Play as nasty viruses trying to take over a host body. Use all of your infectious tools to overwhelm, control, and destroy your opponents (and the host body). Make your way towards better opportunities or absorb other viruses to keep yourself safe. Remember to keep your presence known but not enough to attract too much research, lest your virus be cured and eliminated from the body.
Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: This was sent to us for review by Arcane Wonders.
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: You infect as many organs as possible while trying to maintain control of those organs. You want to infect organs strategically as some organs will cause your presence to be known, while others may cause it to be more hidden.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: We have played a few, such as Air, Land and Sea as well as Onitama.
What was surprising about this title: The game makes itself out to be more complex than it is. It has a decent amount of strategy but isn’t overtly a strategy game. The game is simply, play your cards and do as many of your actions as you would like, repeat, check for certain conditions, and repeat. Of course, the game definitely has more depth than this, but at its core, the game is easy to understand and play.
How likely is this to return to the game table?: Very likely. The game is played in rounds, each round goes by quickly and the organs scoring conditions are randomized at the beginning of every game. This makes for a quick setup, a quick play and multiple scenarios which is great for our play style. However, one caveat they we dislike is that a 2 player game requires a dummy player. So while it is playable with 2 people, it’s not truly a 2 player game. It is by no means unenjoyable because of this and is actually pretty easy to do in this game. We always feel like there should be an asterisk for 2 player games that require a dummy player as it was not designed as a 2 player game, but feels like it was later tacked on.
Game length: Medium. The game takes approximately 30-75 minutes depending on player count. Players all start with the same cards so initially turns are pretty quick, but your hand grows as the game continues and eventually you may find yourself or other players taking a bit longer per turn as they decide which cards to play and score more points.
Language Barrier Playability: Easy. The game is mostly abstract symbols that can be taught to different language users with ease. A simple reminder on what symbols do is provided on the player mat as well so if a player asks what certain symbols are, a translating player can go through the symbols quickly, not having to point out a specific action and ruin any strategy or planning.
Artwork: Excellent! The artwork is wonky, creepy and just plain cool. It’s cartoonish with a hint of darkness that reminds us of Samurai Jack or Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Detailed artwork packed in a small package.
Quality: Excellent. The cards are thick, strong and bendy. The tokens are wooden and painted well. No misprints or missing chunks of paint on anything. We were also unable to find any typos anywhere, which are surprisingly present in a lot of games.
Strategy: Mild to moderate. It’s a light strategy game where you can sabotage players turns or plan on focusing on a specific organ or two. It’s not as in depth as a game of chess but it’s also not luck based. The only element of luck in this game is the cards you may draw (which you get to still choose from a selection) and which viral cards are drawn (which you can technically still plan for).
Instruction Manual: Complicated and a little disorganized. The manual explains things a little out of order which leaves you asking questions which are answered later on. This isn’t atypical in instruction manuals but it’s an odd choice. The manual also insinuates a more complicated game than it actually is. It succeeds in showing you how to play but it takes the long route to do so.
Organization: Excellent. Everything fits neatly back in the box and several baggies are provided allowing you to organize cards and tokens into player stashes. This means that, if properly organized, setup is significantly faster than the first time you play. You just give every player a bag, set up the game board and you’re good to go!
Final thoughts: Viral is a fun game that is worth checking out. Revealing new cards and infecting the host feels like you’re actively participating in a little story. Every round a small event happens which shakes up gameplay. The cards that will make it into your hand are fun to choose from as they affect how you’ll play, thereby changing your play style. Game setup is quick and easy, especially with the baggies provided. If you don’t mind taking a little time with the instruction manual or playing with a dummy player for 2 player games, then Viral is worth a spot on your shelf.
Sushiball Games 