Plague Inc: Evolved

Plague Inc: Evolved is a real-time strategy simulation video game, developed and published by UK-based independent games studio Ndemic Creations. The game is a remake of the developer's previous game, Plague Inc., for PC and consoles. In the game, the player creates and evolves a pathogen in an effort to destroy the world with a deadly plague. The game uses an epidemic model with a complex and realistic set of variables to simulate the spread and severity of the plague and has attracted the attention of the CDC.[1]

Plague Inc: Evolved
Developer(s)Ndemic Creations
Publisher(s)Ndemic Creations
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Xbox One
  • 18 September 2015
  • Windows, macOS, Linux
  • 18 February 2016
  • PlayStation 4
  • 31 May 2016
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 2 August 2019
Genre(s)Real-time strategy, simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The core game of Plague Inc: Evolved is the same as Plague Inc. - the player controls a plague which has infected patient zero. The player must infect and kill the whole world population by evolving the plague and adapting to various environments. However, there is a time pressure to complete the game before humans, the opponent, develop a cure for the plague. The developer has said that the game was inspired by Pandemic 2, a browser-based Flash game released in 2008 by Dark Realm Studios.[2]

The game series has been praised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who said "it uses a non-traditional route to raise public awareness on epidemiology, disease transmission, and diseases/pandemic information. The game creates a compelling world that engages the public on serious public health topics". The developer of the game was invited to give a talk at the CDC.[3]

It also includes all of the expansion packs from the original Plague Inc. game.[4]

Development and release

Plague Inc: Evolved went live on Steam Early Access on 20 February 2014.[5]

The developer used "almost half a million pieces of feedback and feature requests from players" to help him understand what players wanted from the game and is currently "only 50 percent of the way through the original Plague Inc. design document".[6]

A multiplayer mode, titled "VS. mode" was added to the game on 1 December 2015. In this mode, players compete against each other to spread their own plague across the world, while preventing in-game humans from inventing vaccinations and cures and hostile diseases, controlled by another players from eradicating the player's own disease. The mode adds new genes, evolution and abilities to the game.[7]

The 1.0 release took place on 18 February 2016.[8]

On August 9, 2019, Ndemic Creations released Plague Inc. Evolved for the Nintendo Switch; gameplay is operated through the Switch's Joy-Cons, or the touchscreen.[9]

Reception

The Xbox One version of Plague Inc. Evolved has received "generally favorable reviews" from review aggregator Metacritic. Critics gave the game an average score of 80 out of 100.[10]

The Italian edition of Eurogamer gave the game a 7/10 score, praising the game for its relatively complex gameplay but mildly criticising it for a lack of depth caused by its origins as a mobile game.[11]

In October 2015, GamesRadar+ rated the game a 4 out of 5, stating that the game is a "delicate balancing act".[12]

References
  1. "CDC thoughts on Plague Inc". Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. "Plague vs. Pandemic: How James Vaughan's iOS hit Plague Inc. took the market from its inspiration - PocketGamer". Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  3. "CDC thoughts on Plague Inc". Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. "Plague Inc:Evolved info page". Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  5. "Plague In: Evolved Steam Store Info Page". Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  6. "Plague Inc: Evolved will use player feedback to shape multiplayer campaign, says Ndemic Creations". Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  7. Chalk, Andy (28 November 2015). "Plague Inc. Evolved gets head-to-head multiplayer next week". PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  8. "PLAGUE INC: EVOLVED IS OUT OF EARLY ACCESS - VERSION 1.0. LAUNCHES FOR PC, MAC AND LINUX!". Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  9. "Plague Inc: Evolved infects Nintendo Switch - available now! - Ndemic Creations". www.ndemiccreations.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  10. "Plague Inc: Evolved for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  11. Fazio, Lorenzo (3 March 2016). "Plague Inc: Evolved - recensione" [Plague Inc: Evolved - review]. Eurogamer (in Italian). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  12. October 2015, Alice Bell 02. "Plague Inc: Evolved review". gamesradar. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
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