Sprouts Adventure is the latest in the increasingly long line of casual sim games made famous by Virtual Villagers, Totem Tribe, My Tribe, etc. This one separates itself from the pack by clearing away the bloat to leave a streamlined experience behind. Sprouts Adventure gives you a clear, goal-oriented simulation that meters out its rewards at a careful pace, ensuring you are never overwhelmed with choices and fully appreciate each new upgrade you get to use.
Sprouts Adventure is all about the little sprouts and their daily life of eating flowers, taking naps, and building things around their tiny village. As an unseen guardian, it's your job to make sure each sprout is well-fed and well-rested while pushing them to work on new buildings whenever possible. If a sprout gets hungry, drop him or her onto the garden patch and listen to them munch away. Sleepy sprouts need some time in the nap hut, while unmotivated/incurious sprouts could use a little recreation.
The game is paced by village improvements that become available one brainstorm at a time. With each new building you gain another tool that helps you keep your increasingly large flock of sprouts healthy. Beyond each critter's personal needs, your only concern is keeping as many workers hammering away at unfinished buildings as you can. The rest is up to the slow passage of time.
As the silent overseer, you have access to spells that can be used in several ways. Wind, for example, can perk a sleepy sprout up and give him or her a few extra minutes of awake time. But what would happen if you used wind on that kite? The sun spell helps your garden grow, but don't you think it would warm chilly things up, too? Spells are unlocked by collecting karma points gained from nabbing butterflies and stones that appear from time to time. Certain events also bestow karma points, so explore every inch of this little world and never pass up a chance to gain a few more!
Random items appear from time to time around the village, such as butterflies, clumps of flowers, and shiny stones. Simply drag a sprout to these items to collect them, netting that character a few curiosity/motivation points, some food, or better yet, karma points for you.
Analysis: At first glance, there isn't very much to do in Sprouts Adventure. It's a stark game, especially for the first few hours of play, but after an hour or two that starts to change. This simplicity forces you to do two things: investigate the world around you, and take frequent breaks. Sprouts Adventure is a casual game built for the casualest of casual players. Pick up and play, set it down and walk away, and don't worry about anything other than keeping your sprouts happy.
One of the most endearing parts of this game are the little easter eggs you uncover just by using your sprouts on different parts of the landscape or by playing around with spells. That bridge has one obvious function, but that doesn't mean there aren't recreational uses for it, too. Sprouts Adventure rewards inquisitive players who aren't afraid to play around with their game, and because there aren't any stats to manage or technology trees to fudge, you are more than encouraged to mess around with the world.
New discoveries, buildings and events are sparse, but that rarity makes them a prized commodity. You feel like you earn every spell, every structure, and every happy sprout, and once things get rolling halfway through the game, you'll have plenty of things to keep you busy. Sprouts Adventure is the simulation game for casual gamers who are serious about being casual.
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Walkthrough Guide
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Sprouts Guide
General Information
Since huts will only sleep 3 sprouts at a time, rotate your sprouts' sleeping schedules.
If sprouts are not busy, drop them on the balls, trampoline, barrel ride, hot air balloon, glider, or kites. This increases their motivation and curiosity.
To achieve the inventions - drop sprouts into the tool shop and they will work on inventions. Only 4 sprouts can be in the tool shed at a time. When a light bulb appears over their head, click on the light bulb.
To start the next building - when a building is complete a sprout will get a light bulb over his/her head. Wait until it glows and click on it. It will lead you to the next building site.
To check sprout levels - either click on that sprout or just hover the mouse pointer on them.
Day and night are on a rotating circle in the middle-bottom of the screen. Spells that cannot be used at that particular time will have a symbol over them.
The maximum sprout population is 12. Once that is achieved, you can still hatch sproutling eggs. They will simply hatch jumping frogs instead. Drop a sprout on a jumping frog for +10 Karma points.
Sproutlings achieve maturity at age 5. Once they hit that age they can be put to work.
The earthquake puts the fear of you into the sprouts. Everybody will gain +50 motivation and +50 curiosity.
Gold stars - if your sprout Community Happiness bar hits 100%, you will achieve a gold star which will randomly fill in a spell immediately.
Spells, once used, take time to refill. The more Karma points a spell costs, the longer it will take to refill.
For the well to work you need to fill it with water using the rain spell. Then drop a sproutling in front of the well. Their wish will appear above their heads. Grant their wish for +5 Karma points.
Once the school is built put an adult in the enclosure. Then drop the sproutlings in there with him/her. Just wait, when education is done you will receive +1 Karma points.
Click sprout egg spell anywhere on open ground (can only be done at night). When it is daytime, hit the egg with the sun spell and voila, a new sproutling.
For items on the ground just drop your sprout on them. For items from the fishing pier click on the item.
Drop your sprout on the construction area. Note: some construction areas can only handle a limited number of sprouts.
Feeding your sprouts
Drop sprout on garden patch to start plants. Hit with rain spell and sun spell to mature plants. If there is no windmill then drop hungry sprouts in garden to eat. If windmill is built click on mature plants, they will go into the windmill.
Wildflowers - found randomly growing anywhere on the ground - +10 full
Magic Flower - grown from a spell - fills 100% full and 100% awake
Things on the Ground
Wild Flowers - fills full +10
Butterflies - fills curiosity +10, collect 10 different ones for Achievement, sometimes offered to you (+2 Karma Points)
Magic Stones - fills motivation +10, collect 10 different ones for Achievement, sometimes offered to you (+2 Karma Points)
Weeds - fills motivation +10, pull 100 weeds for Achievement
Animals - find 3 animals for your zoo after it is built
Structures
Hut - sleeps 3
Wishing Well - answers wishes, grants karma points
Bridge - allows access to rest of land
School - educates sproutlings, grants karma points
Tool Shop - necessary for inventions
Windmill - increases food storage, allows for cooking of flowers, gets achievement
Hut - sleeps 3
Zoo - increases curiosity & motivation. You'll need to find the three animals around the map and drag them into the zoo.
Hot Air Balloon - increases curiosity & motivation
Fishing Pier - allows fishing for objects
Observatory - Use to find Paradise Island
Spells
Sun - Free - can only be used during the day - hatches sprout eggs, grows plants, +20 motivation if used on a sprout.
Rain - Free - can be used anytime - water plants, fills wishing well, answers wishes, +20 awake if used on a sprout
Sprout Egg - 10 Karma Points - can only be used at night - grows a new sprout or a frog
Gift From Above - 25 Karma Points - can be used anytime - +20-40 motivation, +20-40 curiosity
Whistling Wind - 45 Karma Points - can be used anytime - flies kites, answers wishes, +25 awake if used on a sprout
Lightning - 70 Karma points - can be used anytime - starts fires, fulfills achievement, +20 motivation for all sprouts
Vision - 100 Karma Points - can be used anytime - fills motivation, answers wishes
Magic Flower - 135 Karma Points - can be used anytime - fills full 100% and awake 100
%Rainbow - 185 Karma Points - can be used only during the day - fulfills achievement, answers wishes, +50 motivation and Curiosity for all sprouts
Falling Star - 250 Karma Points - can be used only at night - fills all meters to 100%, answers wishes
Earthquake - 350 Karma Points - can be used anytime - +50 awake, +50 motivation, +50 curiosity
Warning: Using Lightning, Rainbow and Earthquake spells make them stop everything they are doing, teaching, building, fishing, or working in the lab.
Inventions
Trampoline - increases their motivation & curiosity
Orange ball - increases their motivation & curiosity
Yellow Kite - Increases motivation and curiosity. Use by casting with wind spell on a sprout holding the kite.
Barrel Ride - increases their motivation or curiosity
Purple ball - increases their motivation & curiosity
Cyan Kite - Increases motivation and curiosity. Use by casting with wind spell on a sprout holding the kite.
Glider - Increases their motivation & curiosity.
Karma Points
Offerings of stones or butterflies (random) - +2
Answering wishes from wishing well - +5
Educating sproutlings - +1
Fishing - +1 each item
Hopping Frog - +10
Fishing Pier
Sand Dollar
Shrimp
Anchor
Scallop Shell
Shark Tooth
Sea Urchin (different colors)
Crab
Ship's Wheel
Starfish (different colors)
Pearl (white & black)
Spiral shell
Compass
All of these will earn you one Karma point.
Endgame
Once the observatory is built they will find Paradise Island, and the missing sprout elders. A crack will appear in the giant egg in the temple. Hit it with the lightning spell. They will use the shattered remains to build a balloon large enough to carry them to paradise island.
Thanks to GrinnyP for all her work writing pretty much this whole guide :D \o/
Posted by: Kero | June 20, 2009 3:30 PM