In early 2013, Plague Inc. topped the charts on the App Store and brought attention to a fresh, exciting game. Three years after the release of its popular mobile app, Ndemic Creations has been successful again. After a whopping 25 million downloads, independent developer and Ndemic founder James Vaughn decided to take a significant leap into the PC and Xbox One platforms. The expansion of these two gaming hubs would lead to the birth of Plague Inc: Evolved.

About the game

The premise of Plague Inc: Evolved is simple. You need to develop a deadly virus to wipe out humanity before a cure can be developed. Becoming a mad scientist is pretty cool, and causing global mayhem is even more interesting. Seems like a dream come true, doesn’t it? The challenge here is to figure out how each type of plague behaves and how the simulated world reacts to action.

Wealth, location, politics, population density, temperature and even terrain play a role in how the plague reacts to the environment. The sheer number of factors that influence yours or failures can be overwhelming at first, so the game guide is highly recommended for new and old players alike.

Details in terms of settings

In terms of customisation, a simple ladder system is used, with new pathogens being unlocked by defeating the last one unlocked. Initially, only one means of attack is available – bacteria. As you progress, the pathogens become more dynamic and bring new controls and interfaces to the game.

There are several creative strategies to end the world with more advanced diseases. There are also perks available to unlock in the same way, which further add depth and personality. Perks don’t help too much, but you can mix and match up to five for maximum effect.

Modes

Since all this customisation depends on whether the player wins or not, you can discover a handy setting that can bail you out. It’s called ‘pity mode’, and it allows you to unlock all this great stuff by winning on the easiest difficulty, rather than the standard requirement, which is ‘normal difficulty’.

While normal mode isn’t particularly difficult, pity mode is friendly support. Throughout each scenario, the player receives tokens for infecting countries and achieving milestones. The currency is used to purchase the genetic code for the disease in the following three categories: transmissions, symptoms and abilities.

Transmissions help spread the disease at the beginning of the game, while symptoms kill carriers in the middle and end. Abilities are privileges that help the pathogen thrive in certain conditions and slow progress towards cure. The naming of the virus is also very interesting.

Infecting the world is easy. First, you have to choose one country in which to start the run. Once patient zero has been inoculated, the next step is to manage the spread of the disease. Some countries have air and sea ports that allow long-distance infection. These points should be used to reach some of the more isolated countries, such as Greenland, Iceland, Canada, Japan and Indonesia.