The Viral Countdown

Gameplay

Created in 4 days for the GMTK Game Jam 2026, The Viral Countdown is a puzzle game inspired by classic capsule-dropping games (such as Dr.Mario), with one dangerous twist: the viruses don't wait for you. Whent the Count Down reaches zero, they will spread!

So your objective is simple: eliminate every virus before the outbreak reaches the point of no return.

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How to Play

• Move and rotate falling capsules to place them strategically.
• Connect 4 or more blocks of the same color horizontally or vertically.
• Matching a virus's color eliminates it.
• Create chain reactions to clear multiple viruses with a single move.
• When the countdown reaches 0, the remaining viruses spread.
• Drop colored capsules and line up 4 or more blocks of the same color to eliminate the viruses before it's to late.

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Controls

• A — Move capsule left
• D — Move capsule right
• S — Soft drop
• Space — Rotate capsule
• P — Pause / Resume
• Left Mouse Button — Navigate menus

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Tips

• Keep an eye on the countdown. Every spread changes the board.
• Setting up chain reactions is often better than clearing viruses one at a time.
• Try to trap viruses so they have fewer places to spread.
• The longer the game lasts, the harder containment becomes.

And for all Achievement hunters like me, don't forget to leave a screenshot when you get them all 😉.