Agar.io
| Agar.io | |
|---|---|
| File:Agar.io appstore logo.png Agar.io logo | |
| Publisher(s) | Miniclip (mobile) |
| Designer(s) | Matheus Valadares[2] |
| Platform(s) | Browser, Android, iOS |
| Release | Browser 28 April 2015[1] Android, iOS 8 July 2015 |
| Genre(s) | Strategy, action |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Agar.io[note 1] is a massively multiplayer action game created by Matheus Valadares. Players control a cell in a map representing a petri dish; the goal is to gain as much mass as possible by swallowing smaller cells without being swallowed by bigger ones. The name Agar.io comes from the substance agar, used to culture bacteria.[3]
The game was released to positive critical reception. Critics particularly praised its simplicity, competition, and mechanics, while criticism targeted its repetitive gameplay. A downloadable Steam version was announced on 3 May 2015, and the mobile version of Agar.io for iOS and Android was released on 8 July 2015 by Miniclip.
Agar.io was especially popular in Turkey during the campaigns of the June 2015 Turkish elections. Turkish players conveyed their political opinions to other players in Agar.io and cooperated with other players with similar political opinions. Some Turkish political parties used the game in election posters as a symbol of support.
Gameplay
The objective of Agar.io is to grow a cell by swallowing both randomly generated pellets, which slightly increase a cell's mass, and smaller cells without being swallowed by larger cells.[4] It can be played in a deathmatch (Free-For-All) or between teams.[5] The goal of the game is to obtain the largest cell; players restart when all of their cells are swallowed. Players can change their cell's appearance with predefined words or phrases.[6] The more mass your cell(s) have, the slower they will move.[7] Cells gradually lose mass over time.[8]
Viruses split cells larger than them into many pieces; smaller cells can hide behind a virus for protection against larger cells. They are normally randomly generated, but players can also feed viruses by releasing a small fraction of their mass, which splits the virus if done several times.[8]
Players can split a part of their cell, flinging one of the divided cells at the direction of the cursor. This can be used as a ranged attack to swallow other cells, to escape from a difficult situation, or to move more quickly around the map.[5] Split cells eventually merge back into one cell. Aside from feeding viruses, players can release a small fraction of their mass to grow other cells or to bait enemies into being swallowed.[8]
Development
Agar.io was first announced on 4chan on 28 April 2015 by Matheus Valadares, a then-19-year-old Brazilian developer. Written in JavaScript and C++, the game was developed in a few days.[9] Valadares continued updating and adding new features to the game, such as an experience system and an "experimental" gamemode for testing experimental features.[note 2][10] One week later, Agar.io entered Steam Greenlight with Valadares announcing a future free-to-play version of the game for download. He planned to include features in the Steam version not available in the browser version, including additional gamemodes, custom styling, and an account system. It was approved for listing on Steam due to community interest.[11]
On 8 July 2015, Miniclip published a mobile version of Agar.io for iOS and Android. Sergio Varanda, head of mobile at Miniclip, explained that the main goal of the mobile version was to "recreate the gaming experience" on mobile, citing the challenges with recreating the game on touchscreen controls.[12]
Reception
Agar.io was released to a positive critical reception. Particular praise was given to the simplicity, competition, and mechanics of the game. Engadget described the game as "a good abstraction of the fierce survival-of-the-fittest competition that you sometimes see on the microscopic level."[13] Toucharcade praised its simplicity, strategic element, and "personality."[14]
Criticism was mainly targeted towards its repetitiveness and the controls of the mobile version. Tom Christiansen of Gamezebo was mixed on the game, saying that there was "nothing to hold my attention" and that it was "highly repetitive, overall."[15] Pocket Gamer, reviewing the mobile version, described its controls as "floaty."[16]
Because it was frequently propagated through social media and broadcast on Twitch.tv[7] and YouTube,[17] Agar.io was a quick success. The agar.io website (for the browser version) was ranked by Alexa as one of the 1,000 most visited websites[18] and the mobile versions were downloaded more than ten million times during their first week. The mobile versions of the game became popular relatively quickly, garnering over ten million downloads in the first week since release.[19]
Use as a political soapbox
During the campaigns of the June 2015 Turkish elections, Agar.io was used in Turkey as a medium of political advocacy; many players were naming their cells after Turkish political parties and references, with alliances formed between players with similar political views, battling against other players with opposing views.[20] Some political parties have used Agar.io in campaign posters as a symbol of support.[6]
Notes
- ^ Sometimes called or pronounced "agario" (/ˈeɪɡɑːˈioʊ/, US: /ˈɑːɡərˈioʊ/).
- ^ The changelog is here.
References
- ^ Irmak, Şafak. "İnternetin Yeni Çılgınlığı: Agar.io" [The Internet's new craze:Agario]. Webtekno (in Turkish).
- ^ "Agar.io, le nouveau jeu phénomène sur iPhone/iPad et Android". Pockett.net (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Eordogh, Fruzsina. "'Agar.io' is your new favorite bored-at-work game: Hardcore Casual game reviews". TouchVision. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "Eat and be eaten: How to survive and thrive in Agar.io". Digital Trends. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Agar.io: a guide to the hit game – and the best tips to win". The Week. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ a b Grayson, Nathan. "A Game That's Become A Political Battleground". Kotaku (America). Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ a b Livingston, Christopher. "Agario: the dot-gobbling browser game that's a hit on Twitch". PC Gamer. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "Comment battre vos collègues au jeu en ligne Agar.io" [How to beat your colleagues in the online game Agar.io]. Le Monde (in French).
- ^ "Efsane oyunun geliştiricisi ile kısa bir söyleşi yaptık". Kafakutu (in Turkish). Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Summary of changes for the agar.io mobile app, dated 13 October 2015.
- ^ "Steam Greenlight: Agar.io". Steam Community. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ Gordon, Scott. "Agar.io: can the Play Store's top game continue to grow?". AndroidPit. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Fingas, Jon. "Agar.io brings massively multiplayer games to the petri dish". Engadget. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ Carter, Chris. "'Agar.io' Review – The Amoeba Boys (and Girls)". Toucharcade. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ Christiansen, Tom. "Agar.io Review: Bursting Your Bubble". Gamezebo. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ Fox, Glen. "Agar.io review". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media.
- ^ Matuk, Pablo. "Agar.io, el nuevo y sencillo juego de moda". Unocero (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "agar.io Site Overview". Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "How Agari.io conquered the App Store, without spending a penny". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ "Web game becomes latest battlefield in Turkish politics". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 10 August 2015.