Heart of the Grove

co-authored: @zesix
Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.93
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.33
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.73
Theme★★★★★★★★★★3.69
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.47
Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.87
Mood★★★★★★★★★★4.01
Plant trees in the Spring, then awaken them into Treants to fight off invaders in the Winter!

Be careful though - your trees are the lifeline of the Forest.

How many Winters can you survive?

Plant Trees
Heart of the Grove 2019-04-29 18-25-11-945.jpg
Fight Invaders
Heart of the Grove 2019-04-29 20-45-05-042.jpg
Instructions (shown at start of game)

Comments50

Malarpuppet30 Apr 2019, 04:19
Cool concept! really liked the visuals, though I did have trouble knowing what I was clicking on when the grid was disabled.
Vertuga3230 Apr 2019, 12:51
Very beautiful, enjoyable game. The interface design is great!
Fluffy_Kaeloky
Fluffy_Kaeloky30 Apr 2019, 18:11
The game is pretty well executed and easy to understand. I feel like it misses a minimap, but other than that, it's a good entry !

However, if most of your assets come from external websites, you should opt out of the Graphics category ...
CamCam
CamCam30 Apr 2019, 18:25
I'm not sure to understand the rule but the game is very beautiful et verry cool !
fatPenguin
fatPenguin30 Apr 2019, 18:29
Really a vey well designed game, pleasant colour schemes, soft light.
The idea is pretty cool i ended up playing a few rounds ;)
Humans are just the WORST arent they :D
good job!!
Ausstein
Ausstein30 Apr 2019, 19:04
This is Extremly beautiful and also a very nice take on the Theme. I had a lot of fun playing one round, but i think it is a bit too repetetive to play more. Overall very nice
MantarayTV Games
MantarayTV Games30 Apr 2019, 23:15
Beutiful! Add some more gameplay, plish up the audio and release it on steam or somwhere else. Trust me, you should invest in this idea, ot's great!
MrsTari
MrsTari1 May 2019, 01:19
WOW, this is a really awesome job! i dont have any Problems :heart:
Ivan Garcia Filho
Ivan Garcia Filho1 May 2019, 03:01
Awesome graphics, you should just add more variation to the trees not jus the shape or color, i'm talking about different kinds of trees...
alphazeba1 May 2019, 04:30
Great submission here. Graphics were definitely on point, gameplay made sense but got a bit boring after a while as the gameplay didn't change much over time.
Skyball
Skyball1 May 2019, 06:47
The graphics of this, combined with the sound and the mechanics; a brilliant game!
finalspace1 May 2019, 06:51
I don’t have a windows machine, but the art looks stunning!
luckyDaisy
luckyDaisy1 May 2019, 07:37
Really unique concept. Definitely something where more mechanics as the levels progress would be incredible (trying to survive through years of disease, etc)

Very well done across the board!
Pyrian
Pyrian1 May 2019, 07:41
A neat idea, well executed, kind of outstays its welcome. I lasted 11 rounds and by that time I was ready to quit anyway. Nice to see a working RTS in a game jam, though! Wish I could've ordered the treants about, they don't path very well. Also, I would've appreciated some better way to tell when and where enemies were coming rather than constantly scanning around. ...In the options menu, the mouse pointer stayed behind the window, lol. Good thing it's translucent!
mamoniem
mamoniem1 May 2019, 07:51
Lovely meaningful game, with fancy UI and amazing art and music.

The game was freezing for few frames, specially when starting it, but i'm okay with that.

I like the entire package together, well done!

5/5 start on all aspects btw!

-m
Skosnowich
Skosnowich1 May 2019, 07:58
This game seems very polished. The graphics are awesome. I liked the small details very much, like seeing the life bars at the edge of the screen when the enemies are far away. Also I find the options menu astonishing for a game jam. Good job!
-banzi1 May 2019, 08:19
Oh nooo! Why are they destroying my trees. I don't like how the treants just walk away. Am I supposed to always loose the game?
The graphics are cool, as well as sound. Good job!
svats71 May 2019, 09:50
The game is beautiful, the art and music fits the idea of the game so well! A great execution of a simple idea! Would love to have a minimap or something to have a look at enemies arriving but its not a negative. A great game!
Finn Truman1 May 2019, 09:58
It's certainly well put together and looks very nice, but the grid is a bit of a mess. Tbh I don't think it even needs a grid at all. It's also pretty annoying not being able to tell the ents where to go. You can have some free ents on the other side of the island not reacting to enemies on the other, so you have to waste a few trees to build new ents. But I kept playing until the end because I liked it enough! I lasted 13 winters.
Fahim Faysal1 May 2019, 10:33
Lovely graphics and music.I like how you're playing as the forest itself. I do think that it could use some variety in the game play. Currently it's fine for a game jam. But I think that If improve upon it, the game has potential as a casual rts.
Raphnika1 May 2019, 12:56
The music is so fitting for this game and the idea is quiet unique! Good job :)
Flamus1 May 2019, 13:07
Music and graphics are so on point! Congrats, beautifull looking game! Gameplay is so nice and chill, good job!
Anna Karpova
Anna Karpova1 May 2019, 13:15
Atmospheric game, cool artstyle and music. Nice work!
FlyWolfe1 May 2019, 15:20
I loved the look of this game a lot. The sounds, atmosphere, and design really brought out how cool this game was. Only real drawbacks are that it can become repetitive after a bit and the camera controls were a little awkward. Otherwise, really freaking cool
Golden1 May 2019, 16:09
Looks amazing, the mechanics could use some work - and being able to control the camera even more would be nice.
Eldemarkki
Eldemarkki1 May 2019, 16:20
Absolutely beautiful game! The concept was original and the sounds amazing! Wonderful game!
Enjoy The Tale
Enjoy The Tale1 May 2019, 16:39
Amazing low poly art with great lighting and color pallete! The sound is on point as well! Really nice to play!
tapehead
tapehead1 May 2019, 16:51
Great art and mood! The camera movement could be a bit faster but besides that a very nice entry!
Tudvari
Tudvari1 May 2019, 16:56
One of the exceptional LD games, which I actually played through. And I survived 13 winters :smile:

Definitely worth giving it more depth.

Like the concept and thetake on the tower defense genre. The art style is really fitting as well.

You should take this further.

Keep it up man, very good idea!

Ps.: the effect following my cursor sometimes covered a lot of my screen, and it was a bit annoying :laughing:
DrLizard1 May 2019, 17:09
Lasted 12 winters. Overall nice idea. It was bit frustrating knowing that game is designed to lose, but it didnt take long and my "last march of the ents" wasnt that bad.
rmhugsy1 May 2019, 19:12
Must underline the fact that I'm not a fan of the genre but still got a bit addicted to the game. The graphics are nice and the lighting is fair. The camera controls are interesting, and once you get the hang of it with the mouse and keys you can get around the map easy. Would rate it G for Great!
Akros
Akros1 May 2019, 20:00
Best art I've seen so far. Even though there is not much gameplay variety, level of polish is just incredible and I think this is the best way to go about it in a game jam - make one thing but polish it. This definitely goes to my favourites
Flamboozle
Flamboozle1 May 2019, 22:16
The art and ui looked very polished. The gameplay was not super fun but I appreciate the level of detail in what was presented
Ransom2 May 2019, 06:12
Very slick! Kind of gameplay-light, but it's got a lot of polish. It's an interesting mechanic; it feels like a tower defense, except that you have to expend parts of your base to defend the whole. I do wish that I could have zoomed out more, or otherwise had some sort of indication of where units were.

Great job.
SamStallion
SamStallion2 May 2019, 17:46
I liked this, tremendous great graphics and innovative gameplay. The grid really helps, it'd be nice if it stayed on between seasons. I can see a lot of potential here for expansion, well done!
Nebrazif
Nebrazif2 May 2019, 19:22
A very poetic and soothing game, I love it!
Daggett2 May 2019, 22:22
I really love the overall concept and art-style. I'm only missing some deeper gameplay mechanics to keep me playing for more than a round or two.
BustosMan
BustosMan3 May 2019, 01:42
I really like how the concept was carried out! It really does fit with the theme. I think the tree units, no matter how far, should be able to find another target so as to give the player a better chance of surviving a round. Also, the audio transitioning sounded a bit rough when switching from planting to defense phase. Excellent work.
MelanieE3 May 2019, 09:23
A very beautiful game ! The mood is awesome ! I love the graphics and the atmosphere you manage to set up.

It would have been nice to be able to zoom in to see the details and zoom out to see the whole map. Also, it gets a bit repetitive after a while.
Oh, and also, there is a little bug at the end : when your blue tree dies, you can keep playing, as long as you kill all the monsters during the wave ^^

Otherwise, I can just say that you did a really, really good job! Thank you for this cool game!
Drauthius
Drauthius3 May 2019, 17:01
Solid entry! Good job
IanLux3 May 2019, 17:06
Beautiful game, plays very nicely like and merges turn-based strategy with real-time strategy masterfully.
Wonderful work.
flukeshot4 May 2019, 05:35
I thought it was too simple at first, but no, it has quite a layer of management, timing, and decision making as you get further into the waves. I do feel like having some mechanic in the game like selling your sprouts for power-ups (or even upgrading trees to ones that stay) would have been interesting. Graphics were good. Background music was good. Soundfx could have been a little better. Overall, great entry.
ThiefViolinist
ThiefViolinist4 May 2019, 06:51
Really very similar ideas.
Your game gives an impression that it finished product. I like graphics and ent-deer design, very atmospheric. Music and gameplay at a high level too. Good job.
MrBrooms4 May 2019, 10:29
Very nice game but the restart button doesn't work :D You should had something to play longer.
The theme of the game is really important and it's a way to show how humans are bad for the planet.
hijomo4 May 2019, 15:38
A fleshed out options menu? In a Jam GAME! really awesome game. I wish my tree protectors would stick around. very nice lovely looking.
Attala
Attala4 May 2019, 19:00
Awesome game! Simple and fun mechanics a solid strategy game. Kudos.
DigNZ
DigNZ4 May 2019, 23:25
A very polished looking game. A little repetitive but impressive work with how 'complete' it feels for a game jam entry.
Yaen
Yaen5 May 2019, 09:04
I like what you did with the theme! Though with an environmentalist theme like this, it's kind of hard to take that you're basically doomed to lose sooner or later - and in the real world, nature can't even fight back!

Quite original mechanics in this game too. It's a pretty different take on the tower defense genre. Only thing I wish for is some more variety as it does get pretty repetitive for its playtime. But it's a game jam so what you got done is already really impressive!

I liked the look of the game but I'm really glad that you had those graphics options in there because even though I have a fairly powerful machine, it lagged like hell with the standard settings. Even with low settings it was still a bit sluggish but at least playable.
PixelSplash
PixelSplash5 May 2019, 15:31
Loved the models of the Treants!!! And the aesthetics of the whole game, so clean!!!

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