Beyond the Grove

About

Beyond the Grove is a single player tactical management game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Not a Duck and was released on November 4, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Beyond the Grove is a charming RTS-inspired autobattler where you, a young Grove Keeper, must venture out to face a mysterious corruption. With a steady stream of summoned mushroom warriors and crafted elemental golems by your side, rally your forces to victory and discover the fate of the world beyond your grove. Command your army in a cycle of strategy and action. Take time to place rally …

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 13 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

Unique hybrid gameplay combining RTS, auto battler, and roguelike elements with easy-to-understand mechanics.
Charming and cute art style with delightful character and golem designs, enhanced by dynamic and appealing music.
Active and communicative developers, responsive to feedback and continuously improving the game with new content and balance updates.

Multiple bugs reported including units getting stuck, not attacking, and game state freezes that disrupt gameplay.
Balance issues with some battles being too easy and others suffering from gameplay bugs affecting difficulty.
Relatively short content in early access with some performance issues and an arguably high price point before further updates.

graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics feature a charming, cute art style with a nostalgic 90s vibe, making the visuals both endearing and captivating. Players enjoy discovering new golem types, adding excitement to the visually delightful experience.
- “You can see from the pictures, but the classic nature of the art style really does it for me, and this feels like an elevated game from the 90s.”
- “The game has cute graphics with an endearing theme.”
- “The artstyle is cute and it's exciting discovering new golem types.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The gameplay is engaging with an enjoyable loop, easy-to-learn mechanics, and sufficiently challenging levels. The build/discover element of creating golems adds a delightful, alchemy-like experience, while diverse starting characters encourage varied strategies, enhanced by numerous new mechanics and features.
- “The gameplay loop is fun and the mechanics are easy to understand, but the levels are still challenging enough to enjoy the progression.”
- “The build/discover aspect of the golems is delightful and evokes that classic 'alchemy' style gameplay where you realize "ah, of course earth and water make a mud elemental."”
- “Different starting characters (grovekeepers) change the gameplay and force you to find new strategies for beating levels.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is praised for its dynamic quality and use of live instruments, enhancing the game's charming visuals with captivating and adaptive background tracks that change based on onscreen action.
- “Battle sound effects are adorable and I believe the background music was all done in-house with live instruments.”
- “The visuals are absolutely adorable, but what truly captivates is the fantastic dynamic music.”
- “I love how the music changes based on what is showing on the screen.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The inclusion of challenge modes with escalating difficulty and diverse penalties, along with element-specific power-ups and permanent upgrades, significantly enhances the game's replayability by offering varied challenges and strategic options.
- “The addition of a challenge mode (ascension difficulty levels that add penalties or debuffs to your run) has added replayability and more challenges to overcome.”
- “Not only more elements and golem types but also element-specific power-ups and permanent upgrades really increase the replay value.”