Developer: Stillalive Studios
Publisher: Nacon
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Tested on: PS5
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator – Review
Videogames have always been a great way to relax and spend some downtime doing what you love, and no genre is better at conveying this feeling than the cozy simulators. From tending your farm to decorating an old house, there are dozens of ways to wind down after a busy day with some relaxing activities. But have you ever wanted to take care of a big garden filled with flowers and other pretty plant life to create the sweetest bouquets? Well, your prayers have been heard thanks to the release of Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator, where you can put your green thumb to the test.
Story
The story of Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is a pretty cliché one in the genre, with you moving to a small village to take over a run-down garden. You learn pretty quickly that the previous owner of the garden has sadly passed away and the villagers have brought you in to bring the natural spot back to life. While doing this, you will encounter a handful of people who have a connection to the small garden and want to help you if you can help them out. All of this is to fulfill the task list that the late owner left behind, which works as the main objective of the game.
That is pretty much it for the narrative, and characters will show up at your garden or send letters to request certain flowers and bouquets. While there are some nice interactions and the characters are lovable, it is nothing more than stepping stones towards completing your task list. While this is not a problem, since Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is more focused on the gameplay aspect, it would have been nice to get to know the characters a bit more and have a way to frequently interact with them.
Graphics
Since Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator has such a big focus on flowers, it is only natural to expect the game to be filled with bright colors. This is definitely the case, giving players access to dozens of flowers and decorations in many colors to create a beautiful floral world. The village you can visit to buy new seeds and tools is another standout, capturing the beauty of a small picturesque village.
While the inhabitants of this world aren’t in the actual game world, they do visit you in conversation with well-designed character sprites. These sprites are a standout since they are beautifully drawn and filled with personality. The only bummer in the visual aspect of the game is the fact that none of the flowers are labeled, meaning you have to memorize where you plant all the different types or have a vast knowledge of different flowers.
Sound
Having a relaxing atmosphere is key in a good cozy game, which is the case for Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator. The bright and colorful graphical presentation is accompanied by a soft and sweet soundtrack that helps you lose yourself in the world. This is further enhanced by some natural sounds and good voice acting that brings the garden to life. From the buzzing bees to the gently flowing river, every sound feels right at home. Only the snipping of the garden scissors can become a bit much when you’re going ham on a rose bush.
Gameplay
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is, as its name suggests, a simulation game that focuses on giving players a relaxing experience. The game offers players the freedom to create the garden at their own pace without hard time limits or too challenging managing mechanisms where players can lose hours of progress.
When you first arrive in your garden, it is a rundown place overgrown with weeds and leaves. Once this is cleaned up, the game introduces the main gameplay mechanics of planting flowers, gathering their pretty parts, and decorating the garden. Every day, players will receive requests for certain flowers or bouquets in their inbox which can be completed for money. Bring these coins to the village shop to buy new flowers and equipment to further enhance your garden. This is the main gameplay loop of Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator, planting the right flowers and keeping the villagers happy to earn more and more currency. Aside from buying flowers from the shop, new color variants can also be collected by planting different colors close to each other, which will produce new seeds.
While the process of decorating the garden with the right flowers is a fun and relaxing experience, the process can become quite repetitive after a few days. Luckily there are more things to do to keep you occupied, mostly by offering bigger goals that have to be completed. The main objectives in the game are the list that the previous owner left behind, offering more things to do like repairing the bridge to a second field or gathering the right equipment. Interacting with these objectives also offers some story moments with the villagers which can be rewarding. After some time with Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator, a new location in the village will open up where you can complete art pieces by donating flowers. This offers a great objective to work towards and can give a ton of longevity to the game, but only if you have the patience for it. Gathering the right colors can be a long process since there is no clear indication of when and how the new seeds will be created. These bigger objectives add more variety to the game but face the same problem of repetitiveness after a while.
Along with the story mode, Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator also offers a creative mode with total freedom. Here players can decorate their dream garden to their heart’s content with all the flowers and decorations unlocked. This mode is a great addition for the creative mind, or players who just want to fill the garden with frogs wearing wizard hats.
Conclusion
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is a fine addition to the relaxing gardening genre. The presentation is very well done and it fits the atmosphere of the game perfectly. The story itself is a bit lacking, especially in the interactions with the villagers, but this can be overlooked since the focus lies largely on the gameplay. This gameplay has some fun elements and offers a ton of freedom, but the lack of variety can make it repetitive after some time. Players who want to decorate their dream garden or don’t mind a bit of grinding will get a lot out of this game.
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