Growth Review (PC)

The deer have done most of the work so far. They have explored, alone or in pairs, revealing plenty of new woods, which replenish their numbers. They might not run too far when compared to the boards or other animals, but they do get the job done reliably. The problem is that I’ve uncovered a new map that isn’t suited to their skills.

There are plenty of yellow bee tiles lurking in the distance, but I have few of the flying insects available to send out. One wrong move might mean that those tiles and the extra animals that they can offer remain forever out of reach. And I have not yet created a big enough forest nearby to deploy my one remaining boar. It’s hard to constantly push for growth when the tiles I can see are all gray.

It’s time to deploy the bird to scout out a big space. She soars and lands majestically, but unfortunately, it doesn’t reveal enough green tiles to target. So, I risk both my bees and my deer, trying to set up small two-tile outposts that can then reach more promising spaces. My efforts are in vain and the distant two points of interest will remain out of reach. It’s time to reset the world and try again.

Growth is developed by VoodooDuck and published by Assemble Entertainment. I played using Steam on the PC. The title mixes exploration, resource management, and puzzle elements, all with a focus on simple mechanics and a cozy approach.

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Other titles in the space try to have at least a small narrative base to give players some structure and a little immersion. There’s almost none here and the game only directly communicates with gamers to give them information about the core mechanics and then objectives to achieve. There are a few hints of lore linked to certain structures on the maps and the tile types.

But this is a gaming space that’s not interested in narrative. It wants gamers to focus their attention on the levels and their potential solutions. I understand the impulse to view a story as unnecessary, but its disappearance also makes it harder to engage with this world. Simply solving puzzles isn’t always enough when there’s not much to discover at the end of one.

Mechanically, Growth is all about careful use of limited resources. The game generates a puzzle level made up of different types of tiles each time, ensuring that players always have a new challenge to deal with. At the start, a small forest area is revealed at the center. To win, one has to uncover more than 80 percent of a big hexagonal space, which reveals adjacent ones and asks players to choose one for continued exploration.

Every action is tied to animals. At first, it’s deer that run across the map, revealing tiles when they reach their destination. Aim for the green ones, which suggest forests are nearby and can give players extra deer and boar (they have longer range) to use. The central idea is easy to understand and fun to use.

Green tiles lead to forests and soon players will discover yellow ones that deliver bees, which can move over obstacles to open up new spaces. As Growth progresses, players will also get to move mountain goats, beavers, ducks, and more. All the creatures offer different capabilities.

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To use an animal, its associated environment has to be unlocked, which can take time. Maps also feature points of interest for gamers to aim for, although it is often treacherous to get to them. Many animals were wasted in my attempt to move through mountains to get to one. Birds can be used for scouting, revealing big amounts of tiles at once and offering players a clear idea of where to use their resources. When players run out of animals, it’s time to create a new universe and start over.

No reason is provided for why the creatures are ready to do the player’s bidding, as they seem to get nothing of value out of their expeditions. But the puzzles that Growth delivers are solid and solving them requires a lot of careful thinking before one animal moves. It’s never a good idea to send a creature directly into the fog but risks are required if one wants to clear the 80 percent and open up new areas.

After a few failures, it’s easy to dismiss the entire experience as too simple. Some might think that the world generation is too random and fails to create interesting scenarios. The game clicked for me when my deer and combo bee reached my first point of interest. I hit my groove, unlocked another area, and almost completed it before I ran out of animals. Despite my failure, I was ready to go again.

Growth’s graphics are simple but also evocative. The game uses bright colors and simple animations to give players a clear idea of where they can explore and the tilesets they might encounter. This approach is a good fit for puzzle gameplay, but it can also make the levels feel sparse and a little lifeless. It doesn’t help that the look of the game isn’t tied to any narrative elements.

The soundtrack is as chill as the graphics, with a minimalism that allows players to take it in while focusing most of their brain power on finding the best way to use that final bee and unlock the rest of the level. As always, more variety would have served the experience well, especially given that the rest of the sound design is limited given the universe and mechanics.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion