Strange Seed, developed by Chronicle Games in partnership with indie developer Slug Disco, is a unique action-RPG that puts players in control of a lowly blob evolving through DNA acquisition. Drawing heavy inspiration from the creature stage in Spore, the game lets you mutate, combine, and adapt various animal parts to overcome challenges in its open-world environment.
Unlike typical creature creators where you sculpt forms freely, Strange Seed uses real-world animal parts like insect legs, salamander heads, crab claws, and even mythical dragon wings. Each part adds specific stats, abilities, and movement types, such as climbing or flying. Over 30 creatures and 7 customizable body slots allow for more than 10 million combinations, providing immense replayability and personalization.
Gameplay and Progression
Players begin their journey as a simple blob, consuming DNA from other creatures to evolve new limbs and abilities. Progression is metroidvania-inspired, requiring specific body parts to overcome environmental challenges. For example, acquiring wings grants flight; crab claws enable underwater exploration or breaking obstacles.
Combat features a mix of action and strategy, encouraging players to experiment with builds that suit their preferred playstyle. You can adapt on the fly, swapping parts acquired through exploration and battles to optimize for different foes or terrain.
Visuals and Environment
The game offers a vibrant open world teeming with diverse biomes and wildlife. Its aesthetic blends realism with stylized elements to highlight evolving creatures and dynamic environments. Players can further customize the appearance of evolutions with cosmetic skins and accessories, including hats.
Development and Community
Strange Seed is currently in active development and has released a demo on Steam that has garnered positive feedback for its ambitious creature evolution system and fluid gameplay. The developers frequently engage with the community for feedback and continually improve features based on player input.
Chronicle Games aims to release the full game in early 2026, promising a deep and fresh take on evolution-inspired gameplay for fans of both action-RPGs and creature creators.
FAQs
What is Strange Seed?
Strange Seed is an action RPG focused on creature evolution where players start as a blob and evolve by consuming DNA to unlock new body parts and abilities.
What games inspired Strange Seed?
Strange Seed takes strong inspiration from the creature stage of Spore and the evolutionary progression of E.V.O.: Search for Eden, blending exploration, combat, and mutation mechanics.
How customizable are creatures?
Players can customize seven body slots with over 30 creatures composed of real and mythical animal parts, allowing for more than 10 million unique combinations.
Is Strange Seed story-driven?
The game features exploration and emergent storytelling that unfolds as you evolve and interact with the world, though narrative emphasis is lighter than the gameplay mechanics.
When will Strange Seed release?
The full game is planned for release in early 2026. A demo is available on Steam for players to try.
What platforms is Strange Seed on?
Strange Seed is developed for PC and available on Steam.
Why You Should Play Strange Seed
If you loved the creature evolution phase in Spore and want a deeper, more tactical evolution experience with a modern action RPG twist, Strange Seed offers exactly that. Its massive customization, fluid combat, and metroidvania-style progression promise a unique blend that appeals to fans of multiple genres. The game’s active development and demo provide an accessible way to experience its mechanics ahead of the full release.
For anyone fascinated by evolution, customization, and exploration wrapped in a visually appealing and mechanically robust package, Strange Seed deserves a spot on your wishlist this year.