Adventurous Architect

Cool Completionist

Courageous Carnivores

Sweet Success

Unbelievable Ultra

The Sapling is a short simulation game where you design your own plants and animals, and put them in a world together. Or you turn on random mutations, and see what evolution does to your ecosystem!

<h2 class="bb_tag" >Design algae and plants</h2><br><span class="bb_img_ctn"><video class="bb_img" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/f1ab206bfb13283b4394e6b3be045e74.poster.avif?t=1760962190" width=600 height=208 ><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/f1ab206bfb13283b4394e6b3be045e74.webm?t=1760962190" type="video/webm; codecs=vp9"><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/f1ab206bfb13283b4394e6b3be045e74.mp4?t=1760962190" type="video/mp4"></video></span><br><br>Whether you want a small flower that glows in the dark, black algae specialized for planets without a lot of sunlight, or a forest of giant trees covered in spikes, it's up to you.<h2 class="bb_tag" >Design aquatic, land and flying animals</h2><br><span class="bb_img_ctn"><video class="bb_img" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/0b26158797d005778bcf3b3c3d146699.poster.avif?t=1760962190" width=600 height=208 ><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/0b26158797d005778bcf3b3c3d146699.webm?t=1760962190" type="video/webm; codecs=vp9"><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/0b26158797d005778bcf3b3c3d146699.mp4?t=1760962190" type="video/mp4"></video></span><br><br>Want a brightly colored fish that drags itself onto land to hide its eggs in burrows? Or perhaps a land animal that gives birth to live young and quickly runs from flower to flower to drink nectar? Or what about a flying carnivore specialized for diving and catching its prey underwater? Again, it's up to you.<h2 class="bb_tag" >Scenarios: learn the simulation step by step</h2><br><span class="bb_img_ctn"><video class="bb_img" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/1b0773a1bee52da4da968928ef96eb36.poster.avif?t=1760962190" width=600 height=208 ><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/1b0773a1bee52da4da968928ef96eb36.webm?t=1760962190" type="video/webm; codecs=vp9"><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/1b0773a1bee52da4da968928ef96eb36.mp4?t=1760962190" type="video/mp4"></video></span><br><br>While the simulation in this game can be deep and complex, it's introduced to the player step by step; it never becomes overwhelming. Each scenario tasks you to build an ecosystem that meets specific requirements, and introduces a small number of new concepts.<h2 class="bb_tag" >Sandbox: build your own planet</h2><br><span class="bb_img_ctn"><video class="bb_img" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/67e4b445ae4905ad9281285e53cd9141.poster.avif?t=1760962190" width=600 height=208 ><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/67e4b445ae4905ad9281285e53cd9141.webm?t=1760962190" type="video/webm; codecs=vp9"><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/67e4b445ae4905ad9281285e53cd9141.mp4?t=1760962190" type="video/mp4"></video></span><br><br>The sandbox offers the same functionality as the scenarios (but, obviously, with everything unlocked), but also much more: play with the procedural planet generator to get the exact planet you want, whether it's a desert world, an underwater world, or whatever you come up with. It even allows you to define up to 8 seasons to spice that ecosystem up a little. While playing, you can continue to change things: the next ice age is always only a few clicks away.<h2 class="bb_tag" >Turn on random mutations and see what evolution does with your ecosystem</h2><br><span class="bb_img_ctn"><video class="bb_img" autoplay muted loop playsinline poster="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/5c094ad1efdd8f9385ebffc58eea8601.poster.avif?t=1760962190" width=600 height=208 ><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/5c094ad1efdd8f9385ebffc58eea8601.webm?t=1760962190" type="video/webm; codecs=vp9"><source src="https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/997380/extras/5c094ad1efdd8f9385ebffc58eea8601.mp4?t=1760962190" type="video/mp4"></video></span><br><br>The most exciting feature of the sandbox, at least according to solo dev Wessel Stoop, is <strong>random mutations</strong>. See your algae, plants and animals evolve to quickly fill available niches, see how some species are outcompeted immediately while others bloom for thousands of years... only to die out when their food source evolves a new trick to escape, and a completely different clade jumps in the now vacant niche.

Good Game Database

The Sapling Achievements

Adventurous Architect

Cool Completionist

Courageous Carnivores

Sweet Success

Unbelievable Ultra