Systematic Immunity – What We Think:
Systematic Immunity is another game in the ocean of indie platformers that have been released in the past decade, but unlike most titles that never breach the threshold of uniqueness plus excellence, it makes some dolphin-like jumps out of the water. You control a group of white antibodies and need to keep them together to attack viruses. If you lose too many, you will have to start over. This immune-system themed platform puzzler manages to shine right from the start.
Micro Management
The first thing that really got me hooked on this title was the smooth control scheme; playing a platformer depends very much on the controls and how they feel, and when I fail my jumps, it should because I missed, not because of bad controls.
Great controls are really needed here, since Systematic Immunity turned out to be a really hard game, that gets increasingly and steadily tougher – which is one of the reasons why I really enjoyed it!
The levels are small, perfectly sized for trying over and over until you complete them and gather all the the extra collectibles. Many of the levels work well if you think of them as a rhythm game; getting a feel for the rhythm of the jumping determines whether you fail the level or complete it.
As with all good platform games, you need to study and learn the layout of each level layout to complete it. Systematic Immunity is somewhat built around the principle of information: the game takes place inside a body and you control the white antibodies that are sent out to destroy invading viruses.
Body Of Knowledge
Each level comes with a little information box that is optional to collect, but if you grab it, you will get a nice little fact about the body when you finish the level. All levels have these pieces of information and being forced to earn your bodily information really makes them fun to get. The information is written in an easy-to-understand way and gave me a lot of knowledge that I did not know before playing.
While the fact-gathering adds a new dimension to the game and makes it stand out from similar games in the genre, the visuals are also alluring – cute and cozy – and, if I had the chance, I would live in this colorful body! The colors that make up the different backgrounds and environmental hazards really enhance the game itself. My six-year-old son loved all the small organisms and couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, which made Systematic Immunity a perfect game to play together with him.
Chronic Case of Ear Worm
The soundtrack for Systematic Immunity also helps to take a great platform game to new heights. The electronic music in the background helps enhance the quirky feeling provided by the rest of the game, and the sounds the antibodies generate are by far the cutest blips in any platform game I have discovered recently. While the music may seem stressful at first, I never felt that it was distractingly so, and, in another sense, it helped me get into the right rhythm.
Gone Viral
If you are looking for that new platform game that will make you keep giving it just one more try and just one more level, then Systematic Immunity is the perfect stop for you. The gameplay, the music, the visuals and the pedagogical aspect of the game all come together for a solid and very enjoyable complete experience.
Systematic Immunity is available via Steam.
[xrr rating=”4.5/5″]
Watch the official trailer for Systematic Immunity below:
