Ms. Germinator Review (Vita)

Ms. Germinator released late last month, as a sequel to Germinator, which was a free game for PS Plus members back in May (it originally released in March). A sequel releasing a mere six months after its predecessor is pretty rare, so is this release anything more than just a glorified patch or DLC? This question is definitely something worth looking into, so read on to see if you should plop down the cash to solve this puzzler.

If you like bright colors, you’ve come to the right game. Ms. Germinator has a wide color palette, and uses it to the Vita’s advantage. The backgrounds are more interesting to look at this time around, and the levels’ pieces typically mirror them in the campaign. Think of objects such as dog bowls, ice cream cones, and in one instance the infamous Ms. Pac-Man “kill screen,” but made of animated, colorful germs. There are some entertaining layouts, and hundreds and hundred of levels to keep you occupied for a while to come. The look and “feel” of this game will put most anyone into a better mood!

The gameplay is deceptively simple – match four or more germs of the same color, and they will grow and pop, taking other surrounding germs with them. As you play, an energy bar fills up. When full, holding L or R and firing a germ from the top of the screen will turn it into a power germ – each color germ has its own special power such as growing until it hits the edge of the screen, exploding horizontally or vertically, destroying all other germs of the same color on the screen, and more.

Ms. Germinator is a hard game! You will often find yourself repeating some tutorial levels. Thankfully, restarting a level is nearly instantaneous, which was something of a chore in the original Germinator. Each level’s difficulty is typically due to it actually being challenging and requiring contemplation to solve. However, most levels are timed, and this can be frustrating as sometimes it feels as though the time limit is much too small for the level. There are three stars in each campaign level, and you can collect them for a bonus at the end of each.

It may have only been about six months since Germinator first graced our screens, but a handful of improvements have been made, some of them not directly related to the game. Cross-buy and Cross-save make a much-appreciated showing here, so your purchase grants you access to two versions of the game, and you can continue where you left off on either the Vita or the PS3. This functionality alone is worth the asking price to a lot of gamers.

If the original Germinator impressed you, then this is an easy, cheap pickup for a few hundred more levels. With even more challenging levels promised by developer Creat Studios via the Challenge mode on a regular basis, free of charge, as well as Cross-Buy and Cross-Save functionality, Ms. Germinator is improved more than enough to be added to your collection. Puzzle fans should pick this up if they want a challenge.