Released almost a week after the Steam Next Fest demo dropped, How to Grow a Black Hole by Desolation Digital is exactly what it sounds like. Players work on their own to design, feed, and grow their black whole, while simultaneously maintaining its molecular stability. Desolation Digital does warn that this is “not a hardcore astrophysics simulator. It is a weird, satisfying, slightly stupid game about turning a tiny gravitational problem into an enormous one on purpose.”
The base mechanics consist of feeding the black hole bits of light, unlocking upgrades, doing some side research, and preventing “catastrophic collapses.” Feeding the black hole increases its mass, while upgrades allow it to feed faster, “push[ing] the numbers into ridiculous territory.” If the player does additional research, they are able to grow the black hole autonomously, allowing them to “keep the chaos moving.” If this rapidly moving chaos cannot be controlled, however, this results in “catastrophic collapse,” which must be managed immediately.
Black hole size is measured in comparison to everyday objects, and there is a live online leaderboard for players to compete globally to build the largest black hole. One developer behind Desolation Digital, who goes by Noah, has also sprinkled various black hole factoids throughout the game, saying they built How to Grow a Black Hole as a hobby, “because black holes are genuinely insane, and the idea of raising one like the world’s worst cosmic pet seemed too fun not to make.” In the months since the game was announced, Noah has added numerous patches, updates, and bug fixes, leading up to today’s release.
So far, How to Grow a Black Hole has over fifty “very positive” reviews on steam, and has climbed the charts to be the “twelfth most popular upcoming game on steam,” “third most popular upcoming indie game,” and number one most popular upcoming idle, space, and automation game.” It also features a fully original soundtrack, and is available to purchase on Steam for a reduced launch price of $3.39 USD. The release trailer is viewable below from the official Desolation Digital YouTube channel.