Seed of Life starts out by introducing the protagonist, Cora, a girl who appears to be the only human left in the world of Lumia and on a quest to save her planet. She often contemplates the words of her grandfather as she embarks on her journey, remembering his advice to help guide her through the sinister darkness that covers Lumia. Using my mouse and keyboard, I started out exploring Cora’s home. There isn’t much of a tutorial but items will light up once you approach them or hover over them. Some items are stored for while others contain information to be used at a later time. I was excited to see where this adventure would take me once I reached the outside world.
The creators of Seed of Life invested a great amount of time into designing this beautiful world. The detail of the plants and stones, the glow of the sky, the vibrant colors, and the overall ambiance really set the tone of the game and I wanted to spend a few minutes simply exploring the layout of the land. The only downside with this game being a semi-open world is that there are no items to find outside of your designated path. I was hoping to discover a few side quests or encounter other creatures but sadly the game is lacking in this area. I appreciate the beautiful art style and the attention to detail but it seems pointless to invest those efforts into these game elements when you can’t fully enjoy what the world has to offer.
Seed of Life isn’t completely flawed, I’m just a meticulous critic. As I mentioned before, having no tutorial makes some of the puzzles challenging. For example, one mission requires Cora to cross a river which is infested by deadly darkness. Of course, I couldn’t resist having our protagonist jump into the water even though I knew it would be a suicide mission. While it didn’t take long to find a way across the river, I did have to wander around and try a few different paths before I successfully reached the other side. Along the way, I also found a few items that would help me on future missions while hearing the story unfold. Cora’s stream of consciousness is the guide and helps bring the narrative to life; however, I feel like there is a lack of emotion at times. This could be due to the lack of other characters and the inability to interact with anyone, but it does fit with the dystopian atmosphere and seems to be intentional.
Technically, there are other creatures in Lumia, but they’re extraterrestrial enemies that Cora must evade or learn to destroy. Seed of Life‘s combat mechanics aren’t the greatest and this is one area that could be improved. I suppose it makes sense since this game is more exploration-based. To be fair, I can’t complain too much about the exploration aspect of Seed of Life since I’m no stranger to exploration in games. I’ll admit I’ve spent hours wandering the land in games like Red Dead Redemption or Assassin’s Creed trying to find Easter eggs or simply enjoy the scenery. Seed of Life allows players to have some freedom to wander but you also have to consider your health as you complete different tasks. The world of Lumia offers some exciting missions and brings players a unique new story but may seem dull to those who prefer more stimulating open-world games.
Seed of Life
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Gameplay 7/107/10
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Plot / Writing 8/108/10
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Design / Visuals 8/108/10
Blooming good fun!
+ Beautiful visuals in a uniquely-designed semi-open world
+ Engaging narrative that reveals an engrossing story
– Lack of other characters makes the game feel slower-paced and one-dimensional
– Solving puzzles and progressing in the game can be challenging with the lack of a tutorial
