Ah, microbiology. The study of tiny organisms, for… science! In the case of tricone lab, it’s all about hands-on research, as you synthesize tricones (get it?) while avoiding a variety of obstacles. Wait, don’t panic (yet). The process is nowhere near as complex as one might think, and the game does a suitable job of teaching the ropes. Oh right, failing might result in employment termination. Feel free to panic.
Alright so that last line may not be entirely true, but do you really wanna risk it? Didn’t think so. Anyway, your job is relatively simple. Simply draw a line from a catalyst to one green, blue and red cone. Having done that, a single click on ‘synthesize’ will turn the components into… a tricone. If only the real deal was as simple, eh?
It’s not long before the game throws several twists into the mix, turning what starts as an easy enough puzzle game into a serious head-scratcher. The most frequently used of these is the breaker (Z-shaped blobs), which allows you to take down entire walls. While their use is limited to a single ‘explosion’, in the later levels you’ll actually get to synthesize your own [breakers] as part of the puzzle, all while trying to figure out which wall to blow up next. Tricky? You bet.
Unsurprisingly, along with breakers, transporters, and anti-catalysts, positive and negative cells also decide to join the fray. These bastards are determined to make your life a living hell, as they’ll easily bring any progress you’ve made in a level to a screeching halt. See, while you can eliminate both by forcing them to share the same space, I’d certainly recommend against letting negative ones near any catalysts; breakers in particular… try it, you’ll see.
One thing to keep in mind is that the game is in alpha state, meaning that it’s nowhere near finished and bugs are bound to occur. Aside from that, I’d say it’s definitely more than a little playable. So how about it – you ready to mess with science and put those microbiology skills to the test, in tricone lab? Oh and don’t forget about its Greenlight page.
