Rolling towards the top

This is the structure taken up in full by the developers of Tumbleseed, but greatly enriched by various new features and elements of variation. It is a matter of transporting a seed from the village to the valley up to the top of a mountain, making it roll on this bar (a sort of climbing plant in this case, to stay in theme), which you can tilt to the right or left with the coordinated use of the two sticks.

 

The principle is the universal one of the level, sothe seed is to roll with variable speed due to gravity depending on the level difference created, or to remain in precarious equilibrium in the case where the straight bar is maintained. 

 

The difficulty is to avoid the obstacles and especially the holes of variable size that soon begin to appear everywhere on the scene, due to a sort of infestation that threatens the very existence of natural life on the mountain. Precisely to eradicate this scourge to the small and harmless seed of the protagonist is required to reach, in this complicated way, the peak of the mountain and save the plant world.

Tumbleseed is the epic journey of a rolling seed at the top of the world

ROLLING NORTH

The basis therefore concerns the constant upward progression of this seed in equilibrium on the vine, above a scenario that flows vertically and changes connotations according to the area of ​​the mountain on which we find ourselves, but the composition of the levels is procedural, therefore the ‘game experience changes with every game while the scenarios are divided into some main types.

 

Beyond the amount of holes to avoid and enemies that crowd the screen, the difficulty is given by the need to handle the rod with extreme precision to make the seed go exactly where we want, and it is not a simple thing even after hours of play .

Rolling towards the top

To further deepen the mechanics of the game there are other elements to consider: various characters will entrust the quest to the protagonist (although very simple, given the lack of possible interactions) and the possibility to change appearance and characteristics to the seed introduces many additional variables to the basic action.When dealing with a seed, its main characteristic is that of being able to plant something, as long as you have crystals to invest,

 

and the latter are collected around the levels. Passing over some fertile areas you get different results depending on the configuration of the seed, with the ability to grow a tree that serves as a checkpoint, get new hearts that allow you to continue after being hit or plunged into a hole, collect new crystals or let the thorns grow around the protagonist.

 

Different types of seeds determine “plants” with different effects, so it becomes essential to alternate between the various configurations in order to dose the effects and follow their own strategy to go as far as possible. Further types of seeds and upgrades can be bought in the

 

villages, or conquered in the field, choosing every time among various options the one most suited to your style. It is clear that all this makes the structure of the game much more profound and complex, beyond the commitment required by indirect control of the sphere.

 

A SELF-PROPELLED PICTURE

The genial intuition (although derivative, apparently) comes out from Benedict Fritz, but it was then the collaboration with Greg Wohlwend to instill in Tumbleseed that particular identity that comes from a very defined and cohesive artistic vision.

 

Being the author of Ridicolous Fishing and Threes, the experience and the special touch are certainly not lacking in the development of this game and the results are visible at a first glance. The stroke is clear, the figures are constructed with a precise design and with marked outlines such as color contrasts.

Rolling towards the top

All this creates an effect similar to a naive painting with a very marked and unmistakable style, embellished with many animated elements and an audio accompaniment perfectly calibrated on the particular subject. The aesthetic aspect is so well taken care not to represent a simple tinsel in Tumbleseed,

 

but it contributes in a fundamental way to building the particular identity of the gameand pushes us to come back even if only to see the variations that characterize the different areas of the mountain to be explored. As for the Switch version, a special mention goes