Hempire Plant Growing Game is a mobile simulation game developed by LBC Studios Inc. that allows players to build and manage their own cannabis growing and selling empire. Since its release in 2017, Hempire has become one of the most popular weed-themed mobile games, garnering over 10 million downloads across iOS and Android devices.
In this extensive review, we will take a deep dive into the various features and gameplay mechanics that make Hempire such an engaging and addictive game for cannabis enthusiasts and tycoon game fans alike.
Hempire’s core gameplay loop involves growing, harvesting, and selling cannabis plants to progress through the game. As a new player, you start out with limited resources – just a small plot of land and basic equipment for growing weed.
The key activities include:
Planting seeds and strains – There are dozens of real-world cannabis strains you can choose to plant, each with their own characteristics. Strains are divided into Sativa, Indica, and Hybrid types.
Cultivating and harvesting buds – You need to regularly water and care for your crop. Plants take time to grow before they can be harvested. Higher quality buds sell for more money.
Upgrading your growing operation – As you progress, you can purchase upgrades like more grow spaces, higher capacity water tanks, and better lighting to increase yields.
Managing supplies and stock – You need to ensure you have enough seeds, water, power and other supplies to sustain your grow op. Inventory management is key.
Breeding new strains – Combining strains in the Lab can create new hybrids with unique properties. Strain genetics and quality level play a role.
Crafting products like joints, edibles and concentrates to sell for profit. Different recipes require different ingredients and equipment.
Selling your wares in the Dispensary to generate revenue and profit. Markets change so supply/demand analysis is important.
As you can see, Hempire incorporates a lot of depth across the various aspects of operating a cannabis business. Maximizing profits requires some strategy and planning.
Progression
Hempire uses typical mobile game progression mechanics to keep players engaged. As you complete tasks, your level increases and you gain access to new features and content.
Some key progression elements include:
Leveling up by gaining XP through selling harvests and completing tasks. Higher levels unlock new seeds, recipes and features.
Net worth/Cash – This represents your money. Revenue from sales gets added to your cash balance. You need cash to purchase upgrades, supplies, etc.
Quests – These are objectives given by in-game characters that provide rewards upon completion. Quests move the story forward.
City tasks – You can invest cash to improve different buildings and locations in the city for bonuses. This helps improve the city over time.
Achievements – Various milestones you can hit for bragging rights, like total lifetime sales records. These are tracked and visible to other players.
Progression is well-paced, with new content unlocking regularly to keep things interesting. There is always a new goal or item to work towards.
Customization
A major appeal of Hempire is the ability to customize your cannabis growing operation. Decorations, buildings, character outfits and more can all be customized for a unique look.
Key customization options include:
Character & outfit – Change your character’s hair, skin color, facial features and outfit. Show off your personal style.
Farm decor – Decorate the farm with over 100+ items like furniture, art, flags, sculptures, and even animals.
Building upgrades – Visually upgrade key buildings like the Farm, Lab, and Dispensary for bonuses.
City decorations – Place decorations around the city map like benches, bushes, statues to improve visuals.
Vehicle paint jobs – Customize the colors and designs of delivery vehicles.
Letting players express their creativity and make the game world their own is a big plus. The customization options enable you to flaunt your cannabis enthusiasm.
Social Features
While Hempire is primarily single-player, it does offer some social features to add community engagement:
Chat – You can join public chat rooms to talk with other players. Make new friends and connections.
Leaderboards – Compare your progress and records to other players. Leaderboards drive competition.
Visiting friends – You can visit farms of Facebook friends also playing Hempire to see their setup.
Gifting – Send and receive free gifts like resources, cash and boosts to/from your friends.
Teams – Join teams to collaborate in time-limited events for exclusive rewards.
The social aspects help provide a sense of community. Being able to show off your cannabis empire to friends or work with others towards team goals adds fun cooperative elements.
Monetization
Hempire utilizes several different monetization mechanics common to free-to-play mobile games:
In-app Purchases (IAPs) – You can buy in-game currency (diamonds) with real money, which can be used to speed up progress.
Ads – Short video ads play between activities or after closing pop-up notifications to generate revenue. Ads can be skipped after 5-30 seconds.
Time gates – Certain actions like growing plants or crafting products take real time to complete. Players can pay to skip wait timers.
Consumables – One-time boosts and perks that provide temporary benefits or speedups can be purchased.
While IAPs help accelerate progress, they are not essential to enjoy the core experience. Hempire strikes a fair balance between monetization and retaining free players.
Graphics & Audio
Hempire features colorful and stylized visuals that bring the cannabis-themed world to life. The graphics have a modern, clean look and the bud plants in particular look lush and vibrant.
Animations like leaves blowing in the wind and water flowing through pipes add nice details and motion. The overall art direction creates an inviting feel that suits the subject matter.
The audio mainly consists of mellow background music to fit the relaxed, casual vibe. Custom sound effects like the cha-ching cash register when making sales add flair. The audio enhances the experience without being overbearing.
Verdict
Hempire absolutely nails the fantasy of building your own massive weed empire. The sheer breadth of activities – from cultivation to production to sales – creates a satisfying gameplay loop where you constantly work to grow your cannabis business.
While the core mechanics are not too complex, there is surprising depth with aspects like strain genetics, breeding, supply/demand, and more. Maximizing profits requires some strategy.
Progression is steady, with goals and milestones to provide direction. The social features add community spirit. Monetization remains reasonable for a free mobile game.
With its lighthearted tone, customization options, and appeal to cannabis enthusiasts, Hempire has all the ingredients for an addictive and engaging tycoon game experience. For anyone intrigued by the legal cannabis industry, Hempire offers the chance to live out that cannabis mogul fantasy.
Overall, Hempire earns a strong recommendation for cannabis and business simulation fans alike. The quality and appeal make it easy to see why it has grown into such a popular mobile game. Building a cannabis empire from the ground up has never been so fun and rewarding.
Gameplay Mechanics
Now that we’ve covered the major features and appeal of Hempire at a high level, let’s take a deeper dive into the various gameplay systems and mechanics that give the game depth.
Growing
The core loop starts with growing plants. You select which strains and seeds to plant in your limited grow spaces. Each strain has different properties – some grow faster, produce higher yields, or sell for more. The key factors are:
Planting – Empty grow spaces are seeded and new sprouts appear. Different stages show plant growth progress.
Watering – Plants need to be watered regularly or they wilt and die. You need water tanks to store water.
Nutrients – Applying nutrients improves plant health and boosts yields. Nutrients are purchased with cash.
Harvesting – Once fully grown, plants can be harvested to obtain buds. Higher quality plants produce more buds.
Drying – After harvesting, buds need time to dry before they can be sold or used for products.
Managing all these factors to maximize harvests and efficiency is important. There is strategy in selecting which strains to plant and allocating resources.
Strains & Breeding
Hempire features over 100 real-world cannabis strains that can be grown. Strains are categorized as Sativa, Indica or Hybrids, with different properties:
Sativas – Known for invigorating, energizing effects. Tend to have higher THC levels and grow quickly.
Indicas – Provide relaxing, sedating effects. Grow slower but produce higher yields.
Hybrids – Mix of sativa/indica traits. Offers balanced effects and growth times.
In addition to standard strains, players can breed new hybrids with specific characteristics. The key aspects are:
Genetics – Strains pass on certain genetic traits to offspring like yield, grow time, etc.
Quality – Higher quality parent strains produce better offspring. Quality is improved by combining high-level strains.
Attributes – Offspring inherit attribute points that determine properties like THC content. Combining parents with complementary attributes is optimal.
Mutations – Sometimes mutations occur during breeding, resulting in unique attributes. This adds an element of chance and discovery.
Breeding complex strains with ideal attributes takes patience and experimentation. It provides long-term engagement for min/maxing enthusiasts.
Products & Crafting
Growing weed is just the beginning. Hempire also lets you produce a range of cannabis products through crafting:
Edibles – Bake brownies, cookies, candies and other infused treats using buds and butter.
Joints – Roll joints from buds, paper and filters to sell for quick profits.
Concentrates – Produce extracts like hash, shatter and THC oil using advanced equipment.
Medicines – Craft tinctures, capsules, and ointments using CBD for additional revenue streams.
Different recipes generate different products with their own sales values and effects. Players can get creative with thousands of possible combinations. Managing your supply chain from plants to final products is crucial.
Dispensary & Sales
The Dispensary is where you sell your harvested buds and crafted products. This generates revenue and profit. There are some key considerations around sales:
Pricing – You set prices for your various buds and products. Higher prices mean larger profits, but can impact demand.
Demand – Customer demand fluctuates for different strain types and products. You need to monitor and adapt.
Marketing – Promoting your goods boosts incoming customers and order frequency.
Reputation – Good service and high quality goods improve your reputation, increasing sales.
Partnerships – Partnering with local businesses like restaurants drives additional traffic to your dispensary.
Competition – Other dispensaries may offer lower prices that undercut you. You may need to adjust strategy.
Understanding market forces and optimizing your sales strategy is key to maintaining a thriving dispensary. This presents engaging challenges for players.
City Improvement
As your cannabis business prospers, you can invest profits back into improving your city:
Real estate – Buy and rent out properties like houses, mansions, stores for income over time.
Businesses – Invest in local businesses like cafes, factories, farms for rewards and partnerships.
Decorations – Place decorations like statues, bushes, benches to increase visual appeal.
Repairs – Fix up run down buildings, graffiti, potholes and other issues to increase property values.
Facilities – Construct dispensaries, greenhouses, labs, and other facilities for production capacity.
Roads – Upgrade roads and bridges for faster travel and delivery times around the city.
As players improve their city, new gameplay possibilities open up. The city acts as a persistent world that evolves over time based on your investments and decisions.
Progression & Prestige
To keep players engaged long-term, Hempire incorporates extensive progression systems:
Levels – Gain XP through sales and tasks to reach higher levels. Each level boosts profits and unlocks new content.
Net Worth Goals – Your overall wealth increases as your business grows. Hitting net worth goals grants big rewards.
Achievements – Earn badges for hitting milestones like total customers served, strains bred, etc. Show off your cannabis prowess.
Collections – Collect entire strain or product series for completion bonuses and unique rewards.
Trophies – Win trophies in competitive events
Update 2.28.0:
* Improved Tutorial for new players!
* Updated game plugins!
For full Update notes, visit the Cafe in-game! Follow @hempiregame on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, and stay lifted!