Move the Main Alpha with WASD or the arrow keys. Get close to a green Beta cell: infection happens automatically and the Beta becomes a new Alpha in your swarm. Touching a red Immune cell damages your Alphas; if the Main Alpha dies, the run ends.

The first objectives (in order)

1. Explore - move around to find Beta cells.
2. First infection - get close to a green cell.
3. Grow your swarm - reach 10 Alpha cells.
4. Collect Biomass - the counter is at the top of the screen, target 100.
5. Buy an upgrade - the Upgrades panel is on the right.
6. Eliminate an enemy - move your swarm into a red Immune cell to fight back.
7. Capture a Mutant - special Beta with a glowing colored border, drops DNA.
8. Unlock an ability - happens automatically when you have enough DNA. Abilities panel is on the left.
9. Slot an active ability - open the ability bar at the bottom to equip an active.

Five resources drive every decision in Alpha Genesis. Knowing which one you are short on tells you what to do next.

Three friendly cell types form your colony. Recognising them at a glance is essential.

Main Alpha

The cell you control. If it dies, the run ends. Heal it through Forge perks, mutations, and shielding abilities.

Beta Cell

Infected followers. They produce biomass passively and can be configured by colour for shield matching.

Mutant

Rare super-Beta with stronger output and unique triggers. Spawn chance scales with DNA Extraction overcharge.

Beta colours and the shield system

Beta cells come in 3 colours: red, blue, yellow. The Main Alpha cycles its active shield colour with C (cooldown 0.5s). The shield arc covers a 30 degree spread and can include up to 50 shield cells. Match the active colour to the dominant threat to mitigate the damage you take.

Five quick actions are bound to single keys.

Quick action costs scale with your current biomass (2% of biomass, never below the base, never above 1 million). At 1,000 biomass Overclock costs the base 120; at 100,000 biomass it costs 2,000.

Second Wind (auto-trigger)

Below 15% HP, a Second Wind activates automatically: 140px knockback ring (350 force), 1s invulnerability. Costs 80 biomass + 8 DNA, cooldown 120s.

Combos

Killing enemies in quick succession builds a combo multiplier that boosts gains. Getting hit or letting the timer drain resets it.

10 immune enemy types with distinct behaviour and stats.

Minor

15 dmg / 35 HP. Highest spawn weight (50). Fast, melts to one ability hit.

Major

30 dmg / 100 HP. Spawn weight 25. Solid bruiser, sees from 500px away.

Elite

40 dmg / 200 HP. Spawn weight 10. Threat unit, sees from 600px.

Kamikaze

15 HP, 180 move speed (rocket). Spawn weight 20. Explodes on contact.

Beam

70 HP, slow. Spawn weight 10. Fires a beam (Membrana Riflessa counters it).

Suppressor

15 dmg / 120 HP. Spawn weight 8. Debuffer (Purga Spore neutralises it).

Splitter (Cubo di Carne)

20 dmg / 80 HP. Spawn weight 12. Splits into meat projectiles when hit.

Gunner

120 HP. Spawn weight 12. Fires bouncing projectiles.

King Cell

35 dmg / 400 HP, very fast (120). Mini-boss controlled by ascension count.

Procedural

30 dmg / 150 HP. Spawned dynamically. Body and behaviour generated by procedural shaders, every encounter is visually unique.

The boss roster has 3 fixed-tier bosses + procedural bosses. Summon from the red skull button on the HUD. Each boss has multiple phases that activate at HP thresholds.

Procedural bosses are unique each time: every silhouette, attack pattern and skillset is generated fresh.

Damage families

Boss resistances are split across 5 damage families: Kinetic, Viral, Energy, Void, Entropy. Titan of Realms is most resistant to Kinetic (25%) and Void (20%), least resistant to Viral and Entropy (10%). Choose abilities and weapons that exploit a boss' weakest family.

The Letter Parry QTE

During key boss attacks a letter prompt flashes on screen. Press the matching key (or controller button if controller mode is on) within the window to parry the attack: you take no damage and the boss is briefly stunned.

BossLink tags

Each boss carries a set of tags. Defeating bosses with overlapping tags grants permanent BossLink bonuses that affect future runs.

The ability system contains 127 abilities spread across 5 categories and 5 tiers (Evolution 25, Metabolism 25, Structure 28, Synthesis 25, Virulence 24). Spend DNA in the Ability Unlock Panel to unlock a random ability from the lowest tier you have not completed.

Unlock costs

Categories

Evolution

Permanent transformations: clones, hive minds, black holes, ascension catalysts.

Metabolism

Resource generation: photosynthesis, recycling, alchemy, infinite growth.

Structure

Built defences: factories, walls, generators, energy barriers, citadels.

Synthesis

Orbital ring optimisation: shape bonuses, fusion efficiency, core protection.

Virulence

Offence: viral projectiles, plagues, apocalypse, omega point.

Tiers

Each tier costs more DNA but unlocks stronger effects. Unlocks always happen from the lowest tier that still has abilities left; once a tier is fully completed you advance automatically to the next one. Tier 4 requires 2 ascensions (Trasceso), Tier 5 requires 5 ascensions (Divino). Tiers 1, 2 and 3 are always accessible.

18 auto-skills (7 Attack, 7 Defense, 4 Utility) trigger automatically when their conditions are met. Tiers unlock based on total abilities unlocked: Tier 1 always available, Tier 2 at 10 abilities, Tier 3 at 25 abilities.

Attack

Risonanza Virale (T1)

After 6 infections (cd 4s): wave on nearby Beta, 2% maxHP to adjacent immunes.

Scarica Orbitale (T1)

Every 8s: 1+ Alphas strike the closest immune for 4% maxHP each (max 3 hits).

Predazione Mutante (T1)

Passive: +30% damage vs Elite and Kamikaze.

Nova Parassita (T2)

Lose 15% HP in 3s: explosion 140px (6-12% maxHP), cd 12s.

Spore Corrosive (T2)

Every 10s: 9% maxHP DoT + +15% damage taken on 3 immunes for 6s.

Frattura d'Assedio (T3)

Every 12s: 320px line (5% maxHP), knockback, +15% vulnerability for 3s.

Eco del Flagello (T3)

Every 15s: requires Beta threshold, explosion 4-10% maxHP scaled by Beta count.

Defense

Membrana Riflessa (T1)

Passive: -20% damage from beam/suppressor, 10% reflected back.

Nucleo Decoy (T1)

Every 18s: spawns 80 HP decoy, player takes -20% damage for 3s.

Velo di Evasione (T2)

Below 35% HP: dash 150px + 0.8s invulnerability, cd 20s.

Rigenerazione Spinale (T2)

No damage for 3s: heal 7 HP/s for 4s + 15 HP shield after.

Anti-Kamikaze (T2)

Kamikaze in 130px: -40% damage, counter-blast, 50% slow 1s, cd 8s.

Guscio Reattivo (T3)

After 3 hits in 4s: absorbs up to 60 damage per hit for 5s, cd 30s.

Barriera di Compressione (T3)

Every 20s: 120px area slows immunes by 35% for 4s.

Utility

Campo di Frattura (T1)

Every 10s: cone push + 30% slow for 2s.

Purga Spore (T2)

Near suppressor/beam: debuff immunity for 3s, cd 15s.

Beacon di Caccia (T3)

Passive: +20% damage vs beam/kamikaze/elite, -10% damage from them.

Spinta di Gravità (T3)

Every 14s: pull 280px + 25% slow for 1.5s.

Organelli are equippable items that buff your Main Alpha. There are 6 slots with 6 base types each (36 total). Each item has one implicit bonus from its base type, plus rolled affixes. Rarity uses the same scale as Forge perks (N, R, SR, SSR, UR, LEGEND).

Affix types

• Flat — plain stat bonus, always active.
• Conditional — active only when a condition is met (combo above X, HP below %, orbital count, ability category equipped, boss alive, infections above N).
• Tradeoff — strong bonus paired with a penalty on a different stat.
• Synergy — scales with a counter source, with an upper cap.

Nucleo

Core stat boosts (HP, DNA gain).

Membrana

Defence and damage reduction.

Mitocondrio

Energy and biomass efficiency.

Ribosoma

Ability output and mutation rates.

Flagello

Movement speed and dash effects.

Vacuolo

Storage, cooldowns, special triggers.

Drop sources

• Boss kills — rarity weights scale with boss tier (T3 vs T6+).
• Treasure chests — chance to drop based on chest rarity.
• Milestones — periodic drops on progression beats.
• Ascension — guaranteed item per ascension; high tiers boost UR/LEGEND chances.

The Estro card collection contains 250 numbered cards (50 unique numbers x 5 variants A/G/H/I/M) plus a few special cards. Each card has 5 stats: ATK, DEF, HEL, DEX, MAP, plus an optional DONO (gift) effect and an Una sola volta (one-shot) flag.

Absorbing a card

Absorbing a card adds its stats to your permanent totals. Bonuses persist across ascensions, just like Forge perks. Diminishing returns apply per stat type (factor 0.15 per absorbed card), so spreading across stats is more efficient than stacking the same one.

Stat conversions

Where they come from

Floating cards appear during gameplay (milestone drops, boss rewards, treasure chests). The Marketplace allows trading cards via Steam-authenticated listings.

The Biomass Shop has four core upgrades plus four temporary boosts.

Four temporary boosts (Spawn Alpha, Frenesia, Sciame, Onda Mutante) provide short-duration burst effects.

Overcharge

Once an upgrade hits its base max, it enters Overcharge mode: cost continues exponentially from where it left off, bonuses per level shrink. Special milestones unlock at high overcharge levels:

• Every 10 Biomass Efficiency overcharge levels: +1 passive biomass / second.
• Every 5 DNA Extraction overcharge levels: +5% mutant chance.

Forge bases spawn in the world every 6-10 minutes (12% per visited sector). Interact with one to open the Forge UI: 5-7 options are rolled, you pick 1-3, and a permanent perk is generated. A perk can target any of these stats: biomass/DNA gain, infection radius/speed, movement speed, Beta spawn rate, mutant chance, enemy damage/speed/spawn/count (reductions), Alpha health/damage, building efficiency, expedition rewards.

Slot progression

• Start with 3 perk slots.
• +1 slot per ascension (tier 1 = slot 4, tier 3 = slot 5, tier 5 = slot 6).
• Maximum 6 total slots.
• Cooldown between Forge uses: 30 minutes.

Perk rarities and base costs

Normal

Base 500 biomass, weight 1.

Rare

Base 1.2K biomass, weight 2.

Super Rare

Base 2.5K biomass, weight 4.

SSR

Base 6K biomass, weight 8.

Ultra Rare

Base 14K biomass, weight 16. Unlocks at Trasceso (T2).

Legend

Base 30K biomass, weight 32. Unlocks at Divino (T5).

Costs scale: +50% per extra option picked (max 3 total), +40% if categories are mixed. Caps: max +80% per single target, max -30% enemy damage.

Echo system

Perks forged at higher ascension tiers gain Echo bonuses: a multiplier applied retroactively. Echo Tier 1 unlocks at Trasceso (T2), Echo Tier 2 at Divino (T5), Infinite Echoes at Omega (T10).

Perk degradation (T6+)

From ascension tier 6 onwards, each ascension adds a small degradation to one perk modifier (e.g. -10% of its value). You can pay 250M essenza once per run to halve a single degradation.

Two distinct mutation systems coexist.

Prestige Mutations (permanent, purchased with Essence)

Eight upgrades in the Mutazione category of the Prestige tree (P). Bought with Essence, they apply to every future run.

Genetic Anomalies (per-run, dual-edged)

15 dual-edged mutations offered during a run. The first appears 3 minutes after run start; further offers come every 2-7 minutes (faster after a decline). Maximum 5 active per run. Accepting applies BOTH a bonus and a malus from the chosen mutation.

Examples: Unstable Membrane (+35% infection radius / -20% cell HP), Furious Metabolism (+40% biomass gain / -25% cell HP), Hypermutation (+30% DNA gain / -15% infection speed), Neural Overclock (+20% movement speed / -15% damage reduction).

When your Main Alpha can no longer survive, or you actively trigger ascension, the run ends and you gain Essence based on your performance. Essence is spent on prestige upgrades and Permanent Mutations.

Ascension tiers

Each tier unlocks specific systems. The level shown is the ascension count required.

Nascente (T0)

Starting tier. Nothing unlocked yet.

Risvegliato (T1)

Mastery Tree, Forge slot 4.

Trasceso (T2)

T4 abilities, Forge UR perks, Mastery branch 2, Echo tier 1.

Asceso (T3)

Forge slot 5, Mastery branch 3.

Divino (T5)

T5 abilities, Forge LEGEND perks, Divine abilities, Echo tier 2, Forge slot 6.

Omega (T10)

Omega Form, infinite Echoes, Final Mastery.

Catalysts and Difficulty

Optional Catalysts can be enabled before a run to increase difficulty in exchange for higher score multipliers and better drops. Your effective challenge tier scales the rewards accordingly.

The Mastery Tree contains 18 permanent nodes organised in 3 branches of 6 nodes each. Nodes are bought with Essence and persist across all ascensions.

Branches

• Via della Forza (Force) - cell health, damage, regen, passive damage aura, i-frames, warform on kill.
• Via della Crescita (Growth) - biomass gain, DNA gain, Beta spawn rate, resources per Alpha, death recycle, passive resource generation.
• Via dell'Evoluzione (Evolution) - ability cost reduction, cooldown reduction, extra ability slot, synergy bonus, discovery discount, free T5 ability on ascension.

Each node has up to 5 levels, with costs scaling per level. Nodes have prerequisites within their branch (e.g. Spine Virali requires Membrane Rinforzate level 2).

Late-game expansion sees you colonise planets. Each planet is a self-managed colony with its own resources, infrastructure and threats.

Buildings

Habitat

Houses population, the foundation of any colony.

Crystal Mine

Extracts crystals from the planet.

Research Lab

Generates research points for the planetary tech tree.

Refinery

Refines raw minerals into usable resources.

Shield Generator

Defends the colony from threats and orbital attacks.

Energy Collector

Powers all other infrastructure.

Comm Hub

Enables trade routes between colonies.

Spore Farm

Cultivates Beta cells locally for shipping back.

Dyson Collector

End-game energy structure with massive output.

Orbital Habitat

Increases population cap beyond planetary limits.

Stellar Forge

Apex-tier production building.

Omega Structure

Final tier capstone building. Unlocks at Omega ascension.

Adjacency bonuses

Buildings placed next to compatible neighbours gain efficiency bonuses. Plan your layout: a Refinery beside a Crystal Mine outproduces an isolated one.

Population, contracts and threats

• Population grows in habitats and is required to staff your buildings; happiness affects productivity.
• Contracts are timed objectives that pay big rewards.
• Threats spawn periodically: pirates, anomalies, immune outbreaks.

The planetary Tech Tree contains 44 technologies organised in 5 tiers x 5 categories. Tech is paid in Crystals and Energy.

Categories

• Colonization - colony pods, habitat slots, terraforming.
• Extraction - mining bonuses, energy collectors, refineries.
• Propulsion - scanner array, faster expedition travel, rare planet discovery.
• Xenobiology - spore farming, biological synergies, organic infrastructure.
• Megastructure - apex buildings (Stellar Forge, Dyson Collector, Omega Structure).

Higher-tier tech requires lower-tier tech as prerequisites. Some unlocks add buildings; others give global percentage bonuses.

Trade routes

Connect two colonies to exchange resources automatically.

• Setup cost: 50 Crystals + 100 Energy.
• Setup time: 2 minutes.
• Throughput: 10 resources/minute, 80% efficiency (20% lost in transport).
• Maintenance: 5 Energy/minute per active route.
• Max routes: 3 simultaneous.

Marketplace

Steam-integrated meta-store. Buy and sell cards and rare resources with other players. Uses Steam authentication tickets to verify ownership. Earning the Merchant achievement requires completing a single Marketplace transaction.

Open the Galactic Map with G. Each star system contains planets, sectors, anomalies and links to neighbouring systems.

Sectors

The world is divided into a grid of sectors. Sectors you have visited are tracked and remain marked on your map.

Zone Franca

Special zones you can build by placing pieces in a sector. While inside a Zone Franca, enemies do not spawn AND resources do not accumulate. Use them as safe rest stops between intense fights.

Travel

Long jumps between distant sectors show a travel overlay. Pieces you have placed and sectors you have discovered are remembered between runs.

Several event types interrupt or enrich the moment-to-moment loop.

• Wandering Merchant - Periodically appears with 7 offer categories: resource swap, devil deal (HP penalty for buff), gamble, temp buff, ability sacrifice (refund DNA), mineral trade, equipment (Organelli). A green light beacon and on-screen arrow point to it; approaching pauses the game and a safe zone keeps enemies out.
• Treasure Chests - Floating containers that spawn near you every minute or two, up to 3 at a time. Walk into one to open it and collect a random reward.
• Cosmic Events - 10 different events (Meteor Shower, Alien Signal, Debris Field, Gravitational Anomaly, Space Merchant, Solar Flare, Wormhole Rift, Cosmic Storm, Quantum Fluctuation, Nebula Encounter). Each one offers a choice between two outcomes (for example: destroy 30% of enemies, or +500 biomass).
• Chaos Events - Short, intense events with bigger rewards if you survive.
• Spatial Anomalies - Localised zones with altered rules (slowed time, mirrored controls, low gravity, etc.).
• Genetic Resonance - Run-wide buffs that build up as you keep your colony healthy.
• Mutation Offers - The 15 dual-edged genetic anomalies (see Mutations section).

Open the Weapon Builder with K. Place pieces in a 32-row grid divided into 3 zones: Barrel (rows 0-9, +50% range), Body (rows 10-21, +50% speed, +20% energy), Grip (rows 22-31, +50% damage, +30% area).

Piece types (8)

Plasma Core, Void Circuit, Neural Link, Bio Membrane, Cryo Conduit, Graviton Node, Quantum Relay, Nano Lattice. Each excels at 1-2 stats and is weak in others, forcing tradeoffs.

Rarity multipliers

Adjacency combos

Adjacent pieces of compatible types unlock combos: Plasma Focalizzato (Plasma + Void: +30% damage, pierce), Shock Termico (Plasma + Cryo: DoT 4s), Catena Neurale (Neural + Quantum: chain), Pozzo Gravitazionale (Bio + Graviton), Risucchio Vuoto (Graviton + Void: weaken), Crio Membrana (Cryo + Bio: slow).

Drop gating by enemy tier

Tier 6-7 enemies drop up to R, T8-9 up to SR, T10-12 up to SSR, T13-15 up to UR, T16-20 up to LEGEND.

Open Expeditions with E. Send Alpha cells on timed missions. They are removed from the active engine while away and lost if they die.

Mission types (6)

Random events

While away, missions can roll bonus events: Jackpot Biomassa (+5x biomass), Cache DNA (+3x DNA), Artefatto Antico (+2x both), Sopravvissuti Extra (reduces death rate by 50%), Scoperta Dorata (+10x biomass).

11 Steam achievements track major milestones. They unlock automatically and sync to Steam. The last one is hidden until earned.

First Infection

Complete your first game.

Rebirth

Perform your first Ascension.

Collector

Obtain 25 cards.

Merchant

Complete a Marketplace transaction.

Colonizer

Establish your first colony.

Consistency

Reach 7 days login streak.

Evolution Master

Unlock all abilities in a category.

Transcendence

Reach Ascension Tier 5.

Legendary Artificer

Forge a Legendary perk.

Galactic Supremacy

Complete all planetary missions.

Absolute Progenitor

Hidden. Collect all cards in all rarities.

Daily Login

A 7-day cycle. Each day grants currency plus a streak bonus. Some days include a temporary buff (biomass boost, DNA boost, or both) lasting several minutes. Day 7 always grants a card with a rolled rarity.

Your streak keeps growing across cycles. The Consistency achievement unlocks at 7 consecutive days.

Marketplace

Browse listings, buy and sell cards with other players. The Merchant achievement unlocks on your first transaction.

The right side of the screen shows your current objective. The 24 sequential objectives cover the entire progression. Click the tracker to read the detailed description.

Sequence (in order)

1. Move for 5 seconds
2. First infection
3. Reach 10 Alpha cells
4. Earn 100 biomass
5. Buy first upgrade
6. First immune kill
7. Capture a mutant
8. Unlock an ability
9. Slot an ability
10. Reach 50 Alpha cells
11. Use Overclock
12. Open a treasure chest
13. Forge a perk
14. Portal spawned
15. First Ascension
16. Second Ascension
17. Send an Expedition
18. Discover a planet
19. Establish a colony
20. Build a structure
21. Craft a weapon
22. Defeat a boss
23. Complete a contract
24. Explore

Each objective references one in-game counter (infections, biomass earned, kills, etc.) with a target. Objectives persist across sessions.

Movement

Quick Actions

Panels

Abilities & System

Controller

Steam Controller / gamepad input is supported but disabled by default. Enable it in Settings → Controller: ON. The button mapping uses standard A/B/X/Y prompts during boss QTEs.

Open Settings from the main Menu (M or Esc).

Audio

Master, music and sound-effect volume sliders.

Visual and Accessibility

• Flash intensity slider (lower it if flashes feel too bright).
• Reduce screen shake toggle.
• Photosensitivity mode disables all flashes.
• Colourblind mode: none, deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia.

Performance

Auto-detect plus manual override (low / mid / high). Affects particle density and effect quality.

Gameplay

• Controller ON/OFF (default OFF).
• Objectives ON/OFF.
• Keybindings rebinding (in a separate window).

Languages (8)

English, Italiano, Deutsch, Français, Español, Chinese, Japanese, Korean. Default: English.

Resource flow

• Auto-skill tiers unlock at 10 and 25 abilities total. Reaching 10 abilities is a meaningful threshold.
• The Wandering Merchant spawns periodically. Its safe zone keeps enemies out, so interacting is always free of risk.
• The first Genetic Anomaly offer arrives 3 minutes after run start; further offers come every 2-7 minutes (faster after declining).
• Forge bases spawn every 6-10 minutes (12% per visited sector) and have a 30 minute cooldown after use.

Combat priorities

• Predazione Mutante auto-skill gives flat +30% damage vs Elite and Kamikaze. Equip it early.
• Below 35% HP, Velo di Evasione auto-triggers a dash with 0.8s i-frames - use this window to reposition.
• Standing still for 3 seconds triggers Rigenerazione Spinale (heal 7 HP/s for 4s). Disengage when low.

Card absorption

• HEL is the strongest stat point-for-point (1% max HP per total point vs 0.5% for ATK/DEF/DEX).
• DEF is capped at 90% damage reduction; absorbing more DEF after the cap is wasted.
• Diminishing returns of factor 0.15 apply per stat type, so spreading absorption across stats is efficient.

Can I rebind keys?

Yes. Open the main menu and go to Keybindings. Every action can be reassigned and your choices are remembered between sessions.

The game runs slowly.

Open Settings and lower the Performance level (low / mid / high) or let the auto-detect handle it. Reducing flash intensity and disabling screen shake also helps on weaker machines.

I have photosensitivity issues.

In Settings, turn on Photosensitivity Mode to disable all flashes, lower the Flash Intensity slider, or enable Reduce Screen Shake.

I am colourblind.

Settings includes a Colourblind filter with three modes: deuteranopia, protanopia and tritanopia.

How do auto-skills work?

Auto-skills are not equipped into slots. They are offered as periodic choices: the game shows you a rolled set of options and you pick one via the selection panel. The picked skill is added to your active auto-skills and stays active for the run (picking the same one again stacks its effect). Tier 2 options unlock at 10 total abilities, Tier 3 at 25. The 7 / 7 / 4 figures are the totals per category (7 attack, 7 defense, 4 utility — 18 overall), not slots.

I have a lot of unused biomass, what do I do?

Open the Biomass Forge button on the HUD (it appears after all base shop upgrades are maxed) and convert excess biomass into Crystals, Essence or Minerals.