They Grow is a freaky little five minute horror action platforming game where you enter a hotel that’s infested with grotesque The Thing-esque monsters that mutate and reproduce in real-time!
Created for the Low Stakes High-Rolling Make a Sci-Fi Game 2021 game jam, They Grow is a tense little Sci-Fi horror action platformer set in a monster infested hotel. In the game you take on the role of an infected man who is dying from a disease that transforms people into freaky The Thing-esque flesh monsters. It’s only a matter of time until your number is up, but you can do some good before then – you can venture into a monster-filled hotel and collect two bio-samples that can be used to create a cure that may save humanity.
You are equipped with a powerful shotgun which needs to be manually reloaded (so choose your shots wisely) and a kick which is useful for breaking open doors. Most of the monsters can be dispatched with one well timed shot, though the larger ones require a double-tap. As you make your way through the hotel speed is of the essence as the monsters mutate and replicate fast and in real-time – so a little one can turn into a big problem very quickly!
It’s a great little game with some fantastic pixel art animation, a delightfully dark story and a very tense atmosphere (helped largely by the excellent John Carpenter-esque soundtrack). The way the monsters evolve is a particularly nice touch as you can watch as they go through their entire horrifying life-cycle. A great little bite-sized horror action game that’ll take a bite out of you!
Controls: WASD – Movement/Aiming, R – Reload, Spacebar – Jump, Enter – Shoot, Backspace – Kick
Available On: Windows
Gameplay Video: Here