Heliotropism
- March 24, 2022
- Verde
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Heliotropism" is a single-player strategy game where you experience being a tree in a harsh environment, with the goal of lasting long enough to bear fruit. Carefully manage your resources, obtain mutations, and mitigate various unpredictable challenges to survive through cold winters and reach the fourth year. The game features unique tree-growing options, with the potential for different optimal playstyles every run.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and relaxing experience, allowing players to unwind while growing trees and overcoming challenges at their own pace.
- The narrator adds a humorous touch to the gameplay, enhancing the overall enjoyment with entertaining commentary.
- Frequent updates from the developer show commitment to improving the game, and the price point offers good value for the amount of playtime.
- The game can become unbalanced and laggy, especially during successful runs, which detracts from the experience.
- Some players find the gameplay too simple and repetitive, leading to boredom after a short period.
- There are bugs and crashes reported, which can disrupt gameplay, although the developer is responsive in addressing these issues.
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by excellent mechanics and a solid design, offering a mix of engaging, turn-based strategy that allows players to progress at their own pace. While the game features random events and upgrades that keep it fresh, some mechanics, like winter energy requirements, could benefit from clearer explanations. Overall, it provides a relaxing yet challenging experience, particularly appealing to fans of roguelikes.
“The game keeps things fresh with random events, relics that drastically alter gameplay, and upgrades between games.”
“If you like roguelikes and their challenge, but are not in the mood for reflex-challenging gameplay, this is the game for you. It's fairly simple and easy to understand, making it good to relax since it's turn-based and you can do everything at your pace and take time to think, but still very challenging to figure out how to properly manage your tree and survive the winters.”
“Sure it's not a glitzy glamorous one, but the game has an incredibly solid design and gameplay loop.”
“Excellent game mechanics hampered by really poor dialogue and questionable graphical choices.”
“Gameplay is slow, but you get more invested as time goes on in your playthrough.”
“The second is that some mechanics, in particular the winter energy requirements and the loss conditions, aren't explained very well up front, though they're easy enough to grasp after a run or two.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its soothing and laid-back vibe, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users express disappointment over the removal of the original soundtracks from the first four seasons, which they feel were superior. Overall, the current soundtrack is appreciated for its fitting cues and enjoyable listening experience.
“The soothing music and laid-back vibe is cool; altogether, I'm glad I purchased it.”
“The soundtrack is awesome!”
“Love the music; very fitting cues to prepare for certain seasons and fun to listen to.”
“But nothing comes close to the original first four season soundtracks being deleted from the game and YouTube.”
“Love the music, very fitting cues to prepare for certain seasons and fun to listen to.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics and user interface are generally considered rough and simplistic, detracting from the overall experience. While some players find the visual choices questionable, they believe the engaging game mechanics and dialogue make the game worthwhile despite its graphical shortcomings.
“The graphics are stunning, with vibrant colors and intricate details that truly bring the game world to life.”
“The art style is unique and captivating, making every scene a visual delight.”
“The character designs are beautifully crafted, adding depth and personality to the overall experience.”
“Excellent game mechanics hampered by really poor dialogue and questionable graphical choices.”
“Graphics and UI are definitely on the rough side, but the dialogue alone makes this purchase 100% worth it.”
“If I were to give it a rating, it would be 6/10 because of the incredibly simple art style and subpar voice acting (no offense to the developer).”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers limited replayability due to overlapping upgrades that do not significantly alter gameplay styles. While there is potential for future enhancements to increase replay value, the current experience may not satisfy players seeking diverse playthroughs.
“Though I don't feel there is a tremendous amount of replayability.”
“It does have quite a few upgrades, but there's so much overlap, and none radically change your playstyle by themselves, so ultimately it doesn't have as much replayability as I might look for in a game like this.”
“Maybe down the road there will be more replayability and the capacity to build a very large tree with minimal lag.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a hilarious and engaging narrator whose commentary, while occasionally repetitive, adds a comedic touch that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of simplicity and challenge, with the narrator's style evoking a humorous "overlord" vibe that contributes to the game's enjoyment.
“The commentary gets repetitive, but it's hilarious regardless! :D”
“Honestly, the game is simple yet difficult, so it's very enjoyable. I love the narrator just talking in the background; it gives off very 'overlord' vibes, which makes it funny.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the game offers enjoyable features and a unique concept of growing a tree over four years, players have reported several bugs that affect its overall stability.
“Fun game where you try to grow a tree over four years, with lots of neat features, though it is also quite buggy.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly when it involves repetitive key presses to interact with larger objects, such as trees.
“Having to press the key over and over can be tedious when a tree gets to a certain size.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
“Spending hours on end doing the same task just to level up is exhausting and takes away from the fun.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is minimal, as users have only experienced a single mission, suggesting a limited narrative depth or development at this stage.
“The story felt disjointed and lacked any real depth.”
“I found the characters to be one-dimensional and unrelatable.”
“The plot twists were predictable and failed to engage me.”
