Botany Manor
- April 9, 2024
- Balloon Studios
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games StoreBotany Manor is a single-player Mystery Adventure game set in 19th century England. As retired botanist Arabella Greene, players explore her estate and gardens to discover the ideal habitats for a collection of forgotten flora. With fabulous game mechanics, phenomenal visuals, and an outstanding soundtrack, uncover the mysterious qualities of each plant and immerse yourself in this beautiful, wholesome story.
Nintendo Switch
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Reviews
- Beautiful visuals and calming atmosphere that create an immersive experience.
- Engaging puzzles that are satisfying to solve without being overly difficult.
- A charming story that highlights the struggles of women in STEM during the 19th century.
- The game is quite short, typically taking only 3-5 hours to complete, which may not justify the price.
- Lack of a feature to review clues in the journal, requiring backtracking to find previously discovered hints.
- Some players found the puzzles to be too easy or straightforward, lacking complexity.
- story178 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Botany Manor" centers around Arabella Greene, a woman navigating the challenges of pursuing botany in a male-dominated 19th-century environment. Players uncover her journey through beautifully crafted letters and environmental storytelling, which adds depth and emotional resonance to the gameplay. While the narrative is simple and linear, it effectively highlights themes of perseverance and the struggles faced by women in academia, all set against a backdrop of stunning visuals and engaging puzzles.
“The story told between soft lighting, crackling fires, and vibrant flora is gut-wrenching, beautiful, and relatable.”
“Arabella's story is so heartwarming to follow, and walking around the gorgeous manor solving plant puzzles was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.”
“The story of the main character Arabella Greene's mistreatment by male botany professionals is told through game objects in the same way as the clues needed to figure out how to progress the game.”
“The story is not particularly complicated or compelling.”
“The graphics and art are simple, the story/world building is reasonably shallow, and the puzzles are well designed but unlikely to pose much of a challenge to anyone who's ever played a puzzle game before.”
“Nothing special in any aspect (actually often a bit awkward, stiff and basic in storytelling, puzzle design, progression, gameplay...) but a decent title to relax with.”
- graphics107 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful, vibrant, and stylized aesthetic, often compared to art pieces and evoking a cozy atmosphere. Players appreciate the unique art style, particularly the stained glass elements and colorful visuals, which enhance the overall immersive experience. While some critiques mention the graphics could be more realistic or detailed, the general consensus is that the visuals contribute significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
“The graphics had their own unique, colorful style which was nice and honestly kind of refreshing.”
“The game's vivid art style and the variety of unique flowers create an immersive, picturesque world.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, the music is light, and the hidden achievements are good fun.”
“For a game about botany, the graphics quality of the vast majority of the plants is underwhelming, to say the least.”
“Only negative I would say is the price for such a short game and with lower tier graphics quality.”
“The graphics are simple, the story/world building is reasonably shallow, and the puzzles are well designed but unlikely to pose much of a challenge to anyone who's ever played a puzzle game before...”
- gameplay72 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its engaging puzzle mechanics and beautiful visuals, providing a relaxing yet satisfying experience. However, many players express concerns about the game's short duration, often completing it in around 3 to 6 hours, which some feel does not justify the price. While the mechanics are enjoyable and the story is well-integrated, there is a consensus that the game could benefit from additional content and complexity to enhance replayability.
“The gameplay loop is perfect; unlock area, find seeds, search for clues, fill in notebook, grow flower.”
“Beautiful setting, engaging gameplay, and a captivating story.”
“I really enjoyed the research-based puzzle mechanic where you figure out how to proceed by finding and reviewing documents, drawings, and other artifacts.”
“The developers hit in the middle of the road for those three themes but were lacking in mechanics for almost all of them.”
“I had zero desire to explore the map to tinker with these mechanics because it is clear the game will not give a themed reaction.”
“To expect people to pay $38 for 3 hours of gameplay is a big ask.”
- music71 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere as players explore the vibrant visuals and solve puzzles. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack beautifully complements the gameplay, creating a relaxing experience reminiscent of Studio Ghibli and other beloved soundtracks. However, some players mentioned that there are long stretches of silence, which could disrupt the flow, suggesting a desire for more consistent musical presence throughout the game.
“The music gives a soothing experience as you explore the manor, as progressing further allows the music to develop and build to give yourself a sense of wonder uncovering the world of botany you'd left behind.”
“The atmosphere, the music, and the pacing were all so lovely and warm and calming but not boring or repetitive!”
“Beautiful music, environment, and the puzzle element intertwines amazingly with the story and level design.”
“I also noticed that there was no music most of the time except when there was a delivery or a clue was found.”
“This may be more of a streamer issue than a standard player issue, but I'd have to play my own music to accompany the long stretches of silence, and the game music would only play just long enough that I had to pause my own music to experience it, only for the game music to fade away almost immediately after.”
“The music is fine and doesn't overstay its welcome.”
- emotional29 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a touching story that explores themes of discrimination and empowerment, particularly regarding women's struggles in the 1800s. Players find the combination of heartwarming narratives and engaging puzzles to create a charming and wholesome experience, often evoking a range of emotions, from joy to frustration. Overall, it is celebrated as a beautifully crafted game that resonates deeply with players, making it a worthwhile emotional journey.
“The game is beautiful and the story is very touching with a tinge of frustration.”
“The story of Lady Arabella made me feel a vast range of emotions.”
“Alongside the enjoyable gameplay, the story unfolds beautifully, combining botanical lore with heartwarming tales.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its cozy, relaxing, and immersive qualities, reminiscent of titles like "The Witness." Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, soothing music, and engaging sound design that enhance the experience of exploring the charming manor and its gardens. Despite its brevity, the tranquil environment and captivating storytelling create a memorable and enjoyable journey.
“A lovely little game, with fun puzzles and a cozy atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere, music, colors, and art style are all impeccable.”
“The atmosphere of the game is breathtaking and it feels so immersive; I've been sitting a lot in the garden and just enjoying the scenery.”
“The first few were straightforward in a way that I didn't find enjoyable, mostly staying for the art and the atmosphere.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting that it offers a linear experience that can be completed in a few hours. While some players appreciated the aesthetics and enjoyed the initial playthrough, they felt that the absence of new mechanics or objectives made it a one-time experience, leading to concerns about its price point. Many expressed a desire for additional content or DLC to enhance replay value.
“Even knowing the puzzles, the environment and music gives it a lot of replay value.”
“This would require creating a few new mechanics, but they would be ones that have a large replay value.”
“While the plants are fantastical and fun and the graphics and music were enjoyable, I don’t feel there’s enough on offer or enough replayability to warrant a price greater than $20.”
“I do wish there was more replayability in this game, especially at its price point.”
“There's no replay value to speak of, making it a one-and-done experience.”
“I finished this game in about 3 hours and unfortunately there isn't really much of a replay value; for those reasons, I think the game is a bit overpriced.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite tedious, often requiring 60-100 hours to complete, with slow movement between areas contributing to the monotony. While the puzzles are engaging and enjoyable, the overall experience can feel repetitive and time-consuming, leading some to feel that a second life would be necessary to fully engage with the grinding elements.
“The grinding can take 60 to 100 hours, but it's worth the investment.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding, but the rewards make it all worthwhile.”
“Grindy (60 - 100 hours)”
“Sometimes the gameplay can feel boring and tedious, but the puzzles really get you thinking and the plants are really cool.”
“The speed of walking made that a bit tedious at times.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is decent, allowing it to run smoothly on low-end GPUs, though some users report stuttering issues and less fluid horizontal movement. While performance is generally stable, particularly on high-end systems, there are suggestions for UI tweaks and improvements to enhance the experience further.
“I can't say too much about the performance as my system is overpowered for what this game is asking for, but it ran perfectly fine and never noticeably dropped below the 165 FPS I've set it to.”
“Could use a few UI tweaks and performance improvements; selecting/deleting clues in the herbarium is a little wonky.”
“I had some pretty bad stuttering issues, though.”
“The horizontal movement and performance in general isn't the most fluid.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report that the game is largely bug-free, indicating a high level of stability.
“The game runs smoothly without any bugs.”
“I haven't encountered any stability issues during my gameplay.”
“The performance is consistent, making for a seamless experience.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, focusing instead on the gameplay mechanics involving puzzles and observational skills. However, it suggests a potentially engaging experience that may or may not include monetization elements, depending on how players interact with the game's content. Further details on monetization would be needed for a comprehensive summary.
