Mycelium

Mycelium is a real-time strategy game about growing a fungus underground until nothing else is left alive in the soil. Rival colonies spread on the same map, and the way to beat them is to cut their threads and absorb what remains. It runs as a 2D pixel .io game that players can try solo against bots or online with friends, and the whole thing is kid friendly with no blood.

Learning the Basics

Everything starts with the left mouse button. Click a spot and your colony grows toward it, and if that spot belongs to someone else, the same click becomes an attack. The number keys, 1 to 9 and 0, set how much biomass each click sends, so the choice is between a thin probing thread and a heavy push.

The rule that shapes every decision is connection. Land that loses its link to your origin withers. That makes cutting an opponent's thread far more effective than chewing on the edge of their territory, and it also means a long, thin arm of your own is a liability. The mouse wheel zooms, dragging moves the map, and Space shows the whole board, which is the quickest way to spot a thread worth cutting.

Solo, Online and Ability Choices Compared

The game offers a few different ways to approach a match. Each suits a different moment:

• Solo against bots: the better starting point. There is no pressure from other people, so a new player can practise growing, sending different amounts of biomass and seeing what withering looks like.
• Online with friends: the better pick once the basics are familiar. Human opponents are less predictable than bots, and cutting off a friend's colony is more satisfying.
• Small versus large biomass sends: small sends are cheap and good for exploring. Large sends are for attacks and for pushing through a contested line.
• Spore and Toxin: the two abilities, used with right-click or the Q and E keys. They are worth trying in a bot match first so their timing is no surprise in a live game.

Where to Go Next

Mycelium rewards patience more than speed, since a well-placed cut beats a wide spread. Once a few bot matches feel comfortable, take the game online. For something else after that, our game collection has more browser titles, and Friday Games adds new ones regularly.