Pond Brew

You start with one small tank, two cultures and ten credits, in a tiny shop with a lab in the back room. At night you mix cultures in the incubator and breed pairs to discover new creatures. By day you open the doors, serve every customer yourself and bag each sale at the counter. Little by little it grows into a big shop with a lab full of machines.

How it plays

• Discover 72 species in nine families, each in four colours. Every mix and every pair makes something, so you can’t fail and nothing depends on luck.
• Grow through five eras, from one small room to three shop rooms, a lab annex, a workshop and an exhibition hall.
• Automate what you’ve mastered. Hand pumps and cranks come first, then power, pipes and machines. Pip, Nori and Moss join to take over the routine, but discovering is always up to you.
• Sell to visitors with a wish bubble over their heads, and earn a tip when you grant one. Or slap them. It’s that kind of shop.
• Host the Grand Exhibition in your finished shop, then carry on and fill the journal.

Expect suspicious noises, a burping incubator and fish that copy people’s faces. It’s all mild, cartoony and fine for all ages.