Pandemic: The Board Game Review

Here’s your chance to save the world from diseases that will ultimately lead to the world’s end (not the pub, but the actual end of the world as we know it). F2Z Digital Media has created an iOS version of the popular board game, Pandemic. Are you strong enough to fight the diseases? It’s not just an epidemic, it’s Pandemic! Ahhhh!

Four lethal diseases have been unleashed on the world and are spreading like wildfire, and it’s up to the player to create a team to stop these plagues. You can choose from seven characters, each with a special ability. For example, the Medic will completely rid a city of disease instead of just ridding some of the disease.  The Operations Expert can build a research facility in their current city without discarding a card. And the Scientist only needs four city cards of the same color to discover a cure instead of five because she’s just smart like that. You can mix and match teammates to find which abilities you like the best, and can play with as few as two characters if you have trust issues.

If you enjoy the actual tabletop game, then you’ll like the Pandemic iOS game, because it’s the exactly the same, only more fun to play solo. Something about the iOS version doesn’t feel like you’re playing by yourself. You also have the option to pass-and-play if you have others nearby to pass-and-play with.

The rules are straightforward, but there are a lot of little things you can do that might take a game or two to remember. Never fear, though, Pandemic comes equipped with all the help you could possibly want. There’s an in-depth tutorial that walks you through a game, step-by-step, until it eventually weans you off and you’re playing on your own. You can also play with info mode turned on, which will let you make all the decisions while feeding you reminders of the rules and your options. Once you’re a full-on pro, you can deactivate info mode and choose to amp the difficulty up (or down) to suit your style.

Pandemic: The Board Game is great. It doesn’t stray from the tabletop version’s awesome gameplay, and expands it a little with the addition of a couple of new characters while adding in the option of flying solo. There are plenty of options to help both noobs and pros alike, the graphics are minimal, but nice, and the music is fantastic. One drawback is if you're looking to play against others online, because there is no such option. However, if you don't need to play online, and you like to strategize with other people (sitting in the same room as you), or with the other voices living in your head, Pandemic’s one game that you’ll be happy to get infected with.

App Store Link: Pandemic: The Board Game for iPad | By F2Z Digital Media Inc | Price: $6.99 | Version: 1.0.2 | 22.4 MB | Rating 4+