If you like puzzle games, cute cartoon art styles, and/or cacti, you’re going to want to keep an eye out for Room to Grow when it lands on Steam later this month.
Developed by Mischka Kamener with support from Film Victoria, Room to Grow revolves around a simple concept: on a grid-based playing field, you need to move cactus pots into their rightful place—only you’re a cactus, too, and the only way you can move is by growing and pushing against walls. By growing in different patterns you can move in different ways. It’s a difficult concept to explain in words alone, so here’s what that looks like in action:
It’s a simple concept, but one that leaves plenty of opportunity for depth and creative, devilish puzzles to solve. There are over hand-crafted 100 puzzles across the game, with each new world introducing new mechanics to deal with. At the same time, Room to Grow puts an emphasis on being able to play the way you want: there are no timers, move counters, or action elements, and you can undo, restart, and skip puzzles as much as you like.
Key features, as outlined on Steam:
• Over 100 hand-crafted unique puzzles
• Discover unexpected mechanics that will twist your mind differently to any other puzzle game
• Play the way you want – Undo and restart as often as you like, skip puzzles if you want to
• No timer, no action elements, no move counter – This game is all about the satisfaction of solving puzzles
• Featuring a delightful original soundtrack by Romain Rope
This game also includes remappable controls, a high contrast mode for key game elements and an adjustable input repeat delay.
“I hope that the surprises I’ve left for players will leave a lasting impression on them, just like the games I was inspired by did to me,” said Kamener. “I’m incredibly grateful to Film Victoria for their belief in me and my game – without that, I wouldn’t have been able to turn Room to Grow into what it is today.”
Room to Grow is a little reminiscent of Nintendo’s BoxBoy games, in both its puzzle design and art style. That’s cause for excitement—BoxBoy is excellent, and Room to Grow looks like it could be up there with it. It’s coming to Steam for PC and Mac on February 25; if you like the look of it, add it your wishlist! It costs nothing, and is a great way to show your support to an indie developer.