There are some game ideas you read about which are simply dripping with ambition. Seed is one of those, a new MMO that stirs together ideas from The Sims, SimCity, and Stardew Valley into one bubbling pot. That pot also has rocket fins and an advanced AI as Seed takes place a thousand years in the future, long after humanity has left Earth behind. Only you can make society thrive again, though you might need a little help from other players.
If Seed were just a life game mixed with a city builder it would be intriguing enough. You watch over a budding civilization on a distant planet, helping nurture your colonists – or seedlings – as they live their lives. You won’t control them directly but you will oversee the shape their lives take, with meticulously modeled systems guiding your seedlings as they work together to build homes, businesses, and a future. It’s got all the right stuff going on already but added into its delicious sci-fi stew is the fact that Seed is an MMO too, one you can play for free.
Your seedlings don’t live in a vacuum and neither do you. As they grow and live they’ll encounter other seedlings that form a vast interconnected society, much like we do in the real world. What really sets Seed apart is that these seedlings you meet will be under the ever-watchful eye of other players, each with their own goals, wants, needs, and ambitions.
This simple fact opens up a vast scope of possibilities for the game. Will you band together with your fellow players, turning families into communities and communities into towns, or will you butt up against them and become enemies. As your society grows, you’ll need businesses, leaders, workers, basic needs, and much more. Seed asks if you’ll be doing this yourself or if you’ll leave things up to someone else, with consequences for both approaches. You might corner the industrial side of your town, or you might go into politics, or you might do neither and just try to survive. Everything has an impact and you may find that leaving the decision making to other players may see your society go in directions you didn’t anticipate.
Of course you could simply go rogue and just mess with people. After all, this is a game that takes inspiration from other sandboxes like The Sims, and we’ve all tortured our charges at one time or another. In Seed you’ll be able to become a thorn in the side of anyone you encounter, should you wish, and I’m sure many will choose that option.
All this means that Seed holds a ton of potential with ideas which demand exploration. If you’d like to dive in yourself, you can sign up to test Seed for free with regular playtests letting you get your hands on the game.
You can also take a peek at our recommendations for the best games like The Sims 4, or our best simulation games guide for something we’re sure will tickle your fancy.
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