Bloom Demo

Plants may not bark or pull our wagons down the road, but they are just as vital to human survival as animals are. However, when it comes to video games and heroes that try to save the realm from evil, those who are accompanied by tigers or dragons are usually more highly regarded than those who carry a fig around to use in battle. Not anymore, though.

Bloom is a third-person adventure game in which you control a woman who’s apparently got a bag full of magical seeds, which come in handy in a variety of situations. Besides exploring the vegetation-rich environment, you also get to fight foes and solve a few puzzles along the way, which makes the experience that much more interesting and. Not only that, but the gameplay is rather unique as well.

Story-wise, not a lot of information is given about what is going on, who you are or where you are. In fact, except for the short cutscene in the beginning, there is nothing in the game that even resembles a story, so that’s a bit disappointing. On the other hand, this gives you more freedom to come up with your own ideas and imagine whatever you like while exploring the ruins ahead.

Enemies can get you in a lot of trouble if you do not deal with them appropriately, which is why you need to attack first. To do that, you can throw an offensive seed and watch it grow instantly into a spiked plant, which quickly takes out any foe that happens to walk on the selected spot. However, since there are a few platforming sections as well, you can use leaves and tall plants to make your way around the environment.

From a technical point of view, the game has a few flaws that are rather difficult to ignore. To begin with, the controls are downright awful if you are using a keyboard, but they become a tad more acceptable once you connect an Xbox controller. The camera is a pain to maneuver properly and you often find yourself falling, or unable to properly face the enemy in front of you.

All things considered, Bloom is definitely a neat idea and it can turn into quite the successful product, as long as it is refined and polished a little bit. Otherwise, its flaws may prove to be too annoying for some people to enjoy it properly.