Prune

A game that grows on you

Prune is about growing trees out of the shadows to bloom in the light. A tree can only grow a certain total length of branches, so to make sure the trunk can grow long enough to reach the light, then spread out to bloom into enough flowers, you need to quickly trim away any extraneous branches.

In this way, you can also influence its direction as it forks, steering the growth around obstacles and out of dead ends. Swiping across branches to chop them must be done both precisely and frantically, in contrast to the game’s zen aesthetic.

Eventually you’ll have to grow via a certain point of the level, deal with wind affecting the direction of branches, or avoid things that can stunt growth altogether. The game is rapidly moreish. We found chopping branches imprecise at times, but you can regrow a tree instantly, so it’s not frustrating. Matt Bolton

A quiet, flowing, engrossing game of creation that might be 2015’s Monument Valley.