FROM ASHES, BLOOM

About

FROM ASHES, BLOOM is a single player survival simulation game. It was developed by Screenshakes and was released on March 11, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

Protect the oldest tree on Earth from Humanity Tear through hordes of enemies Sow trees to help you Active Tower Defense rogue-like gameplay Personalize your creature with new attacks Huge amount of upgrades Various of starting situation with unique skins A never seen before character with 10/10 procedural animation Play as an invincible mass destruction weapon

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 581 reviews

gameplay23 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Engaging and fun tower defense gameplay with a unique twist of defending a tree using various types of trees and a tentacle creature.
Charming art style and characters that add to the appeal; the game is easy to learn and enjoyable for short play sessions.
High replayability with multiple game modes and characters, suitable for casual and relaxing play, especially considering it is free.

Significant performance issues and frequent crashes in later levels due to many projectiles and trees on screen, making long runs difficult.
Controls and user interface are clunky and unintuitive; planting trees can be frustrating due to small target areas and lack of mouse support.
Lack of tutorial, poor game balancing leading to the game becoming too easy and repetitive after initial progress, combined with minimal content.

gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
50%
6%
The gameplay is generally praised for being fun, simple, and engaging with a unique twist on tower defense mechanics and an addictive loop, though some find it lacking depth and variety. Controls and mechanics can be unclear initially, and the game is often described as easy once mastered. However, frequent crashes, performance issues, and limited content or progression dampen the overall experience.
- “The gameplay loop makes it easy to build up your strength and defenses, letting you sit back and enjoy the process of saving the planet from humanity’s destruction.”
- “The game's active tower defense system and extensive upgrades provide plenty of strategic options to explore, ensuring hours of enjoyable gameplay.”
- “I saw the game in a "dangerously funny" video and instantly melted when I saw the tentacle monster sprite - it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen - big fan - that said the gameplay is intuitive and fun with an interesting twist on the traditional tower defense formula - I will be playing many hours of this.”
- “The quality here is pretty poor and the gameplay lacks any kind of depth at all compared to more professionally developed tower defense games like Sanctum 2.”
- “The developer chose not to do the job of a real game developer and create meaningful bespoke levels, narrative-based gameplay progression, and so on.”
- “The contras with these mechanics come in how unclear they are at first and how easy they become for the challenge aspect.”
optimization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The game offers enjoyable gameplay but suffers from poor optimization, especially during later waves with many entities on screen, leading to significant performance drops and occasional crashes. It generally requires a high-performance PC to run smoothly, and users suggest adding optimization settings or a performance mode to improve playability on lower-end systems. Addressing these issues would greatly enhance the overall experience.
- “However, at later rounds when a lot is going to happen at once, non-optimized graphics cause huge framerate drops, making it difficult for players who rely on fast reflexes.”
- “This game is amazing and I love it so much, but you need a really good PC to play in the later levels because of all the projectiles. Hopefully, they can make it more optimized or add a low graphics mode for players with less powerful PCs.”
- “Great chill tower defense roguelike; the main flaw currently is optimization. The game crashed twice during my ~10 runs, but overall I had a lovely time playing.”
- “Poor optimization makes the game impossible to play in later rounds.”
- “At later rounds, when many actions happen simultaneously, the non-optimized graphics cause huge framerate drops, which severely impact gameplay requiring fast reflexes.”
- “The game frequently crashes after around 20 waves, indicating significant optimization issues, especially on AMD CPUs where the game doesn't progress past level 8.”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The game's graphics feature a minimalist and cute art style that many find charming and effective in conveying gameplay elements. While visually appealing and suited to the game's atmosphere, some users note performance issues like framerate drops in later stages, suggesting optimization improvements or a low-graphics mode for weaker PCs would enhance the experience. Overall, the simple yet engaging visuals complement the game's strategic mechanics well.
- “Great game with an awesome art style and hours of gameplay. I personally believe this deserves more notoriety.”
- “I absolutely adore the graphics and style of this game; it was quick to finish but really fun!”
- “A very interesting idea wrapped inside a minimalist but beautiful art-style, that doesn't cost you anything!”
- “However, at later rounds when a lot is going to happen at once, non-optimized graphics suffer from huge framerate drops, which would doom gameplay that depends on fast reflexes.”
- “The graphics aren't great, featuring minimalist backdrops and simple, low quality assets that meet only 'bare minimum viable' quality standards.”
- “This game requires a really good PC to play in the later levels due to many projectiles on screen; optimization or a low graphics mode would help players with less powerful PCs.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious, with repetitive tasks like collecting ashes and planting trees feeling monotonous and effortful. While the gameplay becomes easier after initial progress, the repetitive nature of resource collection and tree planting leads to boredom and frustration for some players.
- “After managing to plant sufficient trees during the first rounds, the game loses all its difficulty and becomes a tedious tree planting game where spawned enemies have no chance against the wall of trees that destroy them before causing any damage.”
- “Like other reviews mention, ashes are annoying to collect, same with seeds for trees, becoming tedious.”
- “Overall: nice game to take out frustrations with human trash, but I inevitably stopped playing because it became tedious.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is charming and quirky, highlighted by adorable and amusing characters like the funny little creature and amusing animations. Players appreciate the lighthearted, playful tone that contrasts with the game's strategic tower defense mechanics, making the experience both entertaining and endearing.
- “I saw the game in a "dangerously funny" video and instantly melted when I saw the tentacle monster sprite - it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Big fan. That said, the gameplay is intuitive and fun with an interesting twist on the traditional tower defense formula. I will be playing many hours of this.”
- “I love the animation for our funny little creature hellbent on causing as much death and destruction as physically possible <3”
- “You can make the character move funny.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The game lacks a coherent story, with no narrative or contextual elements between levels. Players suggest adding brief story segments to enhance engagement. Technical issues, such as crashes, also hinder progressing through missions, limiting story experience.
- “No story.”
- “No story.”
- “When you've completed most of a circle, say 90%, the remaining holes get a glowing outline or some indicator so that you're not walking back and forth to find what plot you missed so you can plant the next ring.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music is generally enjoyed for being fun, relaxing, and fitting well with the cute visuals and animations, though some users find it repetitive. Overall, it enhances the game's charming atmosphere.
- “Fun, relaxing, cute animations and music.”
- “I also like the visuals, sounds, and the music.”
- “I really like it though the music is repetitive.”
- “Played with doom music in background”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game offers enjoyable but relatively short gameplay with varying opinions on replayability; some highlight multiple modes and challenges that enhance replay value, while others see it as a casual, low-effort experience with limited long-term appeal.
- “With different challenges, there's a lot of replay value here.”
- “Lots of replayability with different modes.”
- “Short, but enjoyable, with some replayability.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally enjoyable but suffers from stability issues, including occasional crashes during runs and freezing problems with certain characters, indicating optimization needs improvement.
- “The noticeable flaw I can give as of current is optimization; I had the game crash 2 times in the middle of the runs out of my ~10 runs.”
- “Somewhy, if I play Tanuoki, the game inexorably freezes immediately at the start of the run.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the emotional experience frustrating due to frequent crashes occurring at critical moments, which disrupts excitement and diminishes overall enjoyment. They suggest periodic saving to reduce the disappointment caused by losing progress.
- “It's just heartbreaking; it crashes too often.”
- “It always seems to crash at the most exciting part; it would be less heartbreaking if the game saved at least every ten rounds.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is relaxed and low-pressure, making the game ideal for players looking for a chill and easygoing experience.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that character development is limited, suggesting that unlockable characters should have more unique and varied designs beyond simple changes like hats, such as differing colors, shapes, or features like the number of eyes.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a monetization approach that eliminates traditional ads commonly found in app store games, providing a smoother and less intrusive experience for players.