I wanted to like this game. I had developed a fondness for minimalist biological-systems reminiscent games since Fl0w, which I enjoyed the heck out of. This hankering for more big things eat small things gameplay led me to Osmos, which is a decent enough puzzler, and eventually led me to try out the Eufloria demo since this is the last chance to stock up on 50% discounted Steam games for 2010 until the next weekend deal.
Here's a good third-party review of Eufloria from IndieGames.com, which again is closest to most of my feelings about this "game."
Interesting (The Innovative and Weird)
Minimalist Real Time Strategy - I really wasn't expecting an RTS. Turns out the pretty flower like seedlings are actually units, which you can point towards different asteroid circles to colonize.
Pros
Pretty Biological Growths - I love the abstract, fractal-y sort of patterns that build up into root and branch-like structures. It's crazy that three colored ovals put together in a certain way remind one of graceful flies and flower petals all at the same time. The way the simple units swarm and attack another colony is a surreal joy to watch, dipping in and out of spirals, bursting into little pastel puffs of color as their digital lives are spent.
Relaxing Ambience / Playable in an Office - It's got the standard funky indie chime-like music, though I don't think it can hold a candle to Osmos' music. It has such a slow and relaxing pace that you could easily alt-tab and go read an article in the other monitor... or conversely, alt-tab and quickly hide the game when you're ostensibly supposed to be working in an office (I tried doing this with Torchlight over the holiday season, shhh... didn't work out well at all - ambushed by mobs on a laggy laptop, was awful.)
Cons
Somnambulant Pace - Problem is, you're going to be wishing you had a fast forward button. x10. It takes time for your Dyson trees to grow more seedlings, to do stuff with, so you'll be sitting around waiting a lot for your population to amass.
A Difficulty Level That is Like This ----------------------------------
aka utterly flat. Or that's how it was for the first 5 levels of the demo, and I couldn't stand going on to level 6 even though the demo allowed me too.
As the review points out, Eufloria's ultimate problem is that it doesn't ramp up the challenge in a way that rewards the player for using different tactics.
Over the course of the 5 levels, I found myself trading off as many seedlings (10 per) for as many Dyson trees I could grow to "pharm more seedlings!" I left a sentinel force of 8-10 seedlings to orbit protectively around the asteroids along the fringes of my territory, because the opposing force would tend to send only about 1-4 'scout' seedlings to test the waters.
Asteroids in the 'back end' of my territory became seedling factories, which I shuttled to the front to build up imposing forces of 30-60 orbiting petals of doom. Following which, I performed the equivalent of a Yamato Battlecruiser rush by sending all of the little zerg seedlings from the front into an unstoppable mass of 80-100 seedlings.
After all, my farms would produce more seedlings which would replace my guardian force, and I could always rush back the offensive force should my own asteroid get attacked.
More often than not, the horde would completely overrun the hapless asteroid I had sent it to, I would plant a tree, and then move the rest of the force on, providing reinforcements as my farms produced them.
One hour of this, and five map levels later, I questioned whether I wanted to even continue with the demo, let alone pay $10 USD for this experience. The answer was no. Seen enough.
Conclusion:
Try the demo to see the pretty digital plants grow. It's free.
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