Infektor

Infektor is an action game that gives player control over a microbe. The core of the gameplay is floating around an arena, avoiding enemies, infecting targets and destroying cells. It is designed to be played in short sessions, so individual playthrough usually last less than three minutes. The game is an arcade style, score attack type of title. There is no story, no progression, no unlockable levels. Instead, there is demanding gameplay that requires practice to get good scores. Online leaderboards are present for a competitive challenge.

There are two game modes. In Survival, the goal is to get as much points as possible before the antibodies eventually get you. In Infect mode, you must infect all the targets. There are three kind of microbes that you can control (one is available out of the box, the other two require an in-app purchase). Each handles differently, and each has it is own unique special ability.

The default bacteria (Boostichia) is an all-arounder that can do quick boosts to get away from a messy situation. The fat round microbe (Heavilum) is harder to handle and slow to accelerate, but it makes up for it with a special ability that increases its speed drastically. It is also the toughest of all three and has greater infection rate, making it a recommended choice for some Infect levels. The smallest bacteria is Fastillus, and it is much more agile and faster than the rest, but is also the weakest to enemy attacks. It can however trigger shock-waves on demand, and its damage immunity after getting hit is longer than for other microbes.

The gameplay is very simple at its core. The microbe is unarmed, and can only move around and use its special ability. However, there are quite a few ways of keeping yourself alive. The most obvious is out-manoeuvring your pursuers, but that is not always possible. But combine that with using the environment to your advantage making stupid enemies bump into stuff, and your chances of escaping get a lot better. Another helpful thing is the microbe's self-defence mechanism, which triggers a shock-wave that pushes everything away. This reaction is not only triggered by dangerous enemies, but also by non-harmful cells that break up into smaller ones on impact (aka Asteroids). Once the inevitable happens and you take damage, there is a brief moment of damage immunity. There are also arena specific mechanisms, like gates that trigger shock waves when you pass, gravity wells you can trigger. The best survival strategy will depend on the arena and selected microbe.

Just running away is not enough to score big as the game rewards taking risks. There are bonus points for near miss situations with enemies. Some of them also have the ability to charge at you and if you manage to avoid that by well timed manoeuvres, that will be awarded with points as well. Some arenas have bonus targets to infect, but actually infecting them is a risky business. You also get points for breaking down the cells, some of which are actually dangerous to you. This can be avoided by making enemies bump into them or use your shock wave to hurl stuff at them. There is also a special kind of cell, that contains antibodies within, that are released when the cell bursts pen. Releasing those upon yourself will be awarded. Additionally, Infect type arenas usually award bonus points for finishing with a good time and/or for remaining health.