Flash Game Review: Phage Wars

When it comes to flash games, the "Strategy" genre is one of the most popular. With games such as Gemcraft, Bloons Tower Defense, and Warfare 1917, the Internet really knows how to make an amazing strategy game. But sometimes, it's best to get back to the basics. And that's what has been done in Phage Wars.

The premise is quite ingenious, despite its simplicity. You take control of a virus, the color of which is your choice (each color has different abilities; for example, black is heavy on strength while weak on speed and agility, and yellow is the most evenly balanced), and attempt to wipe out all other viruses on screen. This is done by clicking and dragging on any cell that you currently control, then sending out approximately half of your virus (indicated by a number; you usually start with about 100 on a single cell) onto another.

The key to winning the game is to take control of the biggest cells first - the larger the cell, the faster your virus grows on it. But each cell, before it is under the control of a player or the CPU, has a number. For example, if a large cell has the number 7 on it, you could send 40 of your virus to it, and you would end up sacrificing 7 of your virus to control it (leaving you with a cell containing 33 of your virus).


While I do love the execution of this simple concept, there are a few production problems with the game. When you select a multitude of your cells to send out the virus to "conquer" one of the CPU's cells, the game slows down extensively. This is a major problem, because I personally use this "swarm" tactic many times while playing the game (see Tips, below).

However, despite that major problem, I am very pleased at the highly noticeable difference between your virus types. Unlike some other games, your choice of virus actually makes a major difference in your gameplay. And for that, I give the game an 8/10.

Tips:

- When playing as the white (fastest and weakest) virus, or any other of the "weaker" viruses, use my personal "swarm" tactic. Take control of as many cells as possible, even if each one has a weak amount of your virus. Eventually, your virus will quickly grow into a powerful force, and you can select multiple cells to "swarm" onto each of your opponent's cells.

- For the stronger and slower cells (such as black and purple), "waiting it out" may be very risky, especially if your opponent begins to take control of the cells around you. Take over your opponent's cells early - this is made more effective by sending your virus to a cell that has just sent some of its own virus somewhere else.

- You may find a good place in the middle of those two strategies when using a well-rounded cell, such as green and yellow. Use a mixture of the "swarm" tactic and a direct-hit tactic to win with the "medium" cells.

Play Phage Wars here!

Image credits: bigfuntown.com (here), playtowerdefensegames.com (here).