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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and relaxing experience, allowing players to unwind while managing tree growth and overcoming challenges at their own pace.
- The narrator adds a humorous touch to the gameplay, and the soothing music enhances the overall laid-back vibe of the game.
- Frequent updates from an active developer show commitment to improving the game, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans of casual strategy games.
- The game can become unbalanced and laggy, especially during successful runs, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Some players find the gameplay too simplistic and repetitive, leading to boredom after a short period of play.
- There are several bugs and crashes reported, which can disrupt gameplay, although the developer is responsive in addressing these issues.
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by excellent mechanics and a solid design, offering a turn-based experience that allows players to progress at their own pace while still presenting a challenge, particularly in managing resources. Although some mechanics are not clearly explained initially, players find the game engaging and fresh due to random events and upgrades. Overall, it provides a unique and relaxing take on the roguelike genre, despite some criticisms regarding dialogue and graphics.
“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 to go through reflex-challenging gameplay, this is the game for you. It's fairly simple and easy to understand, and good to relax since it's turn-based. You can do everything at your pace and take time to think, but it's 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.”
“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.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its soothing and laid-back vibe, enhancing the overall experience. However, many 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 for its fitting cues and enjoyable listening experience.
“The soundtrack is awesome!”
“Love the music, very fitting cues to prepare for certain seasons and fun to listen to.”
“The soothing music and laid-back vibe is cool; altogether, I'm glad I purchased it.”
“But nothing comes close to the original first four season soundtracks being deleted from the game and YouTube.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics and user interface are generally considered rough and simplistic, detracting from the overall experience. While some players find the art style and voice acting subpar, they still believe the engaging game mechanics and dialogue make the game worth playing. Overall, the visual presentation is seen as a weak point in an otherwise enjoyable game.
“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).”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability due to overlapping upgrades that do not significantly alter gameplay styles. While there is potential for future improvements that could enhance replayability, current offerings do not meet the expectations for a game of this nature.
“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.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily driven by the narrator's commentary, which, while repetitive, is consistently hilarious and adds an enjoyable layer to the gameplay. Many players appreciate the comedic "overlord" vibes that enhance the overall experience, making the game's simplicity and difficulty more entertaining.
“The commentary gets repetitive, but it's hilarious regardless.”
“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.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers an enjoyable experience with its unique tree-growing mechanics and features, but players have reported that it suffers from various bugs, impacting overall stability.
“Fun game where you try to grow a tree over four years, with lots of neat features-- though, also kinda buggy (ironically).”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly when it involves repetitive key presses to interact with larger trees. This repetitive action can detract from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
“Having to press the key over and over can be tedious when a tree gets to a certain size.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game appears to be minimal or underdeveloped, as users have only engaged with a single mission, suggesting a lack of depth or engagement in the narrative.
