Germinator infects the Vita – clean hands-on review

Germinator is a bubble popping puzzle game from Creat studios. Its name may conjure up images of a dark murky infectious splodge found behind the kitchen sink. Germinator is in fact a super bright and colourful game that leaps out of the Vita’s 5-inch screen.

Right from the start dazzling toxic greens and yellows burst out, welcoming you in. The main aim (and aim you must), is to fire germs and destroy the onslaught on other nasty germs. By firing different coloured ammo you can make the same coloured baddies vaporise. Sounds as simple as spray and wipe. Well not really.

What sets this game apart from other bubble popping games is the germs themselves. As you fire away, these little smiling slime balls expand and along with their chuckling language make Germinator a fun experience. After a while these germs do become endearing with their bulging eyes and cheeky grins, looking more and more like M&M’s before they expand and explode everywhere.

Not all germs can be dealt with so easily. The black ones can only be blasted away by targeting nearby coloured germs, so the name of the game is to rid the screen of these black germs. The touch screen comes in handy for firing away these unwanted coloured infectious blobs. Timing and accuracy play a big part in the game. Preventing germs from rising to the top of the screen will prolong your game.

There are a variety of gaming modes: Story, Arcade Duel and Puzzle Mode. Arcade is an endless barrage of mega germs that only stop when you die. Lasting 5 minutes does gain you a trophy – oh yes, there are trophies here to grab, but no platinum. Puzzle Mode, after unlocking it, brings in a new degree of thought and timing. Here you are limited with fire power so every action counts. This mode I found the most additive and a good challenge with each level getting slightly harder.

The good old trusty 3 star rating system is a way of tracking your progress on each level. Clearing the screen in super-fast time and using less ammo will all help your score and rating rise. A neat little feature is the leaderboards which can be accessed after each game. Here instantly you can see how much of an expert Germinator you really are. This great feature will make you want to put more time into improving your scores and gaining those three stars.

Germinator is not frustrating particularly, ok every now and then on puzzle mode you might be thrown a hard level but this all makes for a challenging and lasting game. Your brain will thank you for this in later years.

Any gamer who loves their bubble popping will definitely want to experience Germinator. With super shiny bright colour and addictive game play, Germinator won’t clean up, but it’s a fine bubble popping game that Creat Studios have unleashed onto the PS Vita.

Lizard rating: 7/10