Seed of Life

I really wanted to be able to enjoy this game - but overall my experience wasn't a fun one. I received a copy of the game for free, via the devs through Keymailer. The game looked really interesting and promising - and overall the game [i]is[/i] very beautiful. The music and sfx are also quite good. Now let me tell you about the things I did not enjoy. [b]Cora[/b] - the main character, Cora's voice. While I appreciate the effort of going through and having a voiced game, I feel like the main character's voice was... emotionless. She felt very flat, she sounded almost bored with everything going on. Coming from a background in theatre and audio dramas and the like, I think this is... kind of a buzzkill - [i]Especially so[/i] on a main protagonist. The voice actor seemed as though they were handed a script with very little direction, and they just went monotone and emotionless, and that really takes away from the character. I ended up lowering the speech volume down to zero so I didn't have to listen to her anymore. [b]Collision[/b] - There were some small collision issues I kept coming across. Small ledges that a character should be able to just step up on, were huge hindrances and would stop Cora dead in her tracks. When you're running on a timer, these little hiccups cost you precious moments at the cost of your health and power. [b]Guidance[/b] - There was very little. While I think that there's merit to not holding a player's hand that much, there was very little in the way of guidance even at the very beginning of the story campaign. You were shown cut scenes, but no real markers to point you which way you should be headed to complete your objectives. You were just given an objective and the rest was left to you to figure it out. In the early stage of this game, that's not much of a problem. However in the next zone, it is a HUGE problem. You find out that outside of the way points you unlock, the air is toxic and you will steadily lose health while you're not in one of the waypoints. When attempting to find your next location that you've got to head off to, this health timer is a big detriment on top of not having any guidance as to where to go. You unlock a very simple compass fairly early, but it's not much help with pathing your way to the points you want to go to. [b]The compass[/b]: The color coding on the arrow markers was a bit confusing. I initially thought that the colored arrows meant that: green would be the closest and easiest to access of the waypoints, and red would be the hardest and farthest. What it ended up being, however, was that the colored arrows corresponded to the color of the power that you unlock at that particular waypoint. I think that the more intuitive way to have that set up would have been the former rather than the latter. It's not a huge deal breaker, but it was a point of confusion for me. [b]Semi-Open World?[/b] I suppose that this is somewhat true, it is a semi-open world, but it's not one that you get to explore and enjoy at your leisure. You have a severe limit in your health while traversing outside of the waypoints, which means you can't do very much exploring of the beautiful game without risking losing anything you find because you can't figure out where the next waypoint is, or get back to the previous one in time to save your things. [hr][/hr] My suggestions: - [b]Safety Bubbles.[/b] In other games where there's timed zones for whatever reason, like oxygen capacity in swimming levels, there are typically spots through out the map in those games where you'll be able to top off your oxygen in order to continue to your objective. In this the waypoints are both your objectives and your safety bubbles - but getting to them can result in a lot of dying in between. To counteract that, perhaps the Lumina plants could also be small safe zones where you can slowly regenerate your lumin and health. It would allow the player a chance to get their bearings and to figure out the best route to take to get to the objective, instead of having to blindly leap out into the unkonw and die repeatedly until they figure out the path they have to take. - [b]Tips/Hints.[/b] Even minimal suggestions or small arrows pointing out paths or telling you that you should wait to go a certain way would be helpful. Right now there is very little in the way of guidance for the game, and I spent about 30-40 minutes attempting to figure out where I was supposed to go in one of the areas. This could be easily fixed with some small hints of which way you should generally go. If you want people to not have their hand held, or if people don't want to have these tips and hints, make it so that they can be turned off in the settings. I think that this alone would alleviate a great deal of frustration - at least on my part. I'm not sure how to go about implementing such changes, or even if it's a feasible thing. I'm not sure what can and cannot be adjusted or changed within the game or even if the Devs would want to do something like that. I was very excited about getting to play the game, but in the first twenty minutes I was ready to shut it off. I held out for just over two hours before I said that I was done and couldn't keep going. I really, [i]really[/i] wanted to love this game. I could absolutely still see a lot of people enjoying the struggle of it. But for me, it was like I was bashing my head against a wall and hoping the wall would break before my skull did, and that made the least enjoyable experience I could have probably had. If there were some significant changes and updates to the game that would adjust a few things, I might give it another go. As it stands right now at release? I doubt that I'll be playing any further.

[h1] Seed of Life [/h1] [b]A disappointing adventure game that has a forgettable story, tedious gameplay and frustrating platform elements. [/b] [quote][h2]See all my reviews at [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41039956/]Indie Blast! [/url] or if you prefer video and commentary, check out my You Tube channel [url=https://www.youtube.com/c/IndieBlast] HERE [/url][/h2][/quote] Seed of Life is third person adventure game with platforming elements. Aliens have raped the planet Lumia of resources and left with all the vital life source, Lumium. Lumium maintains the balance and holds the universe together; Without it life ceases to exist and the Sun is dying. Cora, an inhabitant of Lumia finds an old book describing her grandfather’s heroic mission to find the seed of life. The seed will reignite life into the planet and return order to the universe, but he has not returned and no word has been heard from him. Having not lost hope, she decides to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and sets out to find him and save the planet. https://youtu.be/AdPX9JVP2E8 [h1]Gameplay🕹️[/h1] The planet is in decay and the water and air has become polluted. The darkness fills the land and slowly kills anything it touches. Every second spent in the darkness drains your energy until you die. Your only chance is to run through the darkness and find pedestals where you are safe and can recover your health and lumium levels. Technology is gained by finding the Talisman, an ancient artifact that seems to bond with you. It becomes part of you and is able to house capsules with special abilities. It lets you know how much lumium and health you have and acts as a crude direction finder by pointing in the direction of your goal. The capsules can be gathered at special pedestals where you need to decipher a picture puzzle by turning three wheels. Once the pedestal is unlocked you can purchase a capsule in exchange for petals. There are six capsules to collect and they introduced in order as you progress. [h1] Vision Capsule [/h1] This is very useful for finding places of interest and revealing hidden objects. Using this ability highlights sources of lumium, health waypoints and petals among other things. Health Waypoints can be accessed if you have enough lumium and grant you a plus ten health bonus. The vision ability also reveals hidden paths in midair. [h1] Light Capsule [/h1] Using the light capsule will light the way, or at least give you some extra visibility in darker areas. This is useful when avoiding chasms or navigating thin ledges in the dark. [h1] Regeneration Capsule [/h1] This capsule recovers your health, allowing you to travel further without seeking refuge. Once activated, a shield surrounds your body and slowly regenerates your health. [h1] Sprint Capsule [/h1] The sprint capsule will boost your running speed and allow you to jump much further distances. [h1] Magnetism Capsule [/h1] Once this is equipped you will be able to interact with magnetized items, flying through the air and sticking to them. [h1] Manipulation Capsule [/h1] This capsule allows you to manipulate special objects and move them around. [quote] When using your special abilities, you will be draining your lumium levels. Lumium is your power source and once it is empty you will not be able to use any abilities until you top it up by either harvesting lumium from plants, or regenerating it at a pedestal. [/quote] Once you have collected a capsule it gives more detail about its use and gives instructions on how to use it in the glossary. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586646661 [h1] Overall Impressions🤔 [/h1] Seed of Life is a game of two halves. I hated the first half due to its forced feeling of hurriedness. Navigating the dark and watching your health depleting wasn’t fun or challenging, it just felt frustrating and annoying. I wanted to freely explore the environment but this time penalty placed on me made me feel rushed. This was made even worse by the fact that the sprint capsule is only introduced later in the game. You will be running a lot in this game and Cora moves too slowly. I don’t think they should have made sprinting an ability. It should have been included from the start as a default and it shouldn’t have cost lumium to use. The darkness seems to disappear in the second half and is replaced by environmental dangers like acid pools and lava rivers. This was much more fun without the pressure of finding safety constantly to recharge. Unfortunately, platforming issues made this less enjoyable than it should have been. The character movements are very inharmonious which can be seen at its worst when walking slowly. Movement is jolting and cumbersome and feels unsatisfying. This makes traversing thin areas like planks more difficult than it should be. The camera angles when in tight areas seems to go a bit aloof. This can be seen in caves and climbing ivy on walls. The controls are extremely loose and I had countless deaths from platforming that I didn’t feel was my fault. For example, jumping on to platforms in midair was a challenge because the character can stop in mid jump. I wasn’t very good at science but I thought it was impossible to just stop like that. Isn’t there a thing called inertia? This meant I had to over compensate and often I would shoot over the platform. There were other anomalies that made platforming a chore and annoying. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2586646884 It was only towards the end that I sort of realized how everything fitted together. There seemed to be a little bit of confusion caused by lack of instructions. I would advise reading the glossary after obtaining an ability capsule as this tells you much more information which is needed. There are lots of things left out which will make you feel puzzled. The game play is quite tedious. There are no puzzles as such. Progress is determined by finding the right path. It becomes a little repetitive after a while. Enemies are very weak and provide no challenge. The story was uninteresting and the only real information was given at the start and end of the game. There was no character development or plot. It isn’t much of an adventure. It gave me no incentive to drive on and I felt like quitting the game on numerous occasions due to the above mentioned criticisms. The game world is nice to look at and the special effects sounds are good, apart from the awful grunt every time you jump. It takes around ten hours to complete and you should obtain all the achievements if you get to the end. [b]It’s impressive what a two-man team have produced but I wouldn’t recommend this game unfortunately in its current state.[/b] [h1]Graphics 📺[/h1] The visuals are very nice and look colorful and bright. The aesthetics are probably the highlight of the game. The sprinting mechanic is especially pleasing to watch. [h1] Sound 🎵 [/h1] Sound effects are quite nice with science-fiction like ambient noises and harsh environmental sounds. The voice acting is cartoon like in quality and doesn’t sound human. It therefore lacks emotion and takes a while to get used to. [h1]Conclusion🍳 [/h1] [quote][b] [i]Seed of Life[/i] is a disappointing adventure game because it lacks a deep and interesting story and characters, has repetitive game play and provides a poor platforming experience. The game world is impressive but it's not enough to save this game from mediocrity unfortunately. [/b][/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] Follow [b]IndieGems[/b] [/url] for more reviews like this one. [/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41039956/] Follow my curator IndieBlast! [/url][/quote]

'Seed Of Life' is a very relaxing adventure beautifully wrapped in a colorful fantasy puzzle game. Short gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLcDepbac08 The environments in the game have also been worked very carefully with many fine details that will undoubtedly stand out throughout the game, besides the training for the brain, the game has a lot to offer for the eye. The world is not open world but you have to follow routes, as you progress in the world you will have to solve puzzles on a regular basis on site or with the help of the environment. The game is also very nice to play in ultra wide resolution, you can preview this in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvR2SCoED7U

Visually nice 3rd person puzzle-adventure with surprisingly interesting survival like elements. The world feels somehow empty, linear and gameplay is quite repetitive, but with a short length you can't get bored. Also control issues seems to be fixed now (played with a controller). Watch the gameplay video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J8taEsdlgE For more quick reviews please [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6972871]follow my curator[/url].

After completing the game 100%, I'd like to give a review that will hopefully be beneficial to both the game devs and the potential buyers. First and foremost, I give the game a 6/10 and here's why. 1. The game is lacking. While some of the later sections have some decent puzzle mechanics, most of the game doesn't have much in the way of puzzles. The platforming has some potential, but lacks the polish to make it a notable indie game. As of now, I barely see a reason as to why it is considered action. 2. The game's visual and auditory assets are above average. As such, there are a few minor cosmetic glitches that can happen to the main character at various times (though most people won't encounter them). The Sound Effects are also reasonably well-made. They are fitting and decently impressive. These 2 aspects are the saving grace of the game. 3. This game has potential that unfortunately doesn't seem used. I can see some very interesting puzzles that the devs could implement using the [spoiler] magnet and gravity control thingy[/spoiler], but unfortunately the main focus of the game seems to be the sprint mechanic. After completing the first area and acquiring the first 3 abilities, the game tends to lean on the sprint feature throughout the rest of the game (which isn't a problem), but seeing as you have several other skills available later on, I feel like they could have done much more with this game in the way of puzzles. 4. Voice acting: where to begin.... It isn't bad at first, but then the monotone voice that stays the same throughout the rest of the game feels very lackluster. I don't want to spoil anything, but none of the characters seem to exhibit any emotion throughout the majority of the game. 5. Sprinting: the not game-breaking mechanic that kind of breaks the game. Walls and ledges tend to interact very weirdly when sprinting, for you see, apparently Cora can fly up walls or slide down them when sprinting. Also, you can essentially get out of bounds on nearly area by just sprinting and jumping on a wall. (you have to learn the technique, but once you do it is fairly simple) The devs don't hold your hand in this game and usually don't give much in the way of directions which is fine for the most part (personally, I think this is a bold move, but a fairly good one relating to the story). Seeing as Cora is on her own, and doesn't have any real teacher.) I paid full price for this game, unfortunately, like I said before, this feels liked missed potential. I played this on stream and didn't have a very fun time with it. The one time I played it, I actually changed games mid stream. As a word to the devs, polish. Polish one feature and let the player master it before giving them another or just work them into a more complete "level" of some sort. There just seems to be a lack of build up in the way of learning the usefulness of your abilities. Each item's glossary is essentially the same as the dialogue line you get. IDK, I feel like it just a little more useful information then that. Feel free to contact with any questions. I hope this hasn't discouraged you. I will come back to this game if they ever do like a major update (maybe even some minor ones) just because I see potential for this game to be something. Best wishes to the devs, and I hope you continue to update this game, but right now I unfortunately wouldn't recommend this game, at least at full price. I don't feel ripped off, because I know that in supporting them, it will encourage them to make the game better and better. This is something I hope they do. Cheers! P.S. If there is going to be any more chapters tell me, and I will be glad to give it another go!

I played this game on my stream, and while I recognize there are a lot of really neat aspects and concepts behind it, along with beautiful visuals, the gameplay itself is quite lacking and frustrating. The physics in the game were a constant frustration, with POV and FOV problems making it difficult to judge platforming positions, especially on platforming where sprinting was required. There are also times when the environment is too open where you lose a sense of what it is you are supposed to be working toward or how you should get there. I had to consult walkthroughs several times after getting stuck, something I do not do on my streams. I also encountered some glitches that made me think I was doing something wrong, only to find out that restarting the game fixed the glitch. The game has a lot of heart and work put into it, but it's simply not enjoyable and has been the source of some of my strongest frustrations in gaming in a long time. It has so much potential, but in its current state, I don't recommend spending the time on this.

A fun puzzling adventure with a handful of small flaws for my personal taste.. This is one of those occasions where I wish the review system wasn't simply yes/no. A "maybe" button would definitely be in order for this one. I really enjoyed the premise of Seed of Life as well as the art, but a few things just spoiled the experience for me personally. The delivery of voice acting from the playable character felt a little stale, flat, and even emotionless at points. This is a shame because of the over arcing story of the game itself was very intriguing and I genuinely wanted to learn more about what was going on. Exploration was fun, and gradually getting new abilities as you go and encounter more of the world felt rewarding. Sadly, for me, this was also somewhat ruined by the fact that you have a constant ticking clock, in the form of your health bar constantly emptying as you go, which means getting from point to point becomes a race against time and you can't simply stop and smell the roses, nor take in the vistas as you go. For these reasons, it's a no from me, but, others may enjoy the things that I found myself disliking. Who knows? Perhaps future updates will change my mind.

7/10 The artstyle and the story were pretty good! Music was okay. The puzzles were not too hard and I really liked the survival aspect of the game. The voice acting of Cora was terrible to be honest, very bland. The game had a few glitches from time to time but overall it was decent.

Очень скучно. Слабый, почти отсутствующий нарратив. Коридорные локации. Пустынные удручающие местности. Странные игровые механики, которые сложно назвать "головоломками".

Received a key from the dev through Keymailer. The best I can say is that this game was a positive experience. I loved the art style and atmosphere of the the game. However, I have a few gripes with Seed of Life. 1) is the voice acting of Cora. She felt really flat and monotone in the beginning, but it did get better and had more feel towards the end. 2) During the lava quicktime running track was a pain and required precision jumping. The constantly shaking screen with the screen effects really made things quite difficult. 3) The game felt kinda short for the price. I completed the game in about 4hrs. If there was content past the ending, it was not clear where to go. I also ran into a few bugs and exploits but describing them would fall into spoiler territory. Although I did describe a few gripes I had with this game, again I had a positive experience and enjoyed the game. I wish the devs the best of luck in their future games.