Gardening in game worlds has become a popular pastime for many gamers seeking a relaxing and rewarding experience. Dutch developer JamPics attempts to tap into this market with their latest release, Garden Buddies. While the game starts off promisingly enough, it ultimately falls short of delivering a truly captivating and immersive gardening experience.
Garden Buddies begins with an invitation from Mutsy, a friendly apple, to explore and decorate a captivating garden space. The ability to sprinkle flower seeds and watch them bloom into points that can be exchanged for various items is undoubtedly alluring. The adorable design of the talking flora and fauna friends adds to the charm, and their waddling movements along with a soothing soundtrack create a relaxing ambiance.
One of the main drawbacks of Garden Buddies is the lack of rewarding gameplay mechanics. Unlike popular titles such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, where reaping what you sow is a crucial and satisfying aspect of the game, watching the characters in Garden Buddies collect flowers for you leaves little for the player to engage with. While the intention may be to create a soothing experience, players still expect to actively participate in the game rather than passively observe.
To add some variety to the gameplay, Garden Buddies incorporates mini-games, including rhythm games, a Whac-A-Mole-like activity, and a washing game. Unfortunately, these mini-games lack a sense of challenge or accomplishment as they are not timed. While this decision aligns with the game’s calming tone, it diminishes the sense of reward for successfully completing these tasks. The characters’ praise for the player’s performance is a weak substitute for meaningful achievement.
Garden Buddies falls short in terms of content and longevity. The game offers two modes: Story Mode and Game Mode, where players can choose their favorite activities. The option to skip levels further reduces the already limited difficulty of the game. As a result, players can complete Story Mode in just a few hours, despite the game’s intention for players to engage in short bursts. The constant prompts to take breaks disrupt the flow of the game and add to the feeling of the game being incomplete.
The dialogue in Garden Buddies is filled with squeaky voices reminiscent of a dog toy, which may appeal to younger players but feels out of place for the intended target audience of stressed adults. The wording and grammar in the dialogue are somewhat stilted, suggesting a possible translation issue. While the game aims to create a positive and uplifting atmosphere, the excessive praise for simple actions and lack of meaningful interaction can feel patronizing and repetitive.
Garden Buddies fails to capitalize on its solid concept and intention due to its lack of depth and rewards. The game lacks the narrative depth and immersive experience found in other similar titles. Additionally, the game suffers from minor performance issues, such as slow load screens and occasional stutters. The slow-moving cursors on the Switch version also present a significant drawback, highlighting the absence of touchscreen capability.
While Garden Buddies has its moments of charm and does some things well, it ultimately misses the mark in providing a truly captivating and enjoyable gardening experience. The lack of rewarding gameplay mechanics, limited content, and technical issues prevent it from standing out among the numerous relaxing and cute games available in the market. For those seeking a truly immersive gardening experience, it is advisable to explore other alternatives rather than settling for Garden Buddies.
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