Hi folks, 

Welcome back to Sprout's development journey with team Green Beans! This update covers our game's expansion potential beyond the final game's current design. During our initial game pitch, the vision for the expanded version of the game included a variety of levels. Sprout has a ton of potential for future updates.  

GAME EXPANSION

The full game expansion would include 5 biomes-  each with their own environmental catastrophes. The player would progress through and see the biomes rejuvenate as they complete challenges. While the current game includes the mushroom biome highlighted in green, possible expansions include the other 4 listed below. 

BIOME OVERVIEW

Each of the biomes is geared towards a unique plotline. The mushroom biome for our game covers the dangers of invasive species as Sprout must restore balance to this environment. 

The potential biomes such as the swamp biome would cover water pollution and have a cooler colour palette. The colour themes for the potential expansion areas demonstrate the unique plotlines behind each of them. The forest biome would tackle forest fires. The tropical region could be used to demonstrate the dangers of oil spills on the environment. Lastly, the desert biome would target draughts and the effects they have on even the harshest climate regions. 

GAME PILLARS

Sprout has key game pillars that drive its value and player motivation. These include the environment, optimism, and satisfaction. The current game outline and potential game expansions highlight these values and their importance to the development team. Naturally, the environment through climate change awareness is our overarching theme. The character's powers are also nature-based (seed abilities) linking to this game pillar.  All abilities are natural growth abilities through planting seeds. For example, the vine bridge ability shown above.   

An optimistic approach is something we strive for through our lighthearted approach and cute pixel art style. This also ties into player satisfaction through the visible progression indicators in the game (the environment changing/healing) as they tackle the challenges in the mushroom region. This visible change as players take on a Hero's Quest and help the local residents creates a sense of satisfaction and ideally inspires players to take action outside of the game itself.