Prune+

I Don’t Normally Write Reviews

…but this game is good enough to make me write one. Incredible emotional storytelling through deceptively simple and addictive gameplay. It’s a game where you grow trees, pruning them to make them expand in size, until they bloom when they hit the sunlight. That’s it. But how the game allows YOU to naturally figure out the mechanics and puzzle-solving is simply magical and immersive for a minimalistic puzzle game. You learn what to do with scarce instructions, but exploring the mechanics and understanding the game’s language is part of the enjoyment. For example, there’s an obstacle in the game that’s literally just a…giant red circle. But how the game presents it as a threat, as ominous, foreboding, is effective; even the plaintive, soothing music changes to an eerie track that elicits utter panic when your trees interact with it. It becomes even more terrifying once you become immersed and see what it does to your beautiful tree. :( The pruning aspect is the key function of the gameplay, and mastering it is simple, yet tricky. It involves timing, strategy, and forethought. You will spend the game swiping, watching the results, then swiping again. Like pruning in real life, it takes patience. But the dopamine that hits you when you reach the sunlight after all the manicured growth is great. After playing for awhile, you begin to realize that the game is telling you about how to find the light even when you’re cast in dark places. About removing parts of you that are holding you back, preventing YOUR growth…and how to avoid giant evil red orbs. Just see for yourself, it’s unlike any other phone game I’ve played. (Which admittedly, is not many)

Short post apocalyptic puzzle game where in the latter half trees work together to find light.

The early game isn’t that interesting but the other 4 chapters are great