Grow Home Reviews
Grow Home is an endearing title. Throwing BUD around like a robotic rag-doll is a satisfying and heartwarming affair. For the price and duration it can’t be beat, a completely self-contained game that sets the expectations low and manages to deliver an amazing experience. It’s a cheap, silly, and quick experience that will leave your hands sweaty and MOM very proud of you.
Grow Home offers simple but very enjoyable gameplay with the main focus being on the fun part.
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Ubisoft Reflections' 3D platformer reminds the player what made the genre so great
The spirit of Grow Home lies in its unforced exploration, leisurely collecting of items, and experiencing those "oh $H#@" moments as B.U.D. loses his grip or you miss your jump at 2000 meters in the air. There is added value to the game as you unlock skins with abilities and other items. After the end credits, you also have the choice of accepting an extra mission. All of these features add to Grow Home's appeal as a special game where it pays to be curious and daring, and you are properly rewarded if you are thorough.
In the end, in spite of some control and gameplay issues, it's easy to see why Ubisoft developers fell under the spell of Grow Home. The alien world is verdant and alive, the sense of progress and discovery intoxicating, and the hero B.U.D. truly lovable.
Grow Home is a gorgeous title which acts as yet another example that not all games need to be hours upon hours long. Its unique climbing mechanics make for a tense and often terrifying time, while its endearing story grounds the entire experience. There are some niggling control issues, but the stunning presentation and subtle soundtrack round things out, ultimately making for a satisfying and adorable game.
Grow Home isn't a game that I expected to fall in love with but after playing for a while and letting it wash over me, I can easily say that it's one of the most imaginative and enjoyable gaming experiences that I've played so far this year.
Grow Home is a fantastically creative game that needs to be lauded as one of the best things that has come out of Ubisoft in years. It's warm, it's fun, it has some dark humor and it's just a wonderful ride for everyone.
For those with patience to get the hang of the quirky controls, Grow Home provides a lot to like. It's a cute game with nice ideas and a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. It's certainly pleasing to see a big publisher like Ubisoft trying out fresh ideas and, in Grow Home's case, it pays off well. The title only disappoints fundamentally in terms of its length - not because it's bad value at $8/£6, but because it causes cravings for more. With any luck maybe Ubisoft will see fit to take Reflections' project's little seed and grow a more fully-fledged game from it, because the ideas and style shown deserve to be seen again.
Quaint Sunday afternoon gaming, and not much else
I can appreciate what Ubisoft Reflections was trying to attempt with Grow Home, but perhaps it should have been left as an experiment or a demo instead of as a game. Its appearance is intriguing, I'll give it that, but appearance doesn't make it any less tedious or frustrating. I noticed on Metacritic that several people have loved it, but for me, it was absolute torture.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises is that Grow Home only costs eight dollars, which is a bargain for such an intriguing and inventive little game. Whether you're spending your time scrambling to out-of-reach grottos, enjoying the view from your glider, or harassing the sheep, Grow Home is well worth the climb.
Grow Home is a masterpiece that gives out a strong core mechanics as a platform game that can make you play the game out its charm despite its lack of narrative, replay value, and dull dialogue.
Grow Home is fun and innovative experience that, unfortunately, gets weighed down by bugs with the climbing system, the iffy camera, and the repetitive audio effects. It's still a blast to play but it could've been much more.
[Y]ou'll probably never kick the stumbling habit entirely, which is fine, because you're always liable to stumble into something beautiful.
The sad thing about the controls is that everything else in Grow Home is so well done. Exploring the world, gliding around on a leaf, climbing to the bottom of an island, and growing shoots to new areas are a lovable traits.
Grow Home delivers on a simple yet charming story in an equally engaging world.
Grow Home combines experimental animation and beautiful world-building to create something unique.
Even though its puzzle isn't very difficult, minus the falling, it does provide an entertaining experience. Perhaps Grow Home will evolve into something more someday. As it is right now, it's a short and sweet experience with a lot of free falling involved.
Grow Home manages to bring something new, relaxing and polished to the table, just not nearly enough of it. Feels like an excellent demo of a bigger game.