TumbleSeed (2017)

An interesting game where you control the beam a seed is on. But it’s not my cup of tea. It’s a good concept but too hard and frustrating for me to really “Love”. I get it, but I’m not an advocate.

TumbleSeed can be described as a dexterity rogue-like action game that's easy to love everything about it… apart from the whole "playing it" thing. It's not just the fact that it is ruthlessly hard, but that it's a certain kind of hard that will either captivate or aggravate.

In a generation that has struggled with finding the right balance of pace, it is refreshing to see a developer place a great deal of emphasis on patient gameplay and actually pull it off. Vertical progression and slow movements are valued over everything else, and these are the two elements that allow TumbleSeed to thrive as much as it does. Unfortunately, that same level of importance given to fine tuning the controls and concept is noticeably lacking in the level design, as roguelike randomisation is given priority over traditional, handcrafted stages. Along with too many power-ups and unlockable skills that trivialise most of the difficulty, TumbleSeed fails to live up to all its potential despite the clear amount of creativity put into its premise and a strong first impression.

The challenge it proposes will push players to the edge, as some will not be able to handle it and will find themselves on the brink of fury but those brave enough to handle this storm will find a game where despite the many, many deaths awaiting them, the feeling of reward after reaching their goals will push them into ecstasy.

TumbleSeed starts off simple enough, but in classic roguelike fashion it quickly becomes a tricky, demanding (literal) balancing act with a variety of buffs and obstacles. Fans of light, arcadey titles should check it out