The object of this game is to breed your bacteria to be more effective, and ultimately dominate the Petri dish by controlling at least 66% of its biomass.

The game comes in two versions. The HTML5 version is preferred, but the Java fallback version has better performance and can be used if the HTML5 version is too slow. To use the Java version extract the ZIP file somewhere, and if on Windows, run one of the batch files appropriate to your screen resolution. On other platforms you will need to call the JAR file manually using commands similar to those found in the batch files. Getting music in the Java version requires a 32-bit JRE. If it is installed in the default location, the batch files should be able to find it.

This game uses RTS style controls, with standard left click select and right click move. Press the middle mouse button to scroll around, or use the arrow keys.

To breed a new bacteria, select one or more of your bacteria (your bacteria have a faint blue background and show up blue on the minimap) and press B. A new bacterium will be created at your cursor. The result will be a hybrid of all the ones you have selected. You can also just order a completely random one by pressing B with none selected. You will need to do this at the beginning to get started. You can only breed if your food is greater than zero.

Pressing A with a bacterium selected sends it into "aggressive mode" where it will attack any nearby bacteria that do not belong to you. Ordering it to move automatically cancels this mode.

The power of a piece of a bacterium is based on its size. The component types are:

White - Structure, not special at all
Gray - Weak Point, very easy to destroy but cheaper
Green - Solar Cell, generates food for free when the dish isn't overcrowded
Red - Weapon, deals damage on impact with an enemy
Blue - Armor, much tougher than a normal component
Yellow - Engine, used for movement