Grow Home

Grow Home manages to bring something new, relaxing and polished to the table, just not nearly enough of it. Feels like an excellent demo of a bigger game.

It all just bursts with loveliness. From the feelings of protectiveness I immediately felt for Bud (I don't doubt being a very new dad is a large factor in this), to the verdant beauty of the polygonal world, to the exquisite pleasure of successfully growing the plant, it all sings with creativity. And then there's more on top, with scrumptious messages coming from an unseen guide called M.O.M. She utters thoughts like, "I suddenly realize I've sent you down there without any lunch.." Or worries that you might be getting too muddy. And my favourite, when you explode (from falling too far, or d...

Grow Home isn't awfully deep, nor does it provide any real story to hook you, but this game taps into the pleasure centers of seeing something and going there... however you may choose to do so.

Now, after you succeed in your mission, you are given a chance to continue in your world with a secondary main mission, allowing you to gather more Star Seeds and still explore the word. When you complete certain tasks, you unlock new outfits for B.U.D., so it does pay to attempt to get the achievements for some bonus content in game.

Hopping through the floaty gravity and feel-good physics of Grow Home is as pleasant a gaming experience as they come. Dangling hundreds of meters above the ground while I stretched to reach a crystal induces some mild anxiety, but when you've collected those crystals and unlocked B.U.D.’s full range of abilities, free falling becomes almost meditative. It’s not particularly long, or dense, or even deep, but what it does it does exceptionally well, and doesn't have to resort to filler. This risky little game is completely comfortable in its own skin, and that makes it a joy to play.

You can probably get a good three to four hours of gameplay out of Grow Home, and more if you decide to search for every crystal and seed. It’s relatively short, but it oozes charm and personality. I got more than enough enjoyment out of exploring the world, free falling through the vines, and watching BUD be all adorable and weird. If you’re still unsure, just give it some time. I bet it will grow on you.

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Grow Home is yet another small indie-esque release from Ubisoft, following closely in the footsteps of Child of Light and Valiant Hearts. It combines unique gameplay, a stunning graphical style, and a cute story about robots and plants in an attempt to recreate the sensation of rock-climbing. But does this plucky platformer climb to the top of the vine, or should you leaf it alone?

Ubisoft Reflections' 3D platformer reminds the player what made the genre so great

Grow Home gets high points for creativity and providing a relaxing, almost meditative, experience. Except, the game is designed around a mechanic that's often more tedious than fun, and uses a robot that's prone to random spasms and collapses. Still, it's a nice distraction from action games. Even though its puzzle isn't very difficult, minus the falling, it does provide an entertaining experience. Perhaps Grow Home will evolve into something more someday. As it is right now, it's a short and sweet experience with a lot of free falling involved.

Ultimately, Grow Home ends up feeling like a product you really want to love, but is unable to produce the content required to hook your attention. It presents a lovable character, but that character lacks a meaningful world to participate in. If there were better visuals or a stronger story, the strong main character would have been able to develop more and become an integral part of the game. As it is, the game is focused on sprouting vines, which is, no doubt, fun as hell. But that fun begins to fade away when you are forced to slowly make your way up a large tree, in what seems like the sl...

I appreciate when a game has plenty of charm, but it needs to support other elements that are executed well. Call me a grump if you must, but an abundance of quirk and whimsy cannot completely compensate for threadbare design and clunky mechanics. That’s a lesson thoroughly reinforced by Grow Home, a strange platforming adventure from Ubisoft Reflections.