Us critics have long wished for games that explore all the other actions a person can take besides “shooting,” “hacking,” and “slashing.” This desire led to the infamous conclusion ofEdge’s 1994 review of Doom: “lf only you could talk to these creatures, then perhaps you could try and make friends with them, form alliances… Now, that would be interesting.” That review is notorious for its point-missing. Would themost influential FPS of all time(and one of the medium’s most important games, period) be better if it was… an entirely different game?
Probably not. But, the longer gaming has existed, the more developers have continued to push and explore the limits of what can be gamified. The rise ofindie games, in particular, has allowed for more and more experimentation, as each dev brings a new perspective and the saturation of the scene requires teams to find a niche. This year plants are all the rage.
Ultros And Botany Manor Form A Budding Genre
This focus on flora was the factor that felt freshest inUltros, February’s funkiest fantasy. ThatMetroidvania’s terrific art style made it stand out at first glance but, the longer I played, the more that faded away, while the horticultural hook took over. Instead of traditional tools like bombs or a morph ball, the game’s hero unlocks farming tools, like a circular saw for trimming through brush and a trowel for retrieving planted seeds. I didn’t think that game fully came together, but that was largely because it didn’t lean into these cool chlorophyll-pilled abilities nearly enough. Its execution was flawed, but its concepts were sick.
Photosynthetic gameplay is also the most exciting aspect ofBotany Manor, a new game that similarly emphasizes plant-powered exploration. I’m still early in the game, but so far I’ve encountered a plant that will only grow in the presence of bright, flashing lights and another that requires smoke from the wood of a particular tree to bloom. It’s a puzzle game where a plant’s biology is the mystery you need to solve. Combine those puzzles with a sprawling English mansion to explore and it’s scratching an itch I didn’t realize I had.
Other recent games don’t make planting stuff a central mechanic, but instead incorporate it as a side activity.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, for example, incorporates gardening and last year’sStar Wars Jedi: Survivorlet you grow plants in a rooftop garden in Kal’s burgeoning settlement.
Gardening Is A Cozy Activity
If you love cozy games, you’re likely seeing these mechanics even more. I haven’t even touched on the herd of farming games that have stampeded onto PC and consoles this year.Stardew Valley’s recent expansion got the most attention, as it added a metric ton of new stuff to do to the extremely popular aging indie. But this year alone has also given playersLightyear FrontierandPalworld, and last year brought Fae Farm, My Time at Sandrock, Homestead Arcana, and others.
The influx of games with plant mechanics may be downstream from the massive growth of the farming genre in the wake of Stardew Valley’s success. ThoughHarvest Moonhad been around for decades, Stardew Valley showed that there was room for innovation in the genre and that it could be achieved by a solo developer. Now, we have so many games about cultivating plant life that the farm can’t contain them. Now the seeds are being planted in Metroidvanias and adventure games, too. Who knows where the winds will take those seeds next?
