Quarantine

Quarantine is a turn-based strategy game where players aim to stop a global disease outbreak, reversing the typical "infect the world" premise seen in games like Plague Inc. The game features four classes—scientists, medics, diplomats, and security officers—each with specific bonuses but overlapping capabilities. Gameplay revolves around researching cures, quarantining cities, and managing resources across a simplified global map. While the game is polished with appealing art and sound design, it suffers from limited depth and replayability. Most scenarios play similarly, and diseases behave in comparable ways, leading to repetitive gameplay. The game currently offers about 3-5 hours of unique content, with some players reporting up to 8-10 hours including achievements and harder difficulties. Despite updates improving mechanics and balancing, many thematic inconsistencies and shallow strategic choices remain. The community hopes for additional content and features, but development appears to have slowed or ceased after leaving early access. Quarantine is best suited for casual players or fans of the genre looking for a short, accessible experience.

Highlights

Players praise Quarantine's intuitive turn-based mechanics and the unique premise of fighting disease rather than spreading it. The art design and UI are well-received for clarity and style, with satisfying sound effects and voice work enhancing immersion. The tech tree and class bonuses add some strategic choices, especially after updates that increased mission difficulty and unit health. The game’s balance and polish stand out, with stable performance and few bugs reported. Many appreciate the game's approachability for newcomers to strategy games and enjoy the low-pressure, methodical gameplay. The random crisis events add flavor and occasional tactical decisions. Overall, the core gameplay loop is engaging and offers a refreshing twist on pandemic-themed strategy games.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the game’s lack of depth and replayability. Diseases and scenarios feel too similar, with limited variation in tactics needed. The cure system is simplistic, often making the endgame anticlimactic, as players can win instantly upon researching the cure without further challenge. The map and cities lack differentiation, reducing strategic complexity. Several thematic inconsistencies break immersion, such as unrealistic cure costs and timing, and overly simplistic quarantine mechanics. The AI and random events can feel predictable or overly punishing, especially on higher difficulties. Some players find the game too easy or too reliant on luck. The limited number of actions per turn and capped offices restrict player choices. Finally, many lament the short playtime relative to price and the apparent halt in development post-early access.