Bio Inc – Biomedical Plague – A Look at Total Organ Failure

As stated, I got my copy and checked out what sort of nefarious medical machinations I could come up. Wow, there is quite a bit going on here and it’s just a click and he’ll die sort of game. You have to string together some nasty infections and diseases which are interdependent and related. You have to pay attention and move fast. Not only do you need to collect the bacteria for Bio Points you need to keep the pressure on the body and move against the doctors that are trying to save him.

Here’s a quick look at some of the mechanics.

The game is broken down into 7 systems of the body with each then broken down into multiple areas of failure. You also have the Risk Factors screen which gives you access to "Hereditary traits, Obesity, Malnutrition, Workaholic and Smoker just to name a few. There is also the Recovery choices which can be Bad Doctors, Nurses going on Strike, Fear of Hospitals and Placebos.

Your goal is to string these all together to make the worse possible conditions for the patient. For example, I went for Renal and Respiratory Failure. I used the Flu, Kidney Stones, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, High Cholesterol, Hypertension and Dehydration to get the ball rolling. However, you have to meet the requirements for a disease. For example, Kidney Stones need Dehydration which is under Risk Factors and needs to be unlocked after Heredity and Malnutrition.

Once things get moving, or more to the point, coming apart, it’s a made scramble to gather points by clicking on the correct system and finding the bacteria on the body. They aren’t always in the same place. The doctors also step in as the patient goes to the hospital and gets emergency treatment. That’s when you need to fight back with back doctors, placebos and nurses that go on strike. Just like with Plague, you have to mix up a nasty cocktail of disease and pestilence while keeping the doctors from finding a cure.

And as you advance your patient is more obsessed with diet and exercise and has other factors that negate your attempts to take them down. Just because the first guy couldn’t get off the couch to look for the remote doesn’t mean the rest of them will be so easy.

So far, I’m impressed and amused! Well done chaps!

Also, there is an educational side to this game. These are real risks that we all face in our daily lives and we can see how stress, working too much, poor diet, no exercise and in some cases genetics and bad luck can tear our bodies apart. It’s certainly a devious little game that will make you smirk or perhaps even laugh out loud as you bring down the whammy, but it’s good to keep in mind what we all need to take care of ourselves so we don’t end up as a crumbled, bleeding, leaking, dripping mass in the hospital where nurses want to go on strike and doctors want to slip in sugar pills rather than the real meds.

I say this is indeed a game worth having and is a nice variation on Plague, Inc that provides it’s own complexity and uniqueness to game play. Sure, there are similarities, but then again, there are similarities between Mac and Windows aren’t there?

Bio Inc. – Biomedical Plague on iTunes

Oh yes, there doesn’t seem to be any of those pain in the ass in-app purchases, so once you spend that $1 you’re all set and should be left alone. Let’s hope it stays that way.