When Path of Exile 2 was officially unveiled, the community’s reaction was a mix of excitement and analytical skepticism. It’s not every day that a sequel attempts to revolutionize a beloved title rather than just iterate upon it. In much the same spirit, Grow a Garden—a rising star in the realm of casual simulation games—embraces a deceptively simple exterior while quietly reengineering how players interact with game systems. And just like how POE 2 Chaos Orbs surprised its hardcore fanbase with a bold design choice—the removal of utility flasks—Grow a Garden similarly strips back traditional shortcuts and streamlines in favor of a more immersive, gradual, and organic gameplay loop.

This shared design ethos reveals a fascinating shift in game development trends: whether you’re tending magical gardens or slaying monsters in dark fantasy realms, developers are challenging players to engage more deeply with core systems, to think more and rush less, and to find satisfaction in progress that feels earned rather than granted.

A Game Built on Growth—Not Speed

At its surface, Grow a Garden is a tranquil, colorful game that invites players to plant seeds, collect resources, hatch rare pets, and watch their garden blossom over time. But beneath that cozy layer lies a strategic ecosystem where every decision—from the kind of seed you plant to the companion pet you choose—affects the pace and style of your growth.

Unlike many games that introduce speed-enhancing items or consumables to skip long wait times or difficult grind sections, Grow a Garden consciously omits such utility mechanics. There are no one-click fertilizer boosts, no premium potions to speed up your crop yield, and no instant-craft tools that bypass crafting systems. This absence feels refreshingly deliberate, and it subtly echoes GGG’s controversial yet ultimately respected decision to remove utility flasks from Path of Exile 2—a tool that, while powerful, ultimately flattened the gameplay experience by reducing tactical variety and meaningful decision-making.

In Grow a Garden, time is not an obstacle to be bypassed, but a resource to be managed and respected. Crops don’t need to be rushed when the act of waiting allows players to engage with other systems—like exploring side areas, interacting with NPCs, or hatching and training their pets.

The Zen of Design: Drawing Parallels with PoE 2's Philosophy

The Zen Update in Grow a Garden introduced new pets, exploration regions, and a greater focus on mindfulness and relaxed progression. The release was praised not just for its content additions, but for how it invited players to slow down and truly appreciate the nuances of their gardens. Among the update’s highlights was the introduction of the Zen Egg, which could hatch rare pets like the Shiba Inu, a companion known for its helpful passive abilities.

Interestingly, this Zen mindset isn’t unlike the design trajectory that Grinding Gear Games is following with Path of Exile 2. By removing utility flasks—once a staple of nearly every build in PoE—they’ve challenged players to engage with moment-to-moment gameplay on a deeper level. Rather than simply hitting a button to gain 50% movement speed or resistances, players now have to rely on positioning, build synergy, and skill choices.

Grow a Garden follows a similar pattern. Instead of throwing dozens of fertilizer buffs or automation upgrades at the player, it demands you work with the systems: identify the best crops for your biome, match pets with your playstyle, and plan out your planting strategy for the week. It’s not “hard,” but it is intentional—and that distinction makes all the difference.

Pets Over Potions: Utility Through Companions

In the absence of speed-boosting consumables, Grow a Garden puts much of its utility in its pet system. The pets aren’t just cosmetic companions; they influence seed drop rates, harvest efficiency, and exploration rewards. The Shiba Inu, introduced with the Zen Egg, is especially notable—it improves your chances of acquiring rare seeds and provides a passive morale boost to your garden.

This is a clear parallel to Path of Exile 2’s dual-class system, where rather than spamming potions to enhance your character’s stats temporarily, you’re encouraged to shape your entire identity around dual-specializations. A Warrior/Druid, for instance, plays vastly differently from a Ranger/Necromancer. The “utility” comes from long-term character design, not from reactive, momentary buffs.

In both games, utility isn’t gone—it’s just transformed. Instead of a system that rewards twitch reflexes and build homogenization, the reward now goes to those who plan ahead, synergize intelligently, and engage consistently.

Community Response: Split at First, United by Experience

Much like Path of Exile fans were initially wary of losing their beloved flask system, many Grow a Garden players once requested more direct ways to boost progress. Forums and community threads were filled with ideas for “watering potions,” “ultra-fertilizers,” and “time-skip seeds.”

But over time, and especially following the Zen Update, the consensus began to shift. Players realized that the game’s slow pace was its strength, not its weakness. The satisfaction of hatching a Zen Egg after days of effort, or finally unlocking a new biome through steady work rather than instant skipping, began to outweigh the temptation for convenience.

GGG faced similar pushback, but players who tried Path of Exile 2’s demo walked away impressed by how the removal of utility flasks forced them to engage more deeply with combat strategy and positioning. The systems that replaced flasks—such as class-based skill trees, stamina-based dashes, and more nuanced defense layers—offered depth that felt more rewarding in the long run.

In both games, developers took a risk: they removed something “fun” on the surface to replace it with something more meaningful underneath.

A Lesson in Design Restraint

In today’s gaming landscape, it’s rare to see restraint. Most titles rush to monetize progression, throw in endless convenience items, or offer skip packs and time-saving bundles. Grow a Garden, like Path of Exile 2, bucks that trend. It believes that if systems are crafted with care, interconnected logically, and offer genuine depth, players will not only accept slower progression—they’ll prefer it.

It’s a lesson many AAA studios could stand to learn. Utility systems are not inherently bad, but they often become crutches that mask weak design. Removing them forces designers to address the core of their game—and forces players to engage with it in more fulfilling ways.

Final Thoughts: What Grow a Garden Teaches Us About Progress

Grow a Garden isn’t just a gardening sim—it’s a quiet rebellion against the instant-gratification design of many modern casual games. And when viewed through the lens of broader game development, especially in the context of bold design decisions like those in Path of Exile 2, its approach feels even more significant.

By removing utility crutches, both games ask players to rediscover the joy of effort and discovery. They nudge us to slow down, plan ahead buy POE2 Currency, and appreciate the systems for what they are rather than what they can be bypassed to become.

In a world obsessed with speed and efficiency, Grow a Garden and Path of Exile 2 remind us that true satisfaction comes not from reaching the end faster—but from growing every step of the way.