The music is surreal and ambient in the best of ways, the challenges are actually challenging and not just complete BS like most games, and the learning value of this is extremely high.”
“The constant music is suitably creepy too.”
“I love the music, intensiveness and simulation of the cure mode even though you have to pay for the cure expansion it's quite worth it!”
“For a mobile game, it is fantastic and would easily deserve 5 stars were it not for the obnoxiously invasive, upbeat advertisement music that plays persistently throughout the experience.”
“The only problem I've experienced is that the in-game music is not working.”
“The music in the game doesn't work, please, fix it, it destroys the whole atmosphere.”
- stability116 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches that severely impact gameplay. Many players have noted that recent updates have exacerbated these issues, making the game nearly unplayable at times. While some users have experienced minimal problems, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is plagued by bugs that detract from an otherwise enjoyable experience.
“There are no glitches (well, I haven't come across any yet) that are annoying.”
“Well made, bug free, and easy to play right out of the gate.”
“It runs great, no problem.”
“Wow, it is way worse than it used to be. The other versions on Xbox and PC are significantly better; don't waste money on this buggy mess.”
“The game is broken; as soon as you start to kill, the game glitches and makes everyone who is infected instantly cured, even if the cure is nowhere near complete.”
“Currently crashes and freezes too often to be playable.”
- humor106 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- -1 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying the dark and macabre jokes found in the news ticker and the ability to name their viruses with ridiculous titles, leading to hilarious in-game headlines. Many reviews highlight the cleverness of the humor, which often reflects real-world events in a satirical manner, making the gameplay both entertaining and thought-provoking. However, some users express frustration over the game's shift to a pay-to-win model, which they feel detracts from the overall experience.
“The news blurbs are hilarious, the gameplay is fun and balanced.”
“Always loved this game, the realism, gameplay, and humor in the global headlines are incredible.”
“It's funny when the game says joeys but has infected China!”
“There are still way too many unfunny and unnecessary in-game popups.”
“It starts off well, then suddenly becomes hard, which is not funny. The fungus part is impossible to complete. I hope you adjust the level of difficulty; for now, I'm quitting... don't play without premium.”
“The humor falls flat and feels forced, making the experience less enjoyable.”
- replayability52 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits a mix of strong and limited replayability. Many players appreciate its engaging mechanics and variety of difficulty levels, which contribute to a high replay value, while others criticize the reliance on microtransactions for accessing additional content, which can hinder long-term enjoyment. Despite some frustrations, the game remains fun and addictive, with enough strategic depth to encourage repeated playthroughs.
“Easy to learn, addictive, and massively replayable.”
“Tis a rarity to stumble across a game of this caliber that still retains a simplicity that is easy to pick up, yet promises replayability on harder difficulties and new gameplay modes that should inspire countless hours of what games are intended for: pure, unadulterated fun.”
“Fun game with realistic scenarios, interesting different ways of playing, and a lot of replay value!”
“Once you beat it with all six disease types, it doesn't hold much replayability even across other difficulty levels.”
“Definitely a fun game and I do enjoy it very much, but lacks replayability.”
“Very low replay value unless you pay to have other pathogen classes.”
- story39 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it thrilling and engaging, while others criticize it for being weak and repetitive. Many appreciate the unique concept of playing as a virus, but feel that the lack of a complex narrative and the need for more diverse missions detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable and challenging, the story could benefit from deeper development and variety to maintain player interest.
“It is well worth the money not only for the base game but most definitely for the expansions that allow your imagination to tell a story each time you play.”
“The plot is very impressive and the gameplay is extremely engaging.”
“Great game, even though it makes you the villain of the story, but the concept is very good; a totally new experience for me. Overall, it deserves a 5-star rating.”
“Microtransaction money grabbing lowlives, first few missions are playable even on hard, then about 5 missions in with a fungus strain it just stopped giving any point. The whole world was infected and I just had to sit and watch the cure bar creep up.”
“A 50/50 just okay game; good I get to destroy the bloody USA, it's fun... then it gets boring real fast. No real game story nor replay value.”
“Fun game gets a bit boring after a while; they need new storylines to keep it interesting, maybe something like terraforming a new planet.”
- optimization15 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, players report that while the game runs smoothly and is enjoyable, it suffers from poor mobile optimization, particularly on larger-screen devices and certain Android models. Users have noted issues with specific updates causing bugs and a desire for better space management and aspect ratio support. Despite these concerns, many still find the game fun and engaging.
“Amazing, runs smoothly.”
“Game runs smoothly every time.”
“Honestly, great performance is great and so is the graphics; I would recommend this to all my friends.”
“It's also not properly optimized for larger screened phones, such as the S9+.”
“A good game at its core for sure, but plagued by very poor mobile optimization.”
“Not optimized for play on the Galaxy Fold 6.”
- emotional13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits mixed reactions from players; some find it deeply affecting, leading to feelings of sadness and guilt over in-game deaths, while others enjoy the gameplay without emotional impact. Players who are sensitive may struggle with the game's themes, suggesting it may not be suitable for everyone, despite its fun and engaging mechanics. Overall, the game can evoke strong emotions, particularly for those who are more empathetic.
“This makes me want to cry.”
“I am feeling bad about deaths and such things because I am an emotional person.”
“Ah, what a heartwarming game~”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the lack of aggressive monetization and the game's engaging mechanics, many express frustration with the tediousness of unlocking content and the slow progression, often feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. The balance between fun gameplay and grinding can lead to a repetitive experience, especially for those seeking to access all features without additional purchases.
“As far as potential players, the free version is worth it but gets very tedious quickly unless you pay for the full version, which isn't expensive but also requires additional purchases for all scenarios.”
“Having to wait for so long to just get a couple of DNA is very tedious.”
“Only problem is how much grinding it takes to unlock everything.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its realism and tension, effectively immersing players in a scenario that balances luck and strategy while confronting themes of leadership and humanity's survival. Many players find the atmosphere both unique and anxiety-inducing, enhanced by the music, although some have noted issues with the soundtrack that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's impact, making it a compelling and thought-provoking experience.
“It has an atmosphere of realism, and you have the power against humanity or to save humanity, which relates to a disease. Not many ads, lots of choices; I think this is a really good game to teach about leadership and making decisions that could either save or kill humanity.”
“And yet the game remains atmospheric, unique, and a scary reminder of what could truly become of our population.”
“Love the music and atmosphere the game has, along with the realistic challenges it presents.”
“The music in the game doesn't work, please fix it, it destroys the whole atmosphere.”
