Growing Pains

About

Growing Pains is a single player action game. It was developed by Smudged Cat Games Ltd and was released on May 28, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Growing pains is a fast and furious platformer which gives the genre a shake up with sleek graphics, a thumping soundtrack and an ingenious twist that you’ve never seen before. The "Vessel" which you control continually grows and expands leaving you in a permanent race to clear the area and escape before you get too big and find your butt wedged in a tight spot. Combine this with tight controls an…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

+11

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 19 reviews

music3 negative mentions

The unique mechanic of the character growing while navigating levels adds an interesting twist to traditional platforming gameplay.
The game features a strong community and supports user-generated content through a workshop, enhancing replayability.
The controls are generally responsive, and the game offers a fair challenge, especially for those seeking to complete higher difficulty levels.

The game suffers from a lack of content, with only nine short levels that feel inadequate for a paid title.
Graphics and overall presentation are subpar, resembling a low-quality Flash game, which detracts from the overall experience.
The controls can feel slippery and unresponsive, making precision platforming frustrating and leading to a sense of unfair difficulty.

gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
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The gameplay features a unique mechanic where the character grows as players progress, introducing challenges that differentiate it from traditional platformers. However, many reviewers criticize the overall execution, citing poor graphics, a lack of engaging content with only nine levels, and a forgettable soundtrack, leading to a gameplay experience that feels underdeveloped and reminiscent of a game jam project. While the core mechanics show potential, they are not enough to elevate the overall experience.
- “The premise of your character growing while playing is part of the gameplay, and the difficulty is something I have not seen before, or at least not in this format.”
- “This one has a gimmick where your character grows as you progress, which imposes some challenges beyond the usual tired, old platformer mechanics.”
- “Luckily, the gameplay is on the stronger side.”
- “Otherwise, very lazy, poor quality graphics, blippy annoying music, and stale gameplay are the best you can expect from this.”
- “The gameplay is flat and mildly annoying, and the soundtrack is forgettable.”
- “The foremost mechanic of growing pains is one I find rather interesting and would love to see pan out in another game, but in its current state, gameplay feels like something that came out of a game jam and not at all ready for the general public.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
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The graphics in "Growing Pains" have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as lazy, rudimentary, and reminiscent of outdated flash games. While some appreciate the simplicity and find a certain charm in the aesthetic, the overall consensus is that the art design is unpolished and detracts from the gaming experience. The visuals are functional but fail to impress, leaving players wishing for a more refined presentation.
- “The graphics are psychedelic but not too distracting.”
- “But let's start with the good: Growing Pains, even with its very simple 'flash game' aesthetic, manages to look like, well, a good flash game.”
- “And, truth be told, I find the cheap graphics and the unique take on growth to be charming, in its own mediocre way.”
- “Otherwise, very lazy, poor quality graphics, blippy annoying music, and stale gameplay are the best you can expect from this.”
- “I wouldn’t consider myself a stickler for graphics, but the art design in Growing Pains is so unbelievably terrible that it actively made my eyes hurt to play.”
- “It’s shallow and unpolished from every angle, with artwork that shouldn’t have ever made it out of the prototype stage, and controls in need of serious improvement.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
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The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it annoying and forgettable, while others appreciate the upbeat techno soundtrack that complements the visuals. Overall, the soundtrack is described as limited and not particularly memorable, contributing to an overall lackluster experience.
- “Nice soundtrack”
- “Psychedelic lava lamp backgrounds move along with a hip techno soundtrack to keep the mood bright and cheerful.”
- “Otherwise, very lazy, poor quality graphics, blippy annoying music, and stale gameplay are the best you can expect from this.”
- “Limited soundtrack.”
- “The gameplay is flat and mildly annoying, and the soundtrack is forgettable.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers some replayability through multiple difficulty levels, allowing players to revisit the nine stages with varying challenges. However, the experience can be marred by control issues that detract from the enjoyment of precision gameplay.
- “Only 9 levels, but very replayable with the 3 different difficulty levels per stage.”
- “The variety of choices in gameplay encourages multiple playthroughs, making each experience feel fresh.”
- “Unlockable content and achievements provide great incentives to replay the game.”
- “Multiple difficulties add a small amount of replay value, but the added challenge rarely does anything but highlight how inadequate the controls are when any sort of precision is required.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The story doesn't change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an opportunity to experience something new.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a minimalistic approach to storytelling, focusing primarily on its clever premise rather than a traditional narrative.
- “There's no story to worry about here, other than the clever premise behind the game.”