Sproutlings are the collectible creatures at the heart of Sproutlings, an idle creature collection game.
Core Mechanics:
Players collect Sproutlings by catching eggs that appear in the game world. Each egg has a species, potential shiny status, and hatching
duration. Once hatched, creatures join the player's roster in "The Nook" - the inventory screen where all collected Sproutlings are managed.
Only one creature can be active at a time in the main game area.

Evolution System

Creatures progress through four stages by accumulating XP:
- Stage 0 (Seedling): Starting form, requires 1,000 XP to evolve
- Stage 1 (Sprout): Young form, requires 10,000 XP to evolve
- Stage 2 (Sproutling): Mature form, requires 35,000 XP to evolve
- Stage 3 (Elder): Final form, maximum evolution

XP is earned primarily through feeding creatures. When a creature reaches the XP threshold for its current stage, it can evolve to the next form. Evolution resets XP to zero for the new stage.

Species & Variants:
The game features 18 species including Budlip, Fluffernix, Mosslop, Aquapop, Duskling, Whisperill, Puffroot, Echolune, Glimmerflit, Ghost,
Emberpip, Frostwobble, Petaluff, Shellumi, Bubelbroo, Glowcap, Lanternip, and legendary creatures (Lumerion, Mossfox, Aetherhart).

Minigames
Players can earn essence and XP through minigames at three difficulty levels:
- Easy: 50 essence reward
- Medium: 75 essence reward
- Hard: 125 essence reward

The game tracks all discovered creature variants in a catalog. With 18 species, 4 stages, 2 variants, and shiny/regular versions, there are
hundreds of unique entries to collect. Players progressively fill their catalog through normal gameplay - hatching eggs, feeding creatures to
influence variants, and maxing Elders to unlock shinies.