When 505 Games’ parent company Digital Bros. posted their financial results at the end of last month, they revealed they would be releasing 10 unannounced “A” games this year. The first of those is Prideful Sloth‘s world-crafting sandbox adventure Grow: Song of the Evertree, which aims to bring the Evertree back to life on PlayStation 4, as well as planting plenty of trees in real life too.
The Worlds of Alaria rely on the health of the Evertree as its branches are their support and lifeline. Now the tree has shrunk down to a sapling, those worlds faded from memory. As the last remaining Everheart Alchemist, you’re the only one who knows how to make it grow back to its previous splendor. Explore the world to find unique flora and fauna and secret areas. There are puzzles to solve, as well as opportunities to go fishing, catch bugs, and collect flowers.
Unique worlds are grown through World Seeds that players create through Alchemy. Each can have individual characteristics like meadows, deserts, and frozen wasteland, and each will change as they grow. Not everything will go smoothly though. Alchemy is not an exact science and there may be some surprises.
The flora and fauna aren’t the player’s only concern. The world is full of other characters that have stories to tell and may even need help themselves. Communities can be created by finding accommodation for these characters, giving them jobs, and providing gifts of decorations and accessories. Players can choose from a catalog of buildings and structures, each of which can then be customized to create their perfect town.
Grow: Song of the Evertree is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam later this year. It is through the latter platform players will have the chance to have a positive real life impact on the world. Depending on the number of players that wishlist the game on Steam, the developer behind Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles will plant up to 10,000 trees. Those thinking of buying the game may want to register their interest on Steam anyway to give this campaign a hand.
