So there’s this caterpillar/beetle bug thing that likes to grow plants.  But his garden mysteriously dies so you must help him grow it back in this free-to-play color matching puzzle game called SEEDS (reviewed on iPad here).  The game also gives you a chance to grow a real tree, too!  Read on to find out more!

So now you may be thinking, “Oh great, another match-three puzzle game.”  But it’s not like that at all!  In fact, I’ve never played another puzzle game quite like this one.  On each playfield, on the bottom is a seed.  You must get it to grow to a particular spot at the top.  When you slide two tiles of the same color and the seed is right by it, a vine will grow between the two tiles.  Keep matching tiles until the plant is at the very top where it needs to grow.  But it’s not that easy!  Some stages you have limited moves, and in others you must make the vine a certain length.  The game actually has a little steeper learning curve because of that, which is unusual in the casual games market.  If you match more than two colors, you might be able to add more moves or make tiles that two colors can match to.  Use coins you earn when defeating levels to buy power-ups like a pickaxe for destroying tiles or a rake for switching two faraway colors.  It’s still a pretty fun little puzzler, it just takes longer to get the hang of then most other mobile games of this ilk.

One other interesting thing about the game is the press release I got says that if you beat the game, they’ll plant a real tree somewhere in your honor.  I didn’t see that in the game, and there’s no way I’m beating it anytime soon.  But you can donate the coins you earn to save a tree or even an acre of them in real life.  But saving one tree costs about 1800 coins, and when reviewing this game I only got about 100.  So you’re really going to have to EARN that tree!  Still a nice sentiment, though, I suppose.

Kid Factor:

Nothing violent or objectionable here.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, and parental supervision is recommended for the in-game ads and purchases.

Tags: Game Reviews