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Sprouts Adventure is a The Settlers-style strategy game in which you must restore the population of an elf-like species of creatures called “Sprouts” using both elbow grease and magic spells. 

In the game, you direct the Sprouts to do work such as build bridges and schools. You may assign as many Sprouts as possible to a task, but they have five status bars that must be maintained or the Sprouts lose the ability to work. They may be too sleepy, or lack enthusiasm, for instance. These bars are refilled by directing them to engage in such activities such as sleeping, playing ball, or finding magic stones and butterflies.

You also help via magic spells. As you play and help Sprouts discover new objects, they earn spell points for you. More spell points unlock additional spells, such as eggs which hatch new Sprouts. Many things in the game rely on spells and the day/night cycle. For example, to grow crops, a Sprout must first work on the harvest field. The player must then have rain wet the field, and then have the sun shine on it – however, the sun can only shine during the day.

The game is quite elemental, but unfortunately, the action becomes repetitive and tedious, especially since the game moves at a glacial pace, with no real way to dialate time. It doesn’t help that the Sprouts themselves have squeaky, nasal voices. While individual Sprouts have unique names, there is no emotional attachment to them.

Sprouts Adventure is a workmanlike debut for the series, and it’ll be interesting to see how a potential sequel will improve the base gameplay. For now, it’s wise to try the demo before commiting to a purchase and see if the game resonates with individual gamers’ tastes. The game can be downloaded for PC and Mac at the official site here.