You ever come home and want to play something but not really in the mood to get destroyed by people that have more time than you or just want to be able to switch off and just relax and enjoy some happy, bouncing tunes while just doing a few clicks here and there? Then Plantera 2: Golden Acorn is the game for you! This is the first sequel game developed by VaragtP following on from the success of the original and this time there are a few new features.

The game is an idle clicker game where you place various plants, bushes, and trees, to list a few, to generate currency that is used to purchase upgrades to the Garden that will allow you more space to place items or purchase decorations to increase the deco points and levels. While the base gameplay is mostly the same as the first game, you purchase one of the resource generating items like the plant. This will then grow over a short period, where there are about 1 – 5 items generated depending on the object, and when ready, can be harvested to earn some cash. This harvesting can be done by either double clicking the item while it is still attached to the plant, the first click detaches or pulls it out and the second click claims it and converts it to the current value of the item. The other method is to click on the item to separate it and leave it for one of the Helpers to come along and collect it, claiming the same value as mentioned before. Placing an item then increases the cost of the next one so you cannot just remove the first few items you used and replace them with higher earning ones until much later in the game.

As you earn more money, you start to level up, unlocking more items to be placed such as higher valued plants or even some items to deter some of the “hostile” creatures. While these are not enemies that can be destroyed, nor do they do actual damage to your garden. All they do is either steal some of the produce or chase the animals around, increasing the amount of time they take to produce the items. You can normally hit them with a hammer when clicking on them which normally gets rid of them but as you increase in level, so do the creatures as it will take one more swing than the previous creature. Another returning feature is that of the Loot Hero who runs the length of your garden, and each click on it provides you with your level equivalent in cash. He will also chase any creatures in the area away, clearing the entire garden ahead of him.

There are some new features added in like the Oak tree and the titular golden acorns which are earned by increasing the deco point counter and filling it up. This can be done by purchasing decoration items and naturally occurs as the Helpers harvest everything. The golden acorns are used to upgrade the oak tree and once you are a high enough level, you can purchase an upgrade that allows them to grow on the tree. Some items can only be purchased with golden acorns like beehives that automatically chase away the creatures if they get too close but also produce honey which can be collected for cash.

The gameplay loop carries on until you open all the card slots and the last 3 levels of this unlock upgrades that can be used to speed up the gameplay a bit by increasing the total gold each item produces by the upgrade level, something similar for the deco points and lastly, speed upgrades for the helpers and rates at which things grow. These have multiple levels that can be applied at the cost of ever-increasing golden acorns. Once all the cards are open, every subsequent level then adds a star to the card which in turn upgrades the item meaning you will earn more for it.

The game can be fun if not a bit repetitive but that is what clicker games are. The benefit of purchasing the game also means there are none of the paywall or microtransactions that can be shoved in, preventing a faster progression, or just straight up preventing it until you pay. The game will take about 6-8 hours to finishing getting all upgrades and then you just focus on upgrading the tree and speed of the various items. As said in the beginning, this is not a game you play for an immediate dopamine boost but is a slow burn allowing you to enjoy just the right level. You can use the link below to check out the Steam page and purchase it as well.