Feed & Grow

Being a human is pretty tough, since we have to worry about money, jobs, family, and a million other things. In theory, the life of a wild animal is much more simple and to the point, with barely any concerns other than to eat, sleep and reproduce. On the other hand, people rarely have to watch out for predators wanting to eat them alive, and that is quite the upside.

Feed & Grow is a simulator in which you play the role of a fish trying to survive the hardships of the ocean. Your primary goals are to eat and fend off larger fish that see you as a meal, so the concept is rather simple. The game is still early in the development process, so not everything works as it should, but it would seem like everything is on the right track.

To begin with, there are multiple fish species to choose from, but only one is accessible at first. You have to win gold and exchange it for the other species, which means that you’ll gradually get more powerful the more you manage to survive and earn. Gold is awarded when you manage to level up, and you level up by eating enough food. Each plant or fish provides you with a certain amount of experience, so it’s only natural that bigger fish yield a lot more food.

Gameplay-wise, there’s really not that much to it. You just have to roam around the map and bite everything that moves, as long as it’s not big enough to cause trouble. The mechanics, on the other hand, are a bit clumsy and annoying. Most of it is because of the pesky third-person perspective, but the controls are not very accurate either. You’ll often find yourself twisting and turning just to keep up with the prey, and since every other fish is a lot more agile than you, it becomes infuriating after a while.

Still, there’s time to improve in this regard, and there’s also a first-person point of view you can try as well. It’s a lot more primitive and difficult to manage for now, but it’s nice to have the option. The AI is pretty chaotic as well, in the sense that you’ll often find fish staying still and letting you nibble on them. As far as the graphics are concerned, it’s all good most of the time, although the map is pretty limited at this point.

When it’s all said and done, Feed & Grow is not quite there yet, since it has some issues with movement and the controls. The rest of the game is on the right track, on the other hand, which means that it can turn into something exquisite with a little more work and dedication from the developers.