Agar.io made a huge impact on the gaming world quickly after its release in 2015. But why did this fun game become super popular shortly after it came out? Apart from being amazingly engaging, it had a design that players were crazy for! So, what makes it so unique?
The Hypnotic Design Elements of Agar.io
From interacting with cells to doing your best to survive, the story of Agar.io can make any player go hungry for victory! In this article, we’ll go over the design elements that make this game so fun. Read on to understand its rules and get some tips on how to play better!
“Eating” Cells
In Agar.io, players control a cell that is moving on the surface of a Petri dish. Your goal is to ‘eat’ cells that are smaller than you and avoid being around those ones after you. The more you eat, the larger in size you become. That’s how you can eat bigger cells over time and beat the other players! Now, let’s describe the game’s interesting design in more detail!
About the Game Cycle
As you can see, the game’s mechanics are easy to understand. This creates the opportunity for players to come up with different survival strategies to win. The typical road to victory or game cycle consists of the following three steps:
- The moment you start playing, you need to find a way to survive! Being a small, new cell, you’re vulnerable to larger predators! To stay alive, you need to escape larger cells and ‘eat’ those smaller than you. Once you’re large enough, you can compete against actual human players! Until then, you need to ‘feed on’ tiny computer-generated static cells and avoid large enemies at all costs!
- The longer you stay alive, the more you grow! Eventually, the game lets you chase other players’ cells and ‘eat’ them. In other words, once you’ve grown big enough, you get to play against other players! But, be careful because they can prey on you too! That said, you need to be super strategic about how you play – others will be trying to prevent you from getting larger!
- Your ultimate goal is to get very large and become a threat to other cells. However, your size increases your risk of being attacked by other players too! People will hunt you because they can get nicer rewards for ‘eating’ larger cells! However, if you succeed in ‘eating’ them first, your cell will get even larger, and you’ll be the one who gets a great reward! How fun is that?
Cell Division
The food chain is not all there is, however! What makes Agar.io so engaging is the fact that the game lets players not only eat others’ cells but divide their own! Does this sound like something you’ve learned in a biology class? Well, this design element makes the next six things possible:
- Dividing helps you hunt smaller cells that you need to eat so that you can grow faster. In this game, your speed actually decreases the bigger you get! But with cell division, you can chase and attack other players that are otherwise too fast to catch.
- On the other hand, there will always be someone who’s playing with a cell that’s too big to avoid. If you move too slow, they’ll catch and ‘eat’ you in a second! Cell division can help you defend yourself from the enemies who’re planning to ‘eat’ you!
- However, keep in mind that there are certain risks associated with dividing, one of which is seeing all your cell’s parts become other players’ ‘meal.’ In other words, although division helps you move around quickly, it also makes you more vulnerable to predators!
- That makes this game so exciting, though – one is always at risk of being caught! That’s why you need to think fast and react quickly! Nevertheless, it’s great to have the option of splitting your cell, whether big or small, to attack or defend yourself, respectively!
- Plus, assimilating a large piece of a different cell gives you a lovely reward right before you reintegrate your cell’s parts. You’ll become large enough to chase the players which you wanted to avoid! In Agar.io, risks do pay off if they’re well-calculated!
- Ultimately, finding the right balance between power and mobility will help you shape your strategy. By becoming more powerful, you get slower as well. On the other hand, being faster allows you to escape dangerous enemies. All your choices in this game come at a cost!
The ‘Viral’ Part of the Play
Apart from being part of the real world, germs are also present in Agar.io! Cell division is not all there is – there are also viruses! These little microorganisms let smaller players hide under them and split larger ones. They’re helpful when you need to escape a cell that’s hunting you but take away your power the moment you touch them if you’re big.
Again, it’s all about balance! The game lets no player have an unfair advantage over the other ones. Plus, if you’re a large cell looking for a small snack, the risk of roaming around viruses to ‘eat’ a player will spike your excitement! The reward from your actions will be so much greater once you’ve avoided impossible obstacles to obtain it.
Maps Are No Fun!
Some games, like the ever-popular Grand Theft Auto V, have maps that provide players with plenty of helpful info. One of the things that make Agar.io unique is that it has no map! That’s why it’s fun to play – you can’t know when someone will attack you, but you can also hide without a trace! Add to that the sudden appearance of viruses, and you can feel the thrill of this game!
Why Is the Game So Addictive?
Two things make Agar.io so addictive – the hardships of survival and the empowerment of preying on smaller cells. The first one leaves you fighting for your life, and the second one lets you enjoy the fruits of your efforts to ‘eat’ other cells. As we already mentioned, the higher the risk, the greater the reward that follows!
Indeed, being at the top of the food chain feels really good when you’ve battled multiple cells of enormous sizes to get there. Feelings of happiness and excitement wash over you as you become a predator yourself! Having a cell the size of which other players are afraid of means that you’re a great player who’s used their wits to beat enemies!
Enjoy Safe and Fun Gaming With a Proxy!
Although proxies are usually used for collecting stock market data, content filtering, and increasing privacy, they’re also popular among gamers. Proxy servers let players access games that are restricted in their countries, buy them for lower prices, and more. If you’re someone who enjoys online multiplayer gaming, you should consider getting a proxy!
Furthermore, if you’re an avid fan of chasing after and escaping from cells, proxies for Agar.io can help you become successful in the game quickly! More specifically, they won’t let you get detected when using bots to battle other players! Your victory will still taste sweet, without the fuss of ‘eating’ tiny cells to be able to become a predator!
