Mycocosm

Mycocosm is a hybrid arcade shooter and resource manager set entirely beneath the soil. You play as a plant, gathering nutrients, trading with fungi and defending your roots from pathogens as you try to survive and grow.

Trade for nutrients

Phosphorus and nitrogen are vital but difficult to find. Wandering fungal spores offer these resources in exchange for your carbon, with each spore presenting a roulette wheel of possible trades. Some deals are generous, others stingy or unfair, so you must weigh the nutrients you need against the carbon you give up.

Grow and defend

Once your plant is established, pathogenic bacteria are drawn to its roots and gather to extract resources. Fungal allies release antibiotics to help fight them, but their aid comes at a cost. You can grow a stronger root system to increase your carbon supply or grow leaves to raise your carbon income.

Game modes

• Annual Mode: Follow an annual plant’s genetic lineage through multiple seasons. Survive changing enemies and environments, and collect resources to improve future generations.
• Arcade Mode: Aim for a high score while keeping your plant alive against increasingly powerful enemies and increasingly dubious fungal allies.

Plants and microbes

The game includes six plant types, each with a unique root system and benefits for the soil ecosystem. Four allied spore types include resource traders, weapon dealers and spores that boost hosts through synergy. Eight pathogenic enemies include parasitic bacteria, berserker viruses and monstrous nematodes.

Chemical defenses

You have eight types of chemical-based defenses. Using them to inflict the most damage requires skill and patience. Educational factoids between rounds explore the real science behind fungi.