UPDATE: This game is no longer available through Steam. Hopefully Asmodee will eventually replace it with a game that has true multiplayer.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I am a big fan of the board game, so when I saw this on sale it was a no-brainer to buy. And this PC version of the game isn't bad, but where it lacks it falls hard.

The primary issue is multi-player -- or rather the lack of it. The game has no true multi-player mode, and given that Pandemic is a co-op game where communication between teammates is essential, faithfully re-creating the rules of the physical board game only gets you half the true game experience. There is a mode for screen-sharing with friends, and you'll have to make use of some other group meeting service to talk to each other. It's labor-intensive to set up rather than having friend invites, playing matching and built-in headset and voice support, but it's possible.

The other factor is the lack of a good DLC release strategy. There are three major expansions for the physical game, but the current DLC packs only break out two elements of one expansion -- On The Brink -- into separate purchases: the additional player roles and the Virulent Strain epidemic cards. The Bio-Terrorist role is not included because it would be impossible to play without true multi-player support. Also missing is the purple disease and the mutation game-play variants. Released on 28-Jul-2021.

Breaking up any expansion into mini-DLCs is a terrible plan IMHO, and I'm sure other fans of the game also find it irritating. The expansions of the real-life game should be released as complete DLC units at a fair price point. Otherwise you are being charged piecemeal to upgrade the game experience. No one likes micro-transactions.

Where Pandemic shines is that it's a well made and faithful execution of the board game mechanics. Because you control all the characters, it's easier to think of it as a solo experience where you get to choose your team composition and difficulty options. Then have at it. You'll quickly learn the different roles and how their special abilities affect game progression. If you were ever uncertain about how the game works when friends have invited you over to play, the PC version will get you up to speed fast without having to worry about setup.

Due to the negatives, I'd recommend getting the game on sale.

Rating: 7/10
An excellent learning experience for how to play this board game classic. Multi-player isn't going to be available any time soon, so at best this is a good way to practice on your own for game night with friends. The whole approach to the DLCs needs to be taken away from the marketing department and re-designed with players in mind.

I unfortunately played this just long enough to be past the refund time period until I realized there are game-breaking bugs (using dispatch or airlift on medic to eradicate a disease causes it to break -- it's been reported repeatedly but not fixed by devs). I'm playing the solo player game so I ignored the reviews that noted problems with multiplayer (no real online multiplayer option), but solo player is bugged as well.

To be clear BOTH solo and "multiplayer" in this game are buggy in game-breaking ways. Do not recommend.

The fact that Pandemic does NOT require each player to have a copy of the game for multiplayer mode has made it fantastic for family games during COVID-19. The host can share the Pandemic screen with everyone in a Zoom session. So we can include family and friends, who do not normally play computer games, and do not have Steam accounts. We found that you must share the FULL screen or monitor. If you only share Pandemic, remote mouse control may not fully line up with what needs to be clicked on. Family and friends from across North America have been playing Pandemic once a week now, for many months. I was very happy to buy my boxed copy of Pandemic for ~$45 many years ago, from the Meppleville Board Game Café, in Las Vegas. At a fraction of the cost, the Steam version is a wonderful bargain.

I'm recommending this game with a big caveat. If you already have the board game and love Pandemic, this is a good electronic version to play on a big screen with a computer attached.

However, if you are new to the game, I'd hold off until they implement multiplayer. This port of the mobile app is not going to do the game justice. As for the suggestion that they implement AI - I originally thought this a good idea too, but then reflected on how I play the board game.

Pandemic's fun comes from the need to plan, communicate and decide as a team. That would be broken if an AI performed scripted actions. So whilst I think MP needs to be implemented as a priority, solo play only really works if you are willing to perform multiple roles - something that is OK if you know and love the game already, but which would not be a great experience for those new to the game.

I am disappointed they did not include any AI players or ability for online play in the game. It is really sad, one of the reasons it is so fun to have computer versions of your board games is not to play on a computer, it is to be able to play vs the computer or another player when you don't have anyone near you to play with. I would much rather play the board game version if I have people near me to play the game with. As it stands the product is just sub-par and completely defeats the purpose of having a computer version of the game

In the most abominable money grab move, Asmodee Digital removed the "Remote Play Together" option from the game. For an OTHERWISE HORRIBLY PROGRAMMED MESS. DURING.AN.EFFING.PANDEMIC

Loved playing it solo until Asmodee pulled it from Steam (for reasons they won't disclose) before I got a chance to buy the expansions and now I can't. At least let those who own the base game still be able to purchase the expansions, especially since the game itself is still advertising the expansions which is extra annoying.

Aside from that Pandemic is an excellent boardgame and I found this digital implementation to be just fine. It was nothing to write home to mom about but it wasn't garbage either. Worth the $10 I paid for it.

This game does NOT have any multiplayer but that didn't prevent us playing with friends. We're all quarantined for Coronavirus prevention, so we needed a board game to play. Pandemic seems like the right choice. It's a cooperative game where all players battle the epidemic together and can share the information freely.

So we dialed into one Zoom call, and shared our controls, so any person could make moves after we agreed on a plan. we had great time, and I would highly recommend this game if you wanted to play it like that. For solo playing, there's no point.

Well at least it finally came out, but it's not finished.
Hopefully updates roll out posthaste to make it at least on par with the mobile version.
It could be better as others have mentioned, multiplayer online, AI, ...would be real nice to add expansions and legacy mode...
We can all pray it goes that way.
Unfortunately unless you're hardcore fan, wait till the game's complete.

I bought this game when it first came out because I really like the board game. After about 5 or 10 minutes in my first game, I uninstalled it and got a Steam refund because I could tell that it was pushed out a bit too fast.

HOWEVER, I recently repurchased the game and can tell that it is now very well polished. So, I definitely recommend it.

Also, I like that you can buy one copy and invite your friends to play, even if they don't own the game. This "Remote Play Together" is a nice feature.