Heliotropism

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 67 reviews

humor4 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and relaxing experience, allowing players to unwind while managing tree growth and overcoming challenges.
The narrator adds a humorous and engaging element to the gameplay, making it entertaining despite some repetitiveness.
Frequent updates from the developer show commitment to improving the game, and the price point offers good value for the amount of playtime available.

The game can become repetitive and lacks depth, leading to boredom after a few playthroughs.
There are bugs and performance issues, including crashes and lag, especially when the player is doing well.
The dialogue and graphics can be off-putting for some players, with the narrator's commentary being both amusing and annoying at times.

gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay is characterized by solid mechanics and a unique turn-based system that allows for strategic thinking and relaxation, making it accessible for players who enjoy roguelikes without intense reflex challenges. While the game features engaging random events and upgrades, some mechanics are not clearly explained initially, which may lead to confusion. The narrator adds a layer of entertainment, though their storytelling can sometimes distract from the gameplay itself.
- “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 take your 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.”
- “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.”
- “Once you start the actual gameplay, the narrator will be there to help (…or rather distract?) you with his storytelling.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simple and colorful art style, which some players find visually pleasing despite being somewhat rough around the edges. While the user interface aligns well with the game's aesthetic, the overall graphical choices have received mixed reviews, with some players feeling they detract from the experience.
- “The menu is designed to match the game’s graphics; in fact, all the buttons are displayed on equal tiles to the ones you will find in-game.”
- “As you can see from the displayed menu, the graphic design is stylized very simply, yet everything is very colorful and pleasing to see.”
- “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).”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily driven by the narrator's commentary, which, while occasionally repetitive, is consistently entertaining and adds an enjoyable layer to the gameplay. Players appreciate the comedic tone, likening it to "overlord" vibes, though some find the humor can become annoying at times. Overall, the humor enhances the experience, making the game both simple and engaging.
- “The commentary gets repetitive, but is 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.”
- “At least the narrator is funny and keeps things interesting.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The music in the game is generally praised for its soothing and fitting cues that enhance the overall experience, particularly during seasonal changes. 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 well-received, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “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.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game currently lacks significant replayability due to overlapping upgrades that don't substantially alter gameplay. While there is potential for future enhancements to improve replay value, players feel that it falls short of expectations for a game in this genre.
- “Maybe down the road there will be more replayability and the capacity to build a very large tree with minimal lag.”
- “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.”
- “Great promise, hoping for some new additions to keep the replayability fresh.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story aspect of the game features a narrator who provides guidance during gameplay, though some players find his storytelling to be more distracting than helpful. Overall, the narrative seems to play a significant role, but its effectiveness may vary among players.
- “Once you start the actual gameplay, the narrator will be there to help (or rather distract?) you with his storytelling.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers an enjoyable experience with its unique tree-growing mechanics and features, but players have reported several bugs that affect 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.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly when repetitive actions, like pressing a key multiple times to interact with large objects, become necessary.
- “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 incredibly frustrating.”