Mycocosm
MYCOCOSM is a casual arcade shooter and resource manager where you take the role of a newly sprouted seedling. Fight off waves of soil-borne enemies using antimicrobial chemicals, and trade for precious nutrients with wandering fungal spores - but beware their deceitful dealings.
Welcome to the Underground
Mycocosm represents the conflict that constantly rages beneath your feet - where resources are traded with unscrupulous dealers, battles are fought with endlessly reproducing enemies, and where chemical warfare is fought with terrifying frequency; all within a few grams of soil.
Would you Trust a Spore?
As a plant, your objective is simple: survive and grow. To do so, you'll need access to phosphorous and nitrogen, two difficult to find yet vital elements. Fortunately, wandering fungus spores will trade you these resources in exchange for access to your carbon. Everything comes at a price, however, and these fungi will take what they can and exploit you where possible.
Each spore offers a roulette wheel of possible trades - some generous, others stingy, and a few just plain unfair. Quick reflexes and wary dealings will be your only chance against the trading onslaught. Every exchange has a trade-off: how much carbon are you willing to sacrifice for these precious, precious nutrients?
The Soil is Damp and Full of Enemies
Once you are well-established, it won't be long before enemies home in on your roots. Pathogenic bacteria will be drawn to your seedling, and they'll gather in great numbers to extract what they can. Your only hope resides in the antibiotics released by fungal allies. As always, nothing is free in the soil. Grow a strong root system to maximize your carbon supply, or grow leaves to increase your carbon income.
Whatever you do, don't hesitate. The microbial marketplace waits for no plant.
Features
A hybrid arcade shooter and resource manager set entirely within the soil
Includes two game modes: Annual Mode and Arcade Mode
Annual Mode follows the genetic lineage of an annual plant through multiple seasons, where you must survive against changing enemies and environments while collecting resources to improve your future progeny
Arcade Mode requires you to achieve a high score while keeping your plant alive against increasingly powerful enemies and increasingly dubious fungal allies
6 plant types, each with a unique root system and benefits to enhance the soil ecosystem
4 allied spore types, including resource traders, weapon dealers, and host-boosting synergy spores
8 pathogenic enemies, including parasitic bacteria, berserker viruses, and monstrous nematodes
8 types of chemical-based defenses, requiring both skill and patience to inflict the most damage
Educational factoids to stimulate the mind between rounds, exploring the real science behind the ever-present fungi all around us
