Grow Dammit! iPad Review

By , on March 11, 2013
Last modified 11 years ago


Grow Dammit!
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Tying the 'three-star' to each character you need to save is clever; keeps you motivated and working towards perfection.
  • Simple monochromatic style makes it easy to track the light and growth of each plant.

CONS

  • Double-touch controls feel awkward; not given the option of touching other parts of the screen.
  • Each new mechanic is explored briefly before being mostly ignored again.

VERDICT

While more content is promised for Grow Dammit! it'd be great if the game took the time to explore the mechanics it already has in play with more depth - playing with the light and shadow (as well as water trails) is fun, but it feels like it's holding back.


  • Full Review
  • App Store Info

Editor's Note: We apologize for any confusion - Grow Dammit! has been given a rating of 3/5 on our system (3.4 actual) and did not intend for a '0/5' to be showing. Once again, the title is very competent and we can only hope it gets the attention it deserves!

I find it surprising that despite there being almost a three year period since Helsing's Fire was released on the App Store, few (if any) developers have tried to replicate its light and shadow puzzle mechanics. Penumbear managed to give the idea a fresh spin by adding it to a platformer, but Grow Dammit! by Poio goes back to the original concept, albeit with more of an emphasis on precise and speedy solutions.

Your motivation is a fairly noble one: You play as the uncle of three seedlings who constantly find themselves lost on dark and dangerous planets. By utilizing the sun, moon, rain and even local wildlife, you'll be able to grow and absorb the rambunctious space-plant seedlings to save them from the dark and corrupting influences that surround them. Oh! And if you needed even more motivation to save them, each seedling acts as one of the 'three stars' for completing the stage.

Unfortunately there's a small problem you'll have to overcome. The very things that help you grow can also destroy the mushrooms and shadowy creatures on the planet, releasing a poisonous corruption contained within them. As such you'll need to use the mountains to block and channel the life giving (or destroying) light and water, directing it towards each seedling in turn.

Although unleashing the corrupting poison can often be considered the end of the level, it's possible to use the red growth from the Uncle to contain it, adding a sort of risk/reward if you're able to out-grow or otherwise hold back the corruption.

While there are multiple methods for growing, the game only occasionally mixes things up by getting the player to combine them. It limits the game's complexity, especially when each area ends up feeling more like a short tutorial that cuts off and replaces the controls you've just learned with something new.

As such Grow Dammit! never really feels satisfying in its completion, which is a shame as it's a concept that bears far more exploration.

Screenshots

Screenshot 1 of 5 Screenshot 2 of 5 Screenshot 3 of 5 Screenshot 4 of 5 Screenshot 5 of 5