Warlock - Master of the Arcane
Warlock - Master of the Arcane
Game
Game2023
Growth
Developer VoodooDuck
Growth is a cozy, hexagonal-grid based soft-strategy game. Explore and populate a procedurally generated world by utilizing unique abilities of animals. Growth blends the beauty of cozy exploration with challenging navigation around obstacles. From the Steam store page
240 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 6, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
86
LovedLoved
165 positive · 27 negative
95% range 80–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 165 | 27 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 0 | 39 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
198 of 227 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
85% recommend · 159 yes, 27 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 186 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (303 of 339 positive).
Players describe Growth as a relaxing puzzle game similar to Minesweeper or Dorfromantik, with a hex-based map and animal mechanics. [1][2][3] Many reviewers note the game has limited replayability and becomes repetitive after unlocking all content. [4][5][6] Some players find the game frustrating due to reliance on luck and lack of strategic depth. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
There isn't any strategy to this game. Try to guess where the animals are and hope you didn't get screwed by the map. If you can get it for a dollar or two and like time wasters, it's probably not a bad buy.
- [1]
Growth is a casual puzzle game, in which you need to use animals to extend/capture various biomes to get new animals you can use for further expansions. By increasing these biomes, or connecting new ones, you will get more servants and by using one for exploration then it won’t be available any longer. Once you run out of animals, you will lose the game, which i never needed to experience, so the casual-relaxing tag …
- [4]
Relaxing and easy puzzle game that gets boring after a while, because the progression is the same every run. Even finding the five different animals happens in the same order every time. That's sad because therefore this game has little replayability. So after you unlocked the special points of interest for the map, there is not much else to do other than achievement hunt.
- [10]
As someone in my 50s who hasn’t picked up a video game in decades, Growth was an unexpected delight. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this game quickly pulled me in with its simplicity and beauty. The visuals are charming and calming, almost like stepping into a quiet piece of art. The music is equally soothing, making it a joy just to sit and take it all in. The pace of the game is perfect—no rush, no stress. It …
- [2]
It's like mindsweeper with animals that are more or less effective dependent on the terrain. You win by getting one animal to the goal tile that is on the last (8th) area.
Summarised from 34 of the 208 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
85% of the 186 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Growth. The complaint that keeps coming up: low replayability after initial playthroughs. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 240 · most liked firstOh, wow, a new crowd! 2nd shift! *puts on game face* ".3." I also do weddings <3 #NSFW #MACRO #GROWTH #MUSCLE #HYPER #FURRY
neutral · AI labelView post →I have no idea how exactly this all relates to the holiday season...other than you usually asked for something big like a game at xmas time...so, hey, relevance! Bam! Bwoom!! BaWOOOOOMB!!! #FURRY #MACRO #GROWTH #MUSCLE
neutral · AI labelView post →Most of these game studios are not closing because they're not PROFITABLE. They're closing because they're not showing GROWTH. The system of investor capitalism is ruining literally everything you care about.
neutral · AI labelView post →May 2026 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana - 007 First Light and Nintendo Switch 2 Drive 3% US Video Game Spending Growth in May 2026.
neutral · AI labelView post →RANKED COMPETITIVE BREAST GROWTH Chapter 17: Late-game Reclass Scribblehub release: www.scribblehub.com/read/1584138... GENDER PHANTOMS: Ranked Competitive Breast Growth book 1 is available for preorder! Itch: taliabhatt.itch.io/gender-phant... Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH7FHSGD
neutral · AI labelView post →September 2025 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana - Borderlands 4 Led Several Hit New Releases Helping Deliver 10% Growth in September US Video Game Spending
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is not accessible for colorblind people. The tiles have color-based differences (e.g. light vs dark green, to indicate that a forest is adjacent) and I can't see the differences. One solution is to make game objects have some slight non-color differences, for instance if you only put small bushes/rocks/structure/whatever on the tiles that indicate adjacency. Alternatively, some global color adjustment settings. For now I'll use the Windows colorblind adjustments though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pledge your devotion to “Growth” or “Decay” (or both!) with the newest #GameKnights “Dueling Dragons” playmat w/ amazing artwork by @teanwitch.bsky.social. Support the channel and show your opponents that ONLY ONE MAY STAND: tinyurl.com/DuelingDrago...
neutral · AI labelView post →Making a really cool and unique RPG, that’s also the hottest Muscle Growth game in existence.
positive · AI labelView post →what if... Ranked Competitive Breast Growth board game. Balancing your RLC, maxing out your strats, challenging the other players to Discursive Combat.
neutral · AI labelView post →January 2026 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana - Growth in Subscription and Hardware Drive 3% Increase in January 2026 U.S. Video Game Spending
neutral · AI labelView post →There are ~400 people playing this game regularly now. Growth has slowed somewhat, but I'm honestly just floored that many people care about my little game.
positive · AI labelView post →Gamers rejoice! I've published a new game on my itch.io page, Growth Spurt! Made in less than 48 hours for a game jam, control a plant and grow upwards towards the sun! Hope you enjoy! thelxinoe5.itch.io/growth-spurt #gamedev #picotorn #gamejam
neutral · AI labelView post →Growth for the game inevitably means normies WILL be playing and watching and interacting with the game. Where do you think that potential growth comes from?
neutral · AI labelView post →A nice puzzler with an interesting twist... the way to expand is to build up your habitats so you get more animals that you can use to connect habitats to have even more animals or find new ones so you can unlock access to new animals that have different abilities that help you expand/scout the map so you can plan in advance to get even more animals and eventually take over the whole map and move on to the next map challenge. Definitely worth a shot on sale if you got the itch for strat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growth is a casual puzzle game, in which you need to use animals to extend/capture various biomes to get new animals you can use for further expansions. By increasing these biomes, or connecting new ones, you will get more servants and by using one for exploration then it won’t be available any longer. Once you run out of animals, you will lose the game, which i never needed to experience, so the casual-relaxing tag is quite accurate = game is quite cozy. Exploring areas unlocks one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There isn't any strategy to this game. Try to guess where the animals are and hope you didn't get screwed by the map. If you can get it for a dollar or two and like time wasters, it's probably not a bad buy.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought I'd like this game, however I DO NOT like this game at all. (And please, do not mistake this game as somehow similar to "Dorfromantik" - because it is not. I love "Dorfromantik" and I don't think this game is anything like it, not at all.) I cannot recommend this game, at least not, if you're looking for a smooth and relaxing experience like "Dorfromantik". This game to some extend feels unfair and unnecessary time consuming, where it shouldn't be. The mechanics are not fully…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6142328/] With 1,300+ reviews, make sure to follow The Cpt Froggy Club Curator Page for plenty more! After starting Growth up for the first time you will have to play the Tutorial from the main menu screen before you can move on to the game because the play button is greyed out. The tutorial will take you over the basics of the game and it isn’t very big, so you’ll soon be in the game play away to your heart’s content. The game is played out on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growth is a fun, simple little game that's good for a few hours, but then you'll put it down and probably never touch it again. Most of the game is procedurally generated. This allows for endless playthroughs, but since none of it is handcrafted it all ends up feeling the same after a couple of runs, and the gameplay doesn't have the depth of something like Hexcells Infinite that could have compensated for this. Even the unlocks don't really mitigate this as they just enable the possibility of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growth game with Fixit
neutral · AI labelView post →Sad to say that to me the gameplay loop felt stale & repetitive after 20 minutes already. I only kept on playing so that it doesn't drag my completion rate down so much. I had to mute the music after about an hour. Also, I'm not a fan of games that create unsolvable levels, that always feels very unfair. If I wanted to play an unfair game, I'd play dark souls. I had plenty of deer, boar, bees, ducks & goats, but there was just no way across the blocked path without - presumably - a bird,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →very bland and repetitive. Game idea is neat and cute, but after 1 run it is just rinse and repeat and whatever is unlocked doesn't really add to the game, is just visual. Could use more depth. Was surprised to visit the game page and see reviews at "very positive". Definitely not the case.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Only buy on sale. The map is big so it takes a couple hours to complete a run, but there's just so little content. You are clicking and hoping you reveal more animals than you spent to keep progressing. It would be cool if there were more than 5 animal types, but after your first run you've pretty much seen everything the game has to offer. I played through 2 full runs (reaching the volcano) and found that the puzzle to reach the volcano is identical every time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growth has some good ideas but overall it's not something I see myself playing after a short 15 minute experience. The main problem I have with it is how much it just feels like RNG vs strategy. The goal is to reveal as much of the map as possible and there are some tells for where you want to go next. The problem is after the first couple turns, you run out of tells and you're literally guessing. Guess wrong? Too bad, you just lost a resource. It claims to be a puzzle or strategy game but it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really tested my game development skills during GB Jam 14. It was a lot of work, it was even more fun, and I became a better game developer. Read the fourth entry of the Five-Jam Gauntlet series: www.jacobmotlmedia.com/blog/post-mortem-gb-jam-14 #Blog #Writer #Growth #GameDev #GameBoy
neutral · AI labelView post →Growing As A Game Designer - Lessons and epiphanies https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uc7p3GZabPU6zD24DEFf0Yu_BF8AB6_7BkHGVElCiIw #GameDesign #Growth #DevJourney #Insights #GameDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Relaxing and easy puzzle game that gets boring after a while, because the progression is the same every run. Even finding the five different animals happens in the same order every time. That's sad because therefore this game has little replayability. So after you unlocked the special points of interest for the map, there is not much else to do other than achievement hunt.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not bad if on sale for under $5. Took roughly five plays to unlock all milestone-based content, after which it's a pleasant enough "reverse minesweeper": think of it as using mines to reveal tiles, and therefore needing to reveal more mines than you spend so that you can keep going. Would be nice if the order you find certain animals changes (to shake up the puzzle), and the game gets noticably easier once you unlock additional "points of interest" for each map (these not only reveal multiple…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This review is specially made for those who like to get all the achievements in games (minor spoilers ahead). Description: Growth is a puzzle game where you send animals with different abilities into unknown territories until you discover most of it and advance to the next area. It’s played like Minesweeper but instead of looking for empty spaces you need to avoid them and send your animals to where clusters of vegetation are to get more animals. There is no story mode, only the option of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to love this game. In the beginning I had so much fun and saw the potential. But after 2 hours and during my third session I finished it...That was so underwhelming. I thought you need to unlock lots of stuff to have a chance to finish the game, but no. Afterwards you have no motivation at all to keep playing. No additional biomes. Always the same 7 areas to finish one after the other. There is no motivation, except getting a higher score. Luckily Steam allowed a refund,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Evolution Of A Game Designer - Challenging common knowledge https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WN99UKFgOvpaV5rKrm6XxGV005jEzthKMtxwMd78VnI #GameDev #Growth #DesignMyths #Perspective #Skills
neutral · AI labelView post →honestly, i can not bother to finish this game, every run is not only repetitive, but seems to be dictated by a severe amount of RNG. I got to 6/7 hexes cleared, i just can not put myself through this anymore. I have no idea why the reviews are so high for this game when it is as others have pointed out, extremely stale. You get different creatures, most of them are just the same as deer except they can move over 1 specific tile, and that is the entire loop. You auto lose if you run into a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like mindsweeper with animals that are more or less effective dependent on the terrain. You win by getting one animal to the goal tile that is on the last (8th) area.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The UK Video Games Council is working on a Games Growth Strategy, which includes plans to create a dedicated industrial body for games, unlock funding from institutional sources and land a games expert in the Lords. More on this in today's VGIM: www.videogamesindustrymemo.com/p/towards-a-...
neutral · AI labelView post →I want to like this game but I can't get through the first level. Why make it so hard? Give us more animals to work with and less water to cross if no bees are given. Thanks!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like many other reviews have already said, I think this game is only worth it when it is on sale. I got it for $3 USD and I'd say play the demo before you buy it. I don't feel like there is a lot of replay once you have beat the game. I'm at 5 hours played right now and I don't feel the need to open it again. It feels like Minesweeper but with animals. I don't find this game relaxing, I get more frustrated than anything at times. Playing this game just makes me want to play Dorfromantik.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It takes less than 2 hours to understand that this game terribly lacks interest. Don't get me wrong, the game is cute, the idea interesting and refreshing (no combat as usual), but it is just an RNG, nothing more. No strategy, nothing to think about, no replayability. Nothing. Nada. Once you finished your first area, you pretty much finished the game because there is nothing more. And to finish the first area, you will need some luck as long as you understand the very basic concepts of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Light but fun game despite some initial frustration of not being able to "complete" a map until you learn to use your paths and animals effectively. Re-playing eventually feels a lot like a cross between Solitaire and a board game without all the set up. I kind of wish there was a reset for discovering the new locations or an expansion of different goals. Still a good clicky game if you're looking for one with a bit of strategy required.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →'Lightweight hex based strategy'. Easy to understand after a few games but takes a while to get into the mindset if you want to get somewhere. I have managed to clear a map or two but reaching the end seems mind boggling far away now but i see it might be possible. Game throws 'geographic' problems at you and will have to work around the pathing issues that RNG throws at you as well and keep focus or the run will be toast. Kind of like trying to be systematic as long as possible until you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the first hexagonal-grid based soft-strategy game I played and there are several I've encountered since. Growth stands out from the crowd as it feels like there are more pieces to work with on a broader canvas. What makes it special is that as you run out of moves, one strategic choice can change everything and grant more moves unexpectedly. Captivating to play and I like how the camera zooms out to show how much progress was made at the end of a level and what your individual world…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game looks interesting at first but very quickly turns into a boring mindless clicker. If you complete the first map in your first run, you'll find zero challenge from than on as you unlock sanctuaries which give bonus resources. A game is supposed to get harder if you progress, not easier. Scoring system is also reversed. You get points by exploring terrain, during which you collect more resources than the number of resources spent. Connecting already explored habitats usually also results…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growth is a relaxing and addicting puzzling game. It'll give you hours of fun and has a steep learning curve. However, once you master the game, it is no longer challenging, and the maps, while procedurally generated, tend to be mostly the same. The final volcano hex is always the same. Once you've completed the initial runs, it has little to offer. But I'd pick it up on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How CJ Stroud's Growth Changes the Jaguars' Game Plan When discussing how to attack Texans QB CJ Stroud in 2026, it’s not as simple as deciding whether or not the Jaguars should blitz him 🖥 youtu.be/vuz0kcc_kQ0?... 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
neutral · AI labelView post →I got the Standard Edition cause the Deluxe is the typical Bamco special - shit you actually want (Artbook & OST) - shit that's fine but is kinda just here to fill the package out (Battle BGM Pack) - Make The Game Easier ("Support Growth Support" Item Set)
neutral · AI labelView post →Send animal friends out to roll back the fog and uncover more of the map. Welcome new friends and repeat! Growth starts as a calm, low-stakes puzzler, then rewards clever strategy the further you go. Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46120374-SupaIndio]SupaIndio's Curator Page for more of my game recommendations.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I couldn't beat the first level
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Save your deers. And your boars. And everything. The game is harder than the first plays suggest. Escalating difficulty. Relaxing experience until you try hard and then its infuriating. I would recommend a try. Experiences may vary. Its not really for kids, despite it looks like it. Random thoughts, I hope it somehow helps.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do I still remember the time I've asked my sister, if she would play with me that 40 € board game, before buying it? And then never playing it with me? Well, this game here is pretty much a candidate for board game of the year. Minus the board. And the sister. Nice. PS: Growth plays a bit like Dorfromantik, an actual game of the year. But while Dorfromantik is getting more difficult over time, Growth stays casual. (The end of the game is a bit tricky, though, but I won't spoil anything here.)…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a guessing game not a "soft-strategy" game. There isn't really any problem solving past the basics of the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A strategy puzzle game that does look like Dorfromantic but plays totally different. Cool concept. Grow your world by finding and distributing animals, each having certain moves and limitations. Resources are limited, so there's some real strategy involved. Getting the end-goal was somewhat of an achievement. But after that, it's the same thing over and over. And beware that there are some very grindy achievements. Fun for a few sessions but don't think this will be one to keep playing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone in my 50s who hasn’t picked up a video game in decades, Growth was an unexpected delight. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this game quickly pulled me in with its simplicity and beauty. The visuals are charming and calming, almost like stepping into a quiet piece of art. The music is equally soothing, making it a joy just to sit and take it all in. The pace of the game is perfect—no rush, no stress. It reminded me of the simple pleasures in life, something I hadn’t realized a game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice little thinky randomly generated puzzle. Not sure there's much to keep playing after a playthrough or two
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disclaimer: I have received this game for free through a LurkIt campaign for streamers. Leaving a review was not part of the campaign and I do it out of my free choice to share my thoughts. My friend KittyCakes19 liked my playthrough of the game so much she bought it during my stream. It's a mix of Dorfromantic with mine sweeper mechanics - You gotta predict where and which type of habitat can be. Not sure how much replayability it has but first playthrough was fun and challenging!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sweet but gets boring quickly, no challenge at all
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I usually never write reviews but I had to for this one. Before I even got the key (TY, by the way), I have been playing Demo version for some time and didn't even know about full game features. The game is fun and challenging (I have reached the volcano only once so far). I also found it very relaxing. Overall good job!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lovely game, interesting gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are some things I don't like about this game. It forces a tutorial on you, and there is no option to lock/unlock the cursor which seems like a basic feature to me. The gameplay was on the boring side for me. I got this since I'm a fan of games similar to dorfromantik but this doesn't hit the same. It's dirt cheap so I guess those things are forgivable, hope the devs next game learns from the mistakes made here and gives us something awesome!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR Heartily recommended. The game's beauty lies in its deceptive simplicity. At first glance, it appears to be a casual tile-exploration game but as the player delves deeper they will uncover layers of strategic depth. The landscape, composed of barren tiles interspersed with biomes, is initially hidden under a cover of clouds. Each biome is populated with distinct animals, each possessing unique movement abilities. These creatures become the player's tools to navigate the terrain,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A beautiful and cozy puzzle game :3
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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