A Virus Named TOM (PC) (2012)
Relevant Links:
A Virus Named TOM Website
A Virus Named TOM (Wikipedia.org)
A Virus Named TOM (Steam Store Page)
A Virus Named TOM (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Overview: A Virus Named TOM is an action puzzle game. As the title suggest, you play as a virus named TOM. You were created by a scientist seeking revenge on the company where he was formerly employed. And, in order to carry out your creators revenge, you will navigate through circuit boards and spread the virus by connecting all the circuits to various sources. However, watch out as the company catches onto your mischievous actions and beefs up the security (puzzles get harder).
Recommendation:
The aspect I enjoy most about A Virus Named TOM is its race-against the clock nature. For me, its not satisfying just to finish a level and move on to the next. Instead, the satisfaction is in repeating the levels and figuring out where to save precious seconds of time off the clock! The satisfaction is in climbing those ladderboards! Note that this isn't the case for all games, but it works well in A Virus Named TOM.
Similar to A Virus Named TOM in this nature is a puzzle platformer called The Adventures of Shuggy (PC) (2012). Note that both games also offer local co-op, with A Virus Named TOM allowing up to four players to play cooperatively! While I cannot make any statements about playing with three or four players, I have played the two-player story mode and found it pretty fun. Sometimes, to make the experience truly cooperative, the puzzle will have a barrier down the center which the two players cannot cross.
Overall, A Virus Named TOM is a simple puzzle game and a great pickup if you love puzzle games and are starting to dig around towards the lower end of the barrel. Otherwise, I would recommend doing a little research into other puzzle games. For example, maybe you would prefer Cogs (PC) (2009) (another puzzle game with a race-against the clock element) or The Adventures of Shuggy (the puzzle platformer mentioned above).
[20150111]
20140515:
Today I played the single player story and finished the following levels:
I also got the following Steam achievements:
20141228:
Today Josh and I played the co-op story with two players. Instead of striving to get the absolute best possible times, we took it relatively easy by setting out to achieve times which were sufficient to get gold medals.
This meant that inefficiencies such as running into each other were unimportant. It only mattered if we did what was necessary to secure a gold medal.
We finished the following level:
We got the following achievements:
20220520 Snapshot:
Steam Game Time: 3.9 hours
20220520:
I tried playing this game today picking up from the furthest progress but I didn't remember how to play. The following were some relevant items to know (keyboard controls):
- move with either WASD or arrow keys
- hold space while going around a tile to rotate it
- the goal of the game is to power all circuits
- circuits wrap around the sides (i.e., left edge with right edge and top edge to bottom edge)
- press alt (?) to place a glitch
- a glitch can be used to disintegrate a green enemy which can be destroyed as a power source
At the end of the short play session, I felt the difficulty of this game has reached the level where I should no longer pursue playing it.
Steam Game Time: 4.4 hours
 |
| Rotate tiles until all of them are connected. |
Relevant Links:
A Virus Named TOM Website
A Virus Named TOM (Wikipedia.org)
A Virus Named TOM (Steam Store Page)
A Virus Named TOM (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
 |
| The game's (story) art style. |
Overview: A Virus Named TOM is an action puzzle game. As the title suggest, you play as a virus named TOM. You were created by a scientist seeking revenge on the company where he was formerly employed. And, in order to carry out your creators revenge, you will navigate through circuit boards and spread the virus by connecting all the circuits to various sources. However, watch out as the company catches onto your mischievous actions and beefs up the security (puzzles get harder).
 |
| Some puzzles begin to use the sides as a connection. |
Recommendation:
The aspect I enjoy most about A Virus Named TOM is its race-against the clock nature. For me, its not satisfying just to finish a level and move on to the next. Instead, the satisfaction is in repeating the levels and figuring out where to save precious seconds of time off the clock! The satisfaction is in climbing those ladderboards! Note that this isn't the case for all games, but it works well in A Virus Named TOM.
 |
| Each level consists of a product with multiple parts (puzzles) which need to be infected (solved). When all of theparts are completed, then the product is infected, a cutscene plays, and a new level is unlocked. |
Similar to A Virus Named TOM in this nature is a puzzle platformer called The Adventures of Shuggy (PC) (2012). Note that both games also offer local co-op, with A Virus Named TOM allowing up to four players to play cooperatively! While I cannot make any statements about playing with three or four players, I have played the two-player story mode and found it pretty fun. Sometimes, to make the experience truly cooperative, the puzzle will have a barrier down the center which the two players cannot cross.
 |
| The red tile must not be triggered! |
Overall, A Virus Named TOM is a simple puzzle game and a great pickup if you love puzzle games and are starting to dig around towards the lower end of the barrel. Otherwise, I would recommend doing a little research into other puzzle games. For example, maybe you would prefer Cogs (PC) (2009) (another puzzle game with a race-against the clock element) or The Adventures of Shuggy (the puzzle platformer mentioned above).
[20150111]
20140515:
Today I played the single player story and finished the following levels:
10:43 The Dog Days Are Over
13:16 Beam Me Up
13:47 One Small Step For Man
14:25 hotGirl365
 |
| Teleporter |
I also got the following Steam achievements:
12:48 Leap Before You Look
13:23 Macaroni Chain
13:28 Helium
13:57 Lithium
20141228:
Today Josh and I played the co-op story with two players. Instead of striving to get the absolute best possible times, we took it relatively easy by setting out to achieve times which were sufficient to get gold medals.
 |
| Unconnected tiles are occasionally covered with question marks. |
This meant that inefficiencies such as running into each other were unimportant. It only mattered if we did what was necessary to secure a gold medal.
We finished the following level:
17:17 The Dog Days Are Over
We got the following achievements:
16:58 Peeping TOM
17:07 The Grass Is Always Greener
 |
| Gold! |
20220520 Snapshot:
Steam Game Time: 3.9 hours
20220520:
I tried playing this game today picking up from the furthest progress but I didn't remember how to play. The following were some relevant items to know (keyboard controls):
- move with either WASD or arrow keys
- hold space while going around a tile to rotate it
- the goal of the game is to power all circuits
- circuits wrap around the sides (i.e., left edge with right edge and top edge to bottom edge)
- press alt (?) to place a glitch
- a glitch can be used to disintegrate a green enemy which can be destroyed as a power source
At the end of the short play session, I felt the difficulty of this game has reached the level where I should no longer pursue playing it.
Steam Game Time: 4.4 hours
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