Thrive

91%
Game Brain Score Based on 700 reviews
  • gameplay
  • optimization
  • graphics
Thrive Game Cover
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"Thrive is a single-player open-world game where you guide the evolution of a single-celled organism on an alien planet, starting from the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Survive in the environment, adapt your species through mutations, and compete with other emerging species in a population dynamics-driven simulation. Gameplay involves both individual cell survival and editing your species' traits to ensure its success."

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 700 reviews
gameplay21 positive mentions
optimization4 negative mentions
  • Thrive is a great early access evolution simulator that is dedicated to scientific accuracy, making it a fun and educational experience.
  • The game has a lot of potential, with engaging gameplay that allows players to experiment with cell evolution and adapt to different environments.
  • The community is supportive, and the developers are actively working on updates, which gives hope for future content and improvements.
  • The game currently lacks content, with only the cell stage available, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience that can become stale quickly.
  • Performance issues arise, especially in the multicellular stage, causing lag and crashes that hinder the overall experience.
  • The learning curve can be steep, with unclear mechanics and a lack of guidance, making it difficult for new players to understand how to progress effectively.
  • gameplay77 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a simple yet engaging loop that allows players to explore and evolve their cells, drawing comparisons to the cell stage of Spore but with more depth and mechanics. While the core mechanics are interesting, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in variety, with some aspects feeling unfinished or poorly communicated. Overall, the game shows promise with its educational elements and potential for future development, but it currently suffers from issues like tediousness and a lack of clear objectives.

    • “Huds are well designed, gameplay is great to ease into with a good loop, it's easy to understand, and the cell stage areas are flat out beautiful.”
    • “The microbe stage of the game works very well and does a good job of translating the underlying biology into an interesting and engaging set of game mechanics.”
    • “While there is still a ton of work to be done, I found the gameplay to be engaging and had fun figuring out the way things work.”
    • “The gameplay is just... tedious.”
    • “From a gameplay perspective, this is just horrendous.”
    • “Gameplay is very repetitive.”
  • optimization27 mentions

    The game's optimization is a significant concern among users, particularly during the multicellular stage, where performance drops drastically to as low as 3-10 fps, even on high-end PCs. Many players express disappointment with the lag and performance issues, especially in late-game scenarios, and urge developers to prioritize optimization improvements as the game progresses through early access. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the current state is marred by severe performance problems that hinder gameplay experience.

    • “Its also bound to be a side effect of the active early alpha days of development, I hope optimization improves, but as is right now it's playable.”
    • “I like the strategy aspect where you need to customize the cell for optimal performance in different environments.”
    • “Maybe after some optimization with the population and more progression with your species.”
    • “It is a good game, but its performance at the multicell stage is terrible, like 10-3 fps. I am disappointed with the game even with my very high-performance PC. I know it said not to complain about the unfinished part; the macro stage is just balls and a rock. I was expecting more for a 2-year-old game.”
    • “Performance is abysmal when you get an hour or so into the game.”
    • “After like 10 minutes, it's so laggy it's unplayable, and even when I reduce performance settings, it still lags too much to play.”
  • graphics24 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the aesthetic as beautiful and fitting for its sci-fi theme, while others criticize the visuals as basic and poorly optimized, leading to performance issues. Many users note that the game is still in early access, suggesting that improvements are needed, particularly in addressing bugs and enhancing visual quality. Overall, while the graphics have potential, they currently vary in quality and performance, impacting the overall experience.

    • “Amazing game scratching the void that was once left by Spore, while still being its own completely distinct game and having a really cool sci-fi spec-evo aesthetic.”
    • “Beautiful graphics!”
    • “The graphics style manages to find a good middle ground between the almost cartoonish look of Spore and the painfully detailed animations of molecular and cellular mechanics released by some channels on YouTube.”
    • “For this game to be successful, they will need to alter their approach and do a lot more to improve the visuals and fix the bugs at the beginning before moving on to further content, which they seem to be doing. This isn't the right approach given how broken the intro is.”
    • “The graphics are very basic in the game.”
    • “I had 5-7 fps during gameplay, and there is no way to turn down the graphics.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly during later stages of evolution where resource management becomes a chore. Many reviews highlight the need for significant time investment to progress, with some describing the gameplay as boring and repetitive, especially when unlocking new components requires completing tedious tasks. Despite these challenges, some players note that the mid to late game can be more enjoyable.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Everything is under development still; multicellular needs some work. Besides that, it's a bit grindy at later evolutions.”
    • “Both take mutation points from the same pool, so making a complex 20-cell structure is really grindy.”
    • “To unlock a new component, you have to complete some tedious tasks.”
  • story9 mentions

    The game's story is centered around the concept of evolution, allowing players to control a single lineage and influence its development through strategic mutations and migration across various biomes. While some users note the absence of a traditional narrative, others appreciate the exploration of evolutionary themes as a compelling aspect of the gameplay.

    • “It's like a story; it's always better exploring one concept and its impact on everything.”
    • “☑ no story”
    • “The story that is told is the appearance, spreading, and (through billions of years) diversification of life into different evolutionary lineages, courtesy of a pseudo-Darwinian evolution algorithm.”
    • “The role of the player in this story is to take control of a single evolutionary lineage by strategically mutating their organism in an editor and determining towards which biomes it migrates.”
  • music9 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its eerie yet calming soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience. Many players find the soundtrack to be beautiful and sweet, making it a significant aspect of the game that stands out on its own. Overall, the music is considered a highlight, with some recommending it even for those who may not be as invested in the gameplay.

    • “To me, this is a nice and relaxing game with calm music.”
    • “What an absolutely amazing experience over the past three or four hours, especially with the devs' choice of music.”
    • “Obsessed with the eerie soundtrack.”
    • “All in all, fire up Spotify and find the soundtrack of this game.”
    • “It's pretty and the music is sweet.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable enough to restart multiple times and appreciate the unique features that encourage experimentation, others feel that it lacks depth and becomes less challenging after a few playthroughs. The game offers a short experience, but its relaxing nature and potential for varied gameplay keep some players engaged. However, there are also criticisms regarding its limited replay value, with some users rating it very low.

    • “Very replayable, I have restarted twice now (for fun, not because I had to).”
    • “It is very relaxing and has a lot of replay value.”
    • “The possibility to change habitat (and environmental conditions with it) is unique and fits the game perfectly; this feature brings not only replayability potential but also forces you to experiment with builds and explore the map to find a better place for your species.”
    • “There is some replay value, but you'll have optimized too much by the third playthrough for much challenge during an entire session.”
    • “Pretty good but no replayability.”
    • “[h1]Replayability 1/10[/h1] [hr][/hr]”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is currently a significant concern, with users reporting numerous bugs and performance issues, particularly in the multicellular stage. Many players find the limited content and glitches make the game feel almost unplayable at times, although there is hope for improvements as it is still in early access. Overall, while there are fun elements, the experience is marred by instability and a lack of polish.

    • “As of right now, this game is lacking a lot of content, having only the first stage of the game and a very buggy and almost unplayable draft of the second one, which can be fun for a while, but they grow stale fairly quickly.”
    • “The whole multicellular stage is a bit buggy, starting with more than one cell as multicellular accidentally separates you from the colony, without the option to merge back.”
    • “At its current state (Nov 2021), the game has some performance issues (for instance, auto-evo is pretty slow) and there are some glitches, but the game is still in early access, so hopefully these aspects will be fixed/improved.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is appreciated for its lightheartedness and clever puns, with players finding joy in the creative freedom it offers. The community engagement and ongoing improvements also contribute to a fun and entertaining experience, making it a delightful choice for those seeking both humor and creativity. Overall, the game is described as a blend of amusing elements and enjoyable gameplay.

    • “I for one am excited and I think the best sentence that I'd use to describe the game is -- Thrive is a game that is already an entertaining and enjoyable experience which empowers players to create, truthfully, whatever organism they'd like to; the development team seems to listen to the community and continues to improve what needs to be better while also never encroaching on the things that have allowed Thrive to, again, 'thrive' (I know I used the pun twice, it's funny, shush).”
    • “10/10 funny looking cell go brrrrrrr.”
    • “Follow us for more amazing reviews... some funny... and some... not so much.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is generally well-received, with users noting it as pleasant and enjoyable.

  • monetization1 mentions

    The game features no microtransactions, providing a straightforward purchasing model without additional costs.

    • “There are no microtransactions or anything, which is refreshing.”
    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers a complete experience without any paywalls.”
    • “The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel exploitative.”
    • “I can't enjoy the game because it constantly pushes me to spend money.”
    • “The monetization model is frustrating and takes away from the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

5hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
5-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 7 analyzed playthroughs

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