Figured I'd give a description of the gameplay design as well as some quality of the life/user experience design.
You begin with several choices, a new seed (completely random), a set seed(a specific seed), the daily seed(daily challenge), an ability to view info about any previous seeds you've completed/attempted (basically a saved list of all previous runs including seed ids, times, percentage cleared), an optional tutorial (a pre-generated environment that guides you through the controls), and a way to quit out. You can see a green ball (wisp/player character) and a small white ridicule(mouse location), this control scheme is persistent no matter where you are in the game.
"Arise, wisp of the forest, for you are the Increate."
After choosing a seed option, you start your run inside a bubble between some hands that belong to the Dream Tree (which you are also inside of). The Dream Tree then explains why you are there and you are given your main quest (the only quest you need to finish to end the run). The text box depicted is dynamic. It is drawn with lines and a polygonal backfill, this allows me to make it wiggly like jelly because that's just a lot of fun! There is a circle with your reticle inside of it. Once the text in the text box is finished printing, the circle begins to shrink at a set speed, once the circle is one pixel in size the text box collapses. Pressing on your button which controls the reticle (mb_left) increases the speed at which the circle closes and ends the current dialogue. The bubble that you spawn in is vital to the game. It is where you deposit main quest items. You can drop quest items at any time and you can only carry one. Dropping a quest item near the bubble with suck it to the center.
Once you exit the dream tree you are brought to the overworld. There are four distinct zones. Stone Riddled (a rocky zone with a few giant rocks), Long Green (a grassy zone with sticks and a big log), Undergrove (a zone with vines creeping down and a huge mushroom), and Backyard (a zone with a patio, a garden chair, and table). You can choose any zone to go to first.
Once you choose a zone, its environment is then generated. Depicted is the same control scheme as the main menu and overworld. There is an additional reticle which is the interaction/use reticle for the player character. To the left, you can see an indicator above a water source. Each level will have one water source. It is vital to your success, so there is a dynamic indicator that will point to its location at all times.
You have a radial menu that shows information about your stored matter (grass, mushrooms, and water) in addition to your one item slot. Whatever you have selected in the radial menu will have a small little plant above its icon and once you let go of the radial menu button (W) it will now be your active material. You can click to sprinkle the material into the world. Having grass matter selected will sprinkle grass seeds that will grow slowly or fast if you water them. Having mushroom selected will sprinkle spores onto the ground that will grow into mushrooms faster than unwatered grass, but they can not be watered. Special items called rare seeds (they come in stacks of three) can be planted and must be watered to grow.
Depicted here is a situation where the player is being chased by "the Un". The Un is the antithesis of you, the Increate. The Un can only destroy. The Un starts in each zone you have entered and will eat the world away and grow in size and speed until it sees you. Once it sees you it will not stop following you. If you are within its presence for too long you will die and the run will be over. The Un can not be destroyed, only slowed down or made to retreat. The Un will slow down near growing grass, growing seeds, or growing mushrooms, and retreat around newly fully grown grass, mushrooms, or seeds. (Rare seeds always keep the Un away even when not newly grown).
Depicted is also rare seeds on top of a large plant. Rare seeds are an item, just like a quest item, which the player is carrying. The player needs to deliver the seed they are carrying to the smiling pot NPC to the left. After each quest is completed the player will receive a sincere thank you letter from the quest giver which gives them the option to upgrade their matter capacity, or give them an extra heart. Also depicted in this situation is a smug salamander who received a very nice hat. The player acquired that hat for the nice salamander for a seed in return. The player needs to plant and grow the seed inside the pot for the quest to be completed. Luckily the newly grown plant will ward of the Un.
Once you complete the main quest you are free to head back to the Dream Tree and end the run. If you have not completed the quest for each zone you will not have a 100% run. I Hope this helps create a glimpse into what the game will be like! <3