Xenomycology

A single spore floats gently to the alien earth below. It lands, and against all odds, finds the minerals and water it needs to take root. Its mycelium spreads, and a mushroom bursts forth from the inhospitable soil. This mushroom is you, and soon your colony will cover the entirety of this planet.

Xenomycology is a city builder, tower defense, and metroidvania. You control a colony of extra-terrestrial fungus spreading across a planet. Invading aliens will attempt to wipe you out, so you will need to balance your resource gathering with defenses.

Gameplay

Xenomycology is played room-by-room. In each room you will start with a single mushroom, and steadily build up your resources to expand your colony. Some rooms will be contested - enemies will attack after a set amount of time. Enemies will come in waves, and you will need to build defensive mushrooms to take them out. After the waves are complete, you'll be able to move on to a new room.

Xenomycology is not linear, however. Many rooms will have multiple exits, and some of the exits will be blocked until you've unlocked certain technologies. This means you can backtrack to old rooms and improve your existing colonies. This doesn't just allow you to find new exits and explore new areas, though, existing colonies will send a percentage of their resources to new rooms. So, upgrading your old colonies will give your new colonies an advantage.

Features

Xenomycology is a city builder, but your city is a colony of extra-terrestrial mushrooms. Grow mushrooms that gather resources, or help your colony expand across gaps or up cliffs. Balance spreading your colony against the resource needs of your existing mushrooms.

Xenomycology is also a Metroidvania, but instead of fighting and jumping across rooms, you gradually spread your colony across the environment. Unlocking new mushroom types will allow you to revisit old areas to unlock previously closed paths.

Fend off waves of enemies in 2D tower defense battles. Grow mushrooms that will help kill invading creatures, or protect your vulnerable resource gathering fungi.

Meaningful, strategic choices when building your mushroom colonies. Choose to prioritize gathering resources to grow quickly, or focus on defenses so you won't be wiped out before you can get started.

Explore varied environments and face unique challenges. Your tried-and-true strategies may not work when you're trying to grow mushrooms next to lava flows, or on the frozen surface of the planet.

Zen mode. If you're not interested in combat, Xenomycology can be enjoyed in "Zen" mode - simply spread your mushroom colony to your heart's content.

Hand-drawn pixel art graphics. Enjoy cute mushrooms, terrifying enemies, and beautiful environments all lovingly hand drawn and animated pixel-by-pixel.