Bacteria

The game Bacteria is an intriguing take on cellular automata—a puzzle-simulation hybrid based on Conway’s Game of Life—that succeeds in delivering a quietly hypnotic experience yet also stumbles in terms of broad appeal and clarity. On the plus side, it offers a minimalistic aesthetic with ambient music and a soothing visual presentation that invite you to drop a few cells, hit ‘run’, and watch dynamic chain-reactions unfold in beautifully unpredictable ways. However, the game’s puzzle modes often feel more like watching than playing: the outcome of your moves can feel frustratingly random, which detracts from the sense of control and progression. Ultimately, if you’re someone who enjoys abstract, contemplative logic challenges with a mathematical flavour, Bacteria has its charms—but if you’re looking for strong narrative, tight gameplay feedback or traditional puzzle structure, you may find it too minimal and a bit obscure.

[h1]Summary[/h1] Very short puzzle simulation based on Conway's Game of Life. [b]Pros[/b] + Interesting [b]Cons[/b] - Not really a game - Frustrating [h1]Overview[/h1] Bacteria is a super short puzzle simulation that's less of a game taking a little too much of the simulation part becoming a little frustrating to actually "play", it is still pretty interesting to watch each time you drop a cell and see what happens as it cascades through areas. There are 2 game modes, a free simulation for you to mess around in and the puzzle levels. Gameplay practically boils down to placing single pixel cells and seeing how much cells already in the area are then effected and wiped to move on to the next levels. It will pretty much get very chaotic and difficult to control the cascading effects, so it is difficult for me to really call this a puzzle game. Achievements are rather annoying as it isn't all to clear what to do to obtain them and how frustrating gameplay can be. [hr][/hr] If you find my reviews useful do follow my [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/11028547-Dods-Echo-Chamber/]Curator[/url][/b] page for more!

So I gave this game up in about 2 minutes and let it sit for 3 more so I could write this review. Obviously I didn't give it much of a chance, so look to positive reviews to get a clearer understanding, cuz they obviously figured out what the f to do. You literally are just looking at a microscope and can select 4 tetris block-looking bacteria, (I assume that's what they are) and they travel in some sort of direction like rooks and bishops in chess. When they touch other bacteria, they explode and make new stuff or get rid of stuff. Pressing r makes the whole thing covered in bacteria and then yeah...I don't know. There's a selection on the main menu that says "Game of Life Basics." Oh, maybe that'll teach me to play. Nope. That just takes you to a wikipedia page where you can read about something that doesn't involve the game. I thought I was trying to play a stupid game, not sit in science class. And speaking of the menu, its unclear how to even start the game. Looking at the trailer, there is some stuff I haven't seen before. So I'm starting to realize I wasn't even in the actual game and don't know how to get there at all. BUT IF THEY MESS UP EVEN STARTING THE GAME THEN HOW GOOD THE GAME ITSELF BE AT ALL GOOD!!!!!!??????? The developer(s) clearly put as little effort into this as possible and I'd give it a hard pass unless that rousing trailer tickles your fancy.

This barely qualifies as a game. You just spawn gliders towards colonies that need to be cleared and cross your fingers. [h3]The major design flaw:[/h3] Conway's game of life is very chaotic, in the sense that one pixel off can be the difference between the local population dying or an explosion that takes over the whole space. Instead of providing some tools to control the chaos, this game makes it worse. - You can't see the trajectory for where gliders are going to go. You can't even see the grid, which one could use to painstakingly count pixels. This means it is [b]impossible to hit a colony precisely[/b]. - There is [b]no reset[/b] button. If you want to reset you have to exit the level, switch to another level, then switch back. This is because the developer does not want you to think and solve, but rather just stare at the pretty colors and spawn gliders randomly. - There is [b]no undo[/b] in any shape or form. No reverting to last paused state, no saving your set up before hitting play, no rewinding game state. Almost cleared the space, but then a tiny colony blows up over the whole space? Too bad. Better switch levels and switch back. [h3]The terrible band-aid:[/h3] - The game addresses it's major flaw with 'easy mode'. This allows you to change pixels anywhere. This means you can just erase the target, press play, and auto-win the level. This is great if you are just achievement hunting and want to circumvent the entire game, but it's not fun to play click-all-the-pixels-to-win. [h3]Quality of life issues:[/h3] - Sometimes the curvature of the CRT effect causes you to place pixels in the wrong spot. - Lack of description of modes means you have to figure it out yourself. - Only 3 directions of gliders provided. This is a strange decision when the edges of the space wrap around, and you often need those other directions to hit targets. - High pitched sound when switching levels is a little annoying.

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