A retro-styled adventure game about growing plants

Sprout is a free adventure game released under a “name your own pricing” (NYOB) model. It is designed in the Pulp game development environment, which is known as an in-browser tool for making games to be played on the handheld Playdate gaming device. However, it can be played in an emulator, though this is not ideal due to the unusual nature of the hardware’s controls.

The game itself is a top-down adventure game. The player assumes the role of a malfunctioning robot in the apocalypse. The goal of the game is to grow plants. The gameplay can be compared to something like Zelda Classic, while the monochrome art style is more similar to a game like Tower of Heaven.

Growing plants in the apocalypse

In Sprout, the player takes control of a robot character in an apocalypse setting. The robot was designed to kill, but there has been a malfunction, so it wants to grow plants instead. The player must navigate the world to pursue this goal while avoiding traps and other obstacles throughout the process.

Distinctive art style and unusual controls

Being designed for a specific device with interesting limitations, Sprout is a 1-bit game, meaning it only features two colors. It also uses a “crank” in the control scheme — a small lever on the physical device that must be rotated to make the player move.

Simple gameplay

Aside from the inclusion of the physical crank that must be turned to move the player, the gameplay mechanics are simple to understand. The graphics are also clear, even despite the two-color display.

Playdate device required

Other than the development environment, there are no emulators capable of playing Playdate software. That means a Playdate handheld device is required in most cases.