Coronavirus Quarantine Simulator Review
By
Nicholas Chin
Developer: Fancy + Punk
Publisher: Fancy + Punk
Platforms: Microsoft Windows on Steam
Genre: Survival
Price: $2.99
Sometimes life moves so rapidly that we do not appreciate the normalcy of it. Whether it is going to the grocery store and running into friends from around town, to playing basketball with strangers at your local park, or seeing family and embracing each other. However, times have changed. As a normal person attempting to live a mundane life in this simulator, coming into close contact with any person can potentially result in catching the coronavirus, a deadly disease that can be easily spread.
In the coronavirus quarantine simulator, I was living life as a normal human who suddenly became struck by this terrible pandemic. At one moment, I was chilling in my home living life casually. The next thing I knew, I was very hungry, out of food, and forced to go out and buy groceries. A very important note: Wear your mask when going out in public!
As all of the world should already know, the coronavirus pandemic has caused many deaths, shutdowns, and has changed reality altogether. The coronavirus quarantine simulator ran me through life at home, including activities I had access to, such as watching Netflix, reading, or cooking. Despite these leisure activities, I was forced to go out at certain points to fulfill basic needs. This game is very informative and has accommodating advice on how to stay safe during this pandemic.
How did the coronavirus pandemic all begin? Experts say that SARS-CoV-2 originated in bats. This virus made the jump to humans in Wuhan in open air where people can buy fresh meat and animals, sometimes killed live. The outbreak in Wuhan spread like wildfire in China and eventually across the world. Symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (CDC.gov).
This potentially lethal virus has resulted in over 13.7 million confirmed cases worldwide, and from the United States an estimated 3.5 million infected and roughly 136,000 deaths (as of writing). The coronavirus quarantine simulator educates you on how to stay safe, occupied, and on practicing healthy habits to ensure your well being.
(A brief look at Coronavirus Quarantine Simulator)
Loading the Coronavirus Quarantine Simulator up on Steam, I was very excited because I knew it would be relevant to the global pandemic. The visual graphics of the welcome page were immaculate, and as a normal human living amidst a pandemic, my snug looking home provided lots of comfort. Navigating the function of my cursor and keyboard were a bit challenging at first but was very simple to solve.
(From CDC.gov)
Later, as I explored what amenities were in my house, I felt a strong vibration and sound from the computer, and my supposed health bar was very low. A message popped on the screen and said that I was hungry. From my earlier navigation, I did see a kitchen, but when I clicked eat food, there were no groceries there. Thus, I was forced out into the supermarket. My first task was to find eggs, avocados, bread, and tomatoes.
Entering the grocery store, the graphics were slightly blurry. However, a convenient part about shopping was the game provided instructions on what functions controlled the shopping cart or picked up items. It also gave a detailed picture of what each ingredient appeared to be, otherwise it would have been hard to distinguish.
Right off the bat, I noticed other people in the grocery store that were not wearing masks. Unfortunately, I became within too close proximity with one person, and I supposedly lost points for breaking social distancing. After breaking it three times, I lost the game. My next attempt resulted in me losing for not clicking a specific key that the game instructed, and so I touched my face and died. After multiple strenuous and frustrating attempts, I managed to buy the groceries and go home safely.
As soon as I got home, I went to cook the food. Unfortunately, that did not happen, as I forgot to wash my hands. That resulted in me losing the game. However, the game provided an important tip to wash our hands, which all people should follow.
This simulator is very beneficial as it provides a prospective insight on how we should be taking care of ourselves during the pandemic. I personally thought certain aspects such as the user interface and instructions could be worked on, but other aspects such as the guidance and preparation parts can educate and keep us secure.
Story 5/5: The story is very organized and definitely makes sense. Incorporating daily life activities helps the story flow very well and sequentially work in a thorough way.
Visuals 3/5: Certain aspects such as instructional descriptions were very clear, but others such as the setting of the grocery store could be a bit more comprehensible and colorful.
Playability 3/5: The instructional parts are very handy and make the game straightforward, however, remembering all of the quarantine guideline rules can be a bit challenging and frustrating, especially when you forget to wash your hands or if you forget to keep social distancing.
User Interface 5/5: The controls are easy to understand and it is easy to navigate your way through the game. It is not too complicated and if you are familiar with a keyboard, you can run through the game smoothly.
Replay Value 4/5: I found the game pretty amusing and enjoyable, and it is very academic. You can learn lots of useful tips and rules that are applicable during this time. I would say I could play it again most of the time, but it can become a bit disappointing and frustrating.
Overall Score 4/5: I would highly recommend this game, as it really dives deeply and clearly about staying safe and healthy during the pandemic. It constantly reminds you to be aware, keep social distancing, and wash your hands for sanitary reasons. The graphics are all right, but the main concern is learning new advice, which the game does provide.
