Common Sense Media Review
By Seann Dikkers
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Be a virus, trick the immune system, and infect your human.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Virulent
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
VIRULENT allows the player to act as a growing viral infection. Your job is to guide your new virus further and further into the human host and infect it. Each of ten levels introduces new viral tactics and immune system defenses. You play by constantly adjusting your path (by drawing it with your mouse) toward the other side of the board while avoiding the nasty anti-viral defenses. Each level adds new tricks for both you and the immunities. Players can play the entire game in 1-2 hours.
Is It Any Good?
Virulent is designed to be an enjoyable experience that also happens to teach the player about virology. This free game creates a memorable experience with a scientifically-rooted glimpse at how viruses spread. The game is immersive by making the tracing the key mechanic and encouraging the player to adjust his or her strategy during each level by adding new elements. The puzzle solving is sufficiently challenging without being overly frustrating. Soon you find that breeding proteins is fun and slightly devious.
The game is a bit short and seems to purposefully avoid using the terms that it is built around. For that reason, kids may need to do a bit of research to learn the scientific vocabulary. Also, level 9 can be a bit buggy (if it does, just restart) and may require a bit of coaching for younger players. Still it is worth the evening, and it will leave you wanting more games like this one that teach without making you feel you're in school.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether learning science in a game is an effective way to understand the content. Did the game help your kids to understand how viruses work?
How do viruses spread? What can you do to avoid getting sick? How can you help your body put up stronger defenses than what was in the game?
What else has a story to tell? Can your stomach tell a story? Can a tree tell a story? What other apparent "villains" may have a story to tell us?
Families can also discuss how perspective can be used to tell stories. What can be learned by seeing something from another perspective?
Game Details
- Platforms : Mac , Windows
- Subjects : Science : biology
- Skills : Health & Fitness : body awareness , preventing sickness , Thinking & Reasoning : decision-making , hypothesis-testing , solving puzzles
- Pricing structure : Free
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : GLS Studios
- Release date : July 1, 2011
- Genre : Edutainment
- Topics : STEM
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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