Struggling to focus on your work or studies? Me too. Check out this cozy idle game that sits at the bottom of your screen and avoid the temptation of doom-scrolling.
Life is busy and games are a timesuck. Game companies are fighting for gamers’ attention, with work, childcare, relationships, and other games as our competitors in the ring. How can we convince players to put all this aside, just to progress through our game?
The answer is idle games. This genre has been around for many years and not just on mobile. I remember playing Plant Tycoon (2003) as a child and the most rewarding part was discovering never before seen plants that had matured on their own while I was at school. This is where idle games excel—and this could be the reason why they blew up in recent years. Even if you’re not actively playing, you’re still progressing in the background and get to do so at your own pace.
However, while idle games have relatively simple mechanics, they have to be properly paced to actually be enjoyable. Remember Cookie Clicker (2013)? The only player input was a simple click. Plant Tycoon was fun because there was a bigger goal at stake: solving the mystery of Isola. Sure, selling plants and buying decorations was fun too, but my main reason for playing was discovering these legendary plants that would reveal Isola’s history. But this could not be done in a day or two of grinding. A good idle game knows how to pace itself while ultimately being rewarding no matter how much time the player invests. After all, it is called idle.
Now, in the modern age of gaming, imagine having the game on the bottom third of your computer screen. This exists as a new innovation, pioneered by Rusty’s Retirement (2024). It’s always there for you to see, but creates room for life’s more important ventures – like scrolling Game Developer articles. It still requires time to progress, while allowing the player space to do other things, giving it a new function as a focus tool. When you need a break or want to set a timer, you can go to the bottom of your screen and play, effectively eliminating other distractions like phones and other websites.
This is the idea behind Plantasia—an upcoming game where you take the role of a botanist tasked to revive planetary life. In Plantasia you have access to several rooms in an orbital greenhouse lab to grow plants and breed new species that will revitalise barren planets.
The team behind this solarpunk and mesoamerican themed game is Cave Bear Games made entirely of junior volunteers. Discover how Plantasia was created from Ayla Derrick, the studio’s founder and Creative Director in the interview below.
Tell us a bit about yourself and the idea behind Plantasia.
Sure! I started out in education and when I decided to leave my job in the field, I figured I could go back to something I always loved. After applying to a lot of jobs in game dev and not getting many responses back, I decided to make my own game. I connected with a lot of mentors over LinkedIn and along the way I formed the studio. Like me, the team is made out of junior volunteers that also want to build a portfolio through this project. We also have revshare in case the game brings in the big bucks.
Plantasia is inspired by games like Rusty’s Retirement (2024) and Plant Tycoon (2003). It’s placed in the bottom third of your screen and you can have it there while you’re working or studying. If you need a minute to take a break, you can go to Plantasia instead of getting stuck scrolling through reels. As for the narrative, the player takes the role of a botanist aiming to revitalise barren planets from their orbital greenhouse lab. The player looks out into the lab as the plants grow and they interact through dragging and clicking.
In your opinion, what makes Plantasia stand out from the other idle games in the market?
While we are an idle game, we put a lot of effort and thought into the story, combining idle with cozy systems like relationship building so you can form relationships with Plantasia’s NPCs.
Another focus for us was the overall atmosphere of the game along with customization options. With the game’s official release, players have the option to craft decorations for their room as they gather resources. The game’s soundtrack was created to promote focus as well, with all the elements building into a cozy focus-oriented environment instead of a tool.
As you know, a good progression system is a must for idle games to work. Without giving away too much, how does this look for Plantasia?
There are several parts to our progression system. First, players unlock new plants by breeding plants and getting new seeds. Story points are unlocked by playing and come naturally, so players aren’t forced to farm currency or grind in order to discover more. And, if you’re not a story-oriented person, you can still play the game without being forced into the story.
It’s up to each player how much time they put into Plantasia. The main part about progression is that the game cannot be grinded all at once. It takes real-time for the plants to grow.
What kind of rewards will the player get as they progress and how do they use them?
The first reward players get is access to additional plant types and seeds. These seeds can be combined to unlock more unique plants as you play. With the official release, we also included decor for the player to customize their bedroom. Plantasia also has “currency” in the form of building materials and plants that can be used to craft more resources, decor, and find new plants.
What platforms are you targeting?
Plantasia is intended for desktops as the game’s core feature is being able to play while it sits on the third bottom of your screen and avoid doomscrolling on mobile. The game is meant to be played on the same device you are working or studying on so you cannot close the game and get distracted with social media.
