Cloud Gardens

Cloud Gardens is a peaceful puzzle game with plenty of levels on offer and a sandbox mode also in tow. It’s a simple and joyous experience for everyone.

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"Cloud Gardens" is a calming game that allows players to create plant-covered dioramas using discarded objects and seeds. Players can choose between a sandbox mode with no goals or a campaign with challenges, requiring them to strike a balance between the natural and manufactured worlds. The game is a soothing experience that encourages creativity and problem-solving without frustration.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,265 reviews

graphics88 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Cloud Gardens offers a beautifully relaxing experience, allowing players to transform abandoned urban areas into lush, overgrown landscapes.
The game features a soothing soundtrack and charming pixel art, creating a calming atmosphere that is perfect for unwinding.
With both a campaign mode and a sandbox mode, players can enjoy structured puzzles while also having the freedom to create their own unique scenes.

Some players have reported issues with camera controls and object placement, making it difficult to achieve desired arrangements in the sandbox mode.
The game can feel repetitive after a while, as the core mechanics do not change significantly throughout the levels.
There is a lack of clear tutorials or guidance, which can lead to confusion for new players trying to understand the mechanics.

graphics
182 mentions
48 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style and soothing aesthetic, creating a calming atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the unique blend of low-poly and retro visuals, which effectively capture a post-apocalyptic vibe while remaining visually appealing. The combination of beautiful graphics and relaxing sound design contributes to a meditative gameplay experience, making it a delightful choice for those seeking a visually pleasing and tranquil game.
- “The graphics are simple yet detailed, and the whole thing has a dreamy vibe.”
- “Gorgeous graphics with a peaceful, ethereal atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are gorgeously styled pixel art while still being clear to read visually.”
- “Repetitive and not aesthetically appealing.”
- “Graphics have been dulled down by about 60%, everything has labels whilst before was completely fine, just took a few minutes to figure out how to play in the very beginning.”
- “I'm not sure if they will make graphical improvements, but if there is any ability to add more detail to the plants I hope they do.”
gameplay
131 mentions
34 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Cloud Gardens is characterized by its simplicity and relaxing nature, allowing players to grow plants in post-apocalyptic settings by strategically placing objects to encourage growth. While the mechanics are straightforward and can feel repetitive over time, the game offers a soothing atmosphere enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack, making it ideal for short, stress-free sessions. Although it lacks depth and complexity, the creative mode provides a fun distraction for those looking to unwind and enjoy the aesthetics of their virtual gardens.
- “The laid-back gameplay, pleasing aesthetics, and relaxing ambience of Cloud Gardens provide a delightfully unique and immersive player experience.”
- “The gameplay is super smooth, and I love the plant growing AI; it's a very good game.”
- “The music lulls you in, the mechanics engage, and the engrossing atmosphere will keep you playing for hours on end - not because you're winning anything, but because you're creating tiny masterpieces with each new level.”
- “This product does not commit to being a true sandbox nor does it commit to being a fulfilling gameplay experience; it attempts to find a balance between the two, which is meritable, but fails apparently in its execution.”
- “Neutral feeling to this game, it might be a bit hard to understand the gameplay and does get repetitive after a few games.”
- “The gameplay was mind-numbingly simple, yet somehow enjoyable and engaging.”
music
129 mentions
50 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and soothing qualities, perfectly complementing the relaxing gameplay and charming pixel art style. Reviewers appreciate the immersive soundtrack that enhances the meditative experience of nurturing gardens, with some noting that the music adapts to gameplay actions. While a few mention occasional repetitiveness, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's tranquil atmosphere, making it an ideal choice for players seeking a peaceful escape.
- “The game’s soundtrack is a beautiful backdrop to the meditative gameplay, enhancing the experience of nurturing gardens amidst ruins.”
- “The music is calming and after a stressful day this is a chill puzzle game.”
- “The music lulls you in, the mechanics engage, and the engrossing atmosphere will keep you playing for hours on end - not because you're winning anything, but because you're creating tiny masterpieces with each new level.”
- “Also the music is wholly uninspiring; I was really hoping for chill beats instead of generic synths.”
- “The art style is a sort of muted retro voxel style that lends itself well to the post-human era, and the music is incredibly relaxed to the point where you almost don't notice it's there until it's gone.”
- “The music is simple, but very pleasant and stylish on its own and is definitely worth experiencing.”
atmosphere
58 mentions
66 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Cloud Gardens" is widely praised for its calming and visually appealing design, featuring pixelated graphics that beautifully depict nature reclaiming urban landscapes. Players appreciate the soothing soundscapes and gentle music that enhance the relaxing gameplay experience, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a low-stress, atmospheric game. Overall, the game successfully creates a peaceful environment that encourages creativity and unwinding.
- “Visually, I quite enjoyed Cloud Gardens' pixelated yet detailed look and the atmosphere provided by its gameplay, as dilapidated industrial structures are overtaken by flourishing greenery in a natural-feeling and frankly satisfying manner.”
- “The music lulls you in, the mechanics engage, and the engrossing atmosphere will keep you playing for hours on end - not because you're winning anything, but because you're creating tiny masterpieces with each new level.”
- “The general atmosphere is soothing, yet haunting at the same time as you watch nature reclaim urban landscapes.”
- “The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is so soothing, odd as that may sound, and the action of revitalizing the rusted, decayed landscape is balm for the soul.”
- “I think most people are just going to play it for the atmosphere; once you understand the mechanics, it's not very difficult, so you can just make pretty environments with a little bit of thought behind it.”
story
44 mentions
25 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely subjective, with many players noting a lack of a traditional narrative. Instead, it offers a platform for personal storytelling through environmental elements and creative scene-building, allowing players to craft their own narratives using the game's props and settings. While some enjoy the structured "story mode" for its puzzle elements, others find the sandbox mode more appealing for its open-ended creativity, emphasizing that the experience is more about personal interpretation than a defined plot.
- “This is not one of those cases; I love Cloud Gardens. I just finished the main story and had so much fun. Each level was enjoyable to watch as it slowly got taken over.”
- “A collaborative environmental storytelling game, where the slow drip of plants, props, and locations suggests a story, but only ever obliquely.”
- “Every scene tells a story of a piece of urban landscape fallen to time and to nature.”
- “This is not a game (because of lack of challenge or story of any kind), however it's a quite cute video meditation.”
- “There is no story to Cloud Gardens, other than the one you assume has happened.”
- “So take off your watch, turn your phone off, and enjoy the calming atmosphere of a game that has no mystery or plot but will keep you engrossed for however long you want to chill out.”
replayability
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with players highlighting its creative mode, diverse level designs, and regular updates that introduce new content. Many users appreciate the ability to approach levels in various ways, ensuring that even after completing the main campaign, there are endless opportunities for engagement and creativity. Overall, the combination of unique scene creation and expansive gameplay options contributes to a highly replayable experience.
- “The replayability aspect and the creative mode have kept me entertained long after completing the main campaign.”
- “Relaxing, addictive and seemingly infinite replayability.”
- “Replayable enough, though no procedural/user content.”
- “There have been regular updates with new themes, props, and plants being added, and the way you can create unique scenes even on the same level by using different plants and using the props in different ways means, even without the sandbox mode, there would be plenty of replay value.”
- “With endless ways to finish most levels, the replayability is pretty endless.”
optimization
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and effective saving features, others experience significant issues, such as high GPU temperatures and poor performance on older hardware. Overall, there is a consensus that optimization needs improvement to enhance the gaming experience for all users.
- “This game is so relaxing, satisfying, and pretty, and actually a fun optimization game! I love it so much.”
- “Overall, the game is pretty well optimized.”
- “It runs smoothly and lets you save at any point; loading and saving works great, and it has its own screenshot function to let you take pictures and turnaround videos of your creations.”
- “I'm running this on a maxed out 2013 MacBook Pro, so yeah, I know it's not exactly modern hardware, but I've run games plenty on this machine and holy cow, this game has horrendous performance on it.”
- “I love the concept and would very much like to enjoy this game, but there's some serious optimization work missing here.”
- “Unoptimized, made my GPU get very hot and forced me to refund the game once again. Fix this, and I'll think about playing again.”
emotional
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a blend of sadness and wholesomeness, evoking a strong emotional response that ranges from feelings of misery to optimism. Players appreciate its beautiful design and the ability to create a profound emotional roller-coaster experience, despite some criticism regarding its mood consistency. Overall, it leaves a lasting impact, fostering both chill vibes and deep emotional reflection.
- “Simultaneously sad and wholesome.”
- “This game is not only so very beautiful, but also so well designed it makes me want to cry.”
- “Playing this for a while left me genuinely emotionally affected and filled with optimism for the future.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as funny and entertaining, featuring quirky elements like "blip blops" and a humorous plant. While players appreciate the subversive and encouraging nature of the humor, some have noted that camera controls can be awkward, which may detract from the overall experience.
- “Funny blip blops”
- “Haha funny plant”
- “I like this game; it is funny and entertaining, and some may call it deceptive.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to cumbersome inventory management and limited item manipulation options. While repetitive tasks can become monotonous, some features, like the ability to summon rain for plant growth, offer a refreshing break from the grind. Overall, the experience can feel like it requires excessive time investment.
- “Micromanaging an inventory when you have no idea how much you have, can barely see, and sometimes have to sort through what it is you have, and can't do as much as it seems like you should be able to do with it is ultimately tedious and frustrating.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, over time, the game can get a bit tedious, as one generally just places objects over and over and then collects the fruits of the matured plants.”
stability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits occasional bugs and glitches, but overall, players find it enjoyable and visually appealing, particularly appreciating the soothing effects of the vegetation growth despite the stability issues.
- “A bit buggy at times, but great still!”
- “The game offers some really nice voxel graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”