Written by Patrick Orquia
Title: The Gardens Between
Developer: The Voxel Agents
Publisher: The Voxel Agents
Genre: Puzzle, Adventure
Number of Players: 1 player
Release Date: September 20, 2018
Price: $19.99
Also Available On: PS4, Steam
The Garden Between is… a weird game, but in a good way. The gameplay consists of only pressing the left and right directional button and the A button occasionally. In this game, you control how time moves: left goes backward in time, right forward. And then when you have to interact on something, you press A. Rinse and repeat. I didn’t think that the game would appeal to me, but I have to admit, it did.
The game is about two friends, Frendt and Arina, who, one rainy night while at their treehouse, got whisked away into a dream world where their memories turned into spiral islets. These islets contain different elements that make up the memory, for example, if it’s about playing video games, there would be gigantic joysticks and gaming consoled scattered around. The goal is to reach the top of the islet where the two friends would need to put an orb of light on an altar-like structure. Arina has a lamp to contain the orb of light while Frendt can interact with various contraptions and switches to change the behaviour and/or position of some environmental elements. But getting to the top is no easy task. Along the way, many different things that block their way. You as a player only has to determine how time will flow: backwards or forwards. But the small changes that you do can affect how certain elements will behave in the environment, thus, changing the flow of time due to cause and effect. Once the orb of light is put on the altar, the memory becomes part of a constellation in the sky. These constellations consist of 2-3 memories each. After a constellation gets completed, the pair travels to the next group of three via a makeshift boat from their treehouse that floats along a sea-like body of water where the memories are waiting to be relived.
It’s really hard to describe this game. One has to play it to see how this seemingly simple game packs such amazing surprises with its simple gameplay and story. The puzzles start out simple enough, with the first few stage acting as tutorial sections, and then gradually they become increasingly more complex and will require a good amount of observational skills to notice the most minute of details, like how a piece of glass will shatter when exposed to a certain amount of vibration, or how a drop of water will connect two exposed wires to let electricity flow. The latter stages mix these different elements together peppered with the smallest of details and nuances that could really make you scratch your head trying to figure out what to do next. It can get too mind-boggling that you might think that the game just makes up rules on the fly and throw it at your face (I sure did) but patience is the key. You have to really make sure to have good eyes to look for clues and anticipate what certain things will behave under different scenarios. Figuring the puzzles is such a good feeling, especially if you did it on your own, and that is what this game, ultimately, aims on giving you.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Gardens Between. I found it really surprisingly good. I just wished it was longer. The whole game can be completed in about 2 hours. There are no unlockable post-game contents or any game modes after completing the game, which is really its biggest fault. And that is highlighted by the fact that the game costs $19.99. Team Cherry, the makers of Hollow Knight, a game filled to the brim with content with some additional DLCs included for free, only charges $14.99. But, apples and oranges. It’s really unfair to compare both, but again, cost-wise, this game really is quite pricey. The game is really good, no doubt about it, but I don’t think it doesn’t justify the price of admission. Maybe wait a bit some time for a sale before buying this game. But if you don’t mind the price and you need a fix for you puzzle-craving, this game is definitely for you. It is very charming and full of heart and soul and it will definitely make you feel good upon completing the game. If you have 2 hours to spare and you want to play a truly amazing game, go play The Gardens Between, and may all your childhood memories find their way to the stars.
REPLAY VALUE: Medium
PROS
- Amazing art style and presentation
- Very unique gameplay
- Excellent musical score and soundtrack
- Surprisingly charming and relaxing feel throughout the game
- Very accessible to any type of gamer
- Ideal for on the go gaming on the Nintendo Switch
CONS
- Too pricey at $19.99 for a game that can be finished in about 2 hours
- No unlockable post-game contents
- No other modes available aside from the main story
- Minor frame drops are encountered at the start of a stage
- No voice acting nor text info to help in the narration
RATING: 4/5 gardens and light orbs
No comments:
Post a Comment