TumbleSeed Reviews
Tumbleseed is a very unique title to say the least. The controls require an indescribable amount of patience to get used to and the difficulty will make you want to bang your head against a wall. However, if you are willing to battle your way past these issues, you will find a pleasantly presented roguelike unlike anything else.
An interesting game where you control the beam a seed is on. But it’s not my cup of tea. It’s a good concept but too hard and frustrating for me to really “Love”. I get it, but I’m not an advocate.
TumbleSeed can be described as a dexterity rogue-like action game that's easy to love everything about it… apart from the whole "playing it" thing. It's not just the fact that it is ruthlessly hard, but that it's a certain kind of hard that will either captivate or aggravate.
In a generation that has struggled with finding the right balance of pace, it is refreshing to see a developer place a great deal of emphasis on patient gameplay and actually pull it off. Vertical progression and slow movements are valued over everything else, and these are the two elements that allow TumbleSeed to thrive as much as it does. Unfortunately, that same level of importance given to fine tuning the controls and concept is noticeably lacking in the level design, as roguelike randomisation is given priority over traditional, handcrafted stages. Along with too many power-ups and unlockable skills that trivialise most of the difficulty, TumbleSeed fails to live up to all its potential despite the clear amount of creativity put into its premise and a strong first impression.
The challenge it proposes will push players to the edge, as some will not be able to handle it and will find themselves on the brink of fury but those brave enough to handle this storm will find a game where despite the many, many deaths awaiting them, the feeling of reward after reaching their goals will push them into ecstasy.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
However you manage it, it's as rewarding to survive as it is frustrating to fail. But when those rewards start to feel further and further apart, it can be difficult to keep coming back for another climb.
TumbleSeed's summit might be worth it, if you can stick through the climb
Tumbleseed is a beautiful and original roguelike with simple, fresh and unique gameplay mechanics. Its smart design gave us a deep experience full of variety and one of the most difficult game of this year for sure. Maybe some difficult spikes feel unfair but if you have a lot of practice and tons of patience you could dominate it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
TumbleSeed starts off simple enough, but in classic roguelike fashion it quickly becomes a tricky, demanding (literal) balancing act with a variety of buffs and obstacles. Fans of light, arcadey titles should check it out
Tumbleseed is smart and charming and really challenging. Almost too challenging.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, Tumbleseed offers a ton of content for it’s asking price. It is a fun, challenging and rewarding roguelike that is best played in short bursts and is fun to come back to.
TumbleSeed was not kind to me at any point while reviewing it. It doesn’t seem like an especially long game, but given its nuance and demanding skillset, is a game you’ll be returning to often. It’s frustrating, beautiful, and unforgiving. There’s a good game here, but I feel it’s upfront difficulty is going to be off-putting for many. But by not playing TumbleSeed, you’re missing out on what is otherwise a unique roguelike that doesn’t shy away from its difficulty, but embraces it to the fullest and tasks you with a challenge you’ll want to overcome each time you play it.
TumbleSeed turned out really good and interesting game, the developers showed their opinion on this genre, bringing something of their own, they have not forgotten about the classical mechanics inherent to Roguelike games. If you are going to pass the game on PS4 or PC, then feel free to remove one point from the final evaluation due to the absence of the above-described vibration of the HD and portable mode.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Final Thoughts Tumbleseed is a unique release based on a great idea and is very fun to play. The visuals and the gameplay are very polished, and the procedurally generated levels will keep you playing for many hours. I recommend this one to gamers looking for a unique experience on PlayStation 4 since Tumbleseed certainly delivers!
In other words, slow your roll, Tumbleseed.
All told, Tumbleseed is a game that will certainly divide opinion. The absurdly high difficulty demands that you put up or shut up; if you don't take the time to be patient and focus on improving your skills in controlling the seed, you will not find much enjoyment here. However, if you're willing to stick it out and put in the time required to 'git gud', you'll find a deeply rewarding game with nearly unlimited replayability between the daily challenges and the constant tease of getting a better score. If you consider yourself a skilled and patient gamer, give Tumbleseed a shot. If not, perhaps something else might be a better choice.
If TumbleSeed intrigues you at all, I would recommend picking it up. The game is as unique and engaging to play as it looks, just be aware of the steep difficulty curve you will most likely run into once you get more serious about passing the starting area. Games this original don't come around to often, but its always a treat when they do.
TumbleSeed had the potential to really be this year's Spelunky or Isaac with its amazing visuals and music design but it throws far too much at the player early on making it a tad more frustrating than fun.
TumbleSeed is a game that I don't think I'll ever completely finish, but it's damn impressive for those that dare to stomach its difficulty. If you're the kind of person looking for a mostly skill based game that is brutally challenging, yet very entertaining, then TumbleSeed is for you. More casual players will want to save their money and sanity for games a bit more accessible to them. Honestly, the biggest mistake here is that the developers haven't offered multiple difficulties, which will surely limit the potential player base.