If your Windows Phone 8 device has NFC (Near Field Communication) support, you may want to take a look at the Windows Phone game Grow.
Grow is a simple game where your success is dependent on how much you use NFC. You have a potted plant that grows the more you use your NFC and as a bonus, you can view the map (little icon in the upper right corner) to find additional Grows for bonus plant food. Grow comes across as a game that is part virtual pet and part scavenger hunt.
Grow isn't an action packed game for your Windows Phone but if you've been looking for an excuse to use your NFC on your Nokia Lumia 920 or HTC 8X, Grow might fit the bill.
The main screen for Grow has your potted plant with buttons to access the settings, the online shop, and share the app with friends. In the upper right corner you'll see a map button that will launch...well... a map view with icons of other Grows. Grow doesn't have a Help Section so I can only guess that these Grows represent other users(?). Nonetheless, if you tap on the icon your plant grows just a little.
Settings present you with options to set the Grow main screen as your lockscreen wallpaper, create a live tile, and turn on/off notifications. If you don't have much of a green thumb, you can head into the online shop and purchase a computer chip ($1.29)and have it grow.
As you tap on the Grows from the map and use your NFC to make connections while in the game, the virtual plant or computer chip grows. And as best I can tell, it's the NFC connection that feeds the plant and not so much actually transferring files/information via NFC.
Again, Grow isn't an action packed game for your Windows Phone 8 device but it's an interesting concept. I really would have liked to have seen a Help Section or maybe a more detailed description in the Windows Phone Store. Without any guidance, it's a guessing game as to how Grow is suppose to work. In many ways, Grow feels like a work in progress that you have to figure out through trial and error but has potential. It just needs a little fine tuning.
While it may not appeal to everyone, Grow is an unique game that ties into your NFC use. Exactly how it ties into things is still a bit of a mystery. Grow is a free game for your Windows Phone 8 device and you can find it here in the Windows Phone Store.
