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Back in September, we visited Ubisoft-owned studio Reflections as it marked its 30th anniversary. While there, we were shown the prototype for an experimental game – and now it’s getting a full release.
Grow Home is a procedurally generated climbing game where players guide a robot – BUD, the Botanical Utility Droid – up a continually growing Star Plant.
By choosing a direction to climb, they can direct the plant between various randomly generated micro islands and other environments. Reflections promises complete freedom and a large, vertical open world to explore.
The game was built by a team of just eight developers, a small division of Reflections dedicated to trying out new ideas that may be incorporated into the studio’s larger games – such as The Crew, Tom Clancy’s The Division or Watch Dogs – or, in this case, into smaller, quirkier standalone titles.
"Whether it’s BUD’s charming, procedurally generated animation, the awesome structure of the Star Plant players create or the beautiful landscapes, there is a peaceful, innocent vibe about Grow Home that makes the game utterly unique," says producer Pete Young.
The version we played back in September had you franctically climbing procedurally generated paths to escape the rising water level. It’s not yet clear if this has made it to the final game.
Grow Home will be released via Steam on February 4th. Check out the teaser trailer below.
