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Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator

78%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, optimization
78% User Score Based on 1,104 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindowsXbox OneXbox OneXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SXboxXbox

About

"Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator" is a relaxing game where you can plant and nurture your dream garden using real-life techniques. Complete tasks from neighbors, unlock new tools and seeds, and discover the story behind an abandoned community garden. The game features different colorful plant varieties and allows you to enjoy your garden in full bloom throughout the changing seasons.

Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator screenshot
+9

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,104 reviews
story96 positive mentions
grinding56 negative mentions

  • Beautiful graphics and art style that create a cozy atmosphere.
  • Highly addictive gameplay with a relaxing pace and no time constraints.
  • Engaging story and charming characters that enhance the overall experience.
  • Severe limitations on the number of plants and decorations that can be placed in the garden.
  • Frequent crashes and performance issues, especially on lower-end systems.
  • Inventory management is cumbersome, lacking sorting and organization features.
  • story
    376 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally described as sweet and cozy, revolving around the restoration of a community garden after the passing of its eldest member. While some players appreciate the charming characters and light narrative, others find the story mode lacking depth and feel it becomes repetitive, especially after completing the main quests. Overall, the narrative provides a pleasant backdrop to the gameplay, but many players express a desire for more engaging content and character development.

    • “There are simply objectives in story mode, which allow you to see the development of a beautiful garden take shape over a few days, and the story is very sweet: the eldest member of the community garden has passed away and you have been invited to restore the garden.”
    • “I love the story behind it -- bonus points for one of the main characters being referred to as they/them!”
    • “The story is sweet, the design is beautiful and interesting, the gameplay is fun and rewarding.”
    • “Also, the story mode seems... a little bit pointless?”
    • “There's not really any kind of story available.”
    • “The tasks get repetitive after a while, and once the main story is finished, the game simply isn't interesting enough anymore.”
  • graphics
    204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful art style and vibrant visuals, particularly the flowers, which contribute to a cozy atmosphere. However, there are significant concerns regarding optimization, with reports of crashes, inconsistent rendering, and issues with AI-generated art leading to a lack of cohesion. While some players find the graphics charming and endearing, others express frustration over performance problems and the need to lower settings to enjoy the game.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous, especially the flowers themselves – so colorful and cheery.”
    • “The game captures the essence of gardening with stunning visuals, relaxing music, and endless possibilities for creativity.”
    • “I love the atmosphere, the graphics are really nice, and it's overall just a really good game.”
    • “It really impacts enjoyment of the game at some point when you cannot unsee the inconsistencies in art style and rendering, the tiny hands and wrists, nonsensical and discontinuous details on the clothing and accessories, and all the other telltale signs of AI-generated then barely touched up art.”
    • “This game crashes constantly, and it's crazy how a game with low-grade graphics can still overclock your computer.”
    • “The graphics make me motion sick, no matter how I tweak them, and some of the flowers look really flat (like literally flat) and sloppily finished, while this whole game is about gardening and selling flowers.”
  • gameplay
    130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a relaxing and straightforward gardening simulation, where players purchase seeds, plant, water, and manage pests, though many find the mechanics simplistic and lacking depth compared to traditional farming sims. While the visuals and flower growth mechanics are praised, some users express frustration with inventory management and repetitive tasks, leading to a grind-like experience. Overall, the game offers a cozy escape with beautiful aesthetics, but it has room for improvement in quality of life features and gameplay complexity.

    • “I really like this game; it's a delightful escape of whimsical art and fun gardening mechanics, perfect for unwinding after a long day with a hot cup of tea.”
    • “The gameplay itself has some unique elements, like plants growing procedurally and in a realistic way.”
    • “The positives include the main mechanics, the way the flowers bloom is incredibly beautiful, planting, tending, collecting, achieving new seeds, and delivering requests is very satisfying.”
    • “The game pretty much has only barebone mechanics for pruning, growing, and watering.”
    • “It's an empty shell of a gardening sim game where it looks the part and the beginning feels interesting because you have a garden to clean up and fill... but when you play, you quickly realize how little there is to do and how much of the 'gameplay' is just grind.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty repetitive, with collecting flower clippings and new seed variants to get more flower clippings of other colors, so if that isn't your cup of tea in cozy games, then this may not be the one for you.”
  • grinding
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that the game has a significant grinding aspect, often described as tedious and repetitive, especially for players aiming to complete all achievements. While some find enjoyment in the cozy gameplay, many express frustration with the lack of variety and the cumbersome inventory management, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as charming but overly grindy, requiring substantial time investment for completion.

    • “Not too long, fun to do and collect everything, not too grindy either.”
    • “It's a cute game, and I suppose it's casual enough to grow flowers and fulfill requests, but if you're aiming to get all achievements then this game is super grindy.”
    • “After some time the game feels more grindy to get certain plant colors and to get the things you want and complete tasks.”
    • “It wasn't the chill, relaxing game I was looking for; it's very grindy and requires a fair bit of micromanagement, but it was so charming I stuck with it anyway.”
  • optimization
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, including low frame rates and lag, even on high-end PCs. While some users experienced smoother gameplay, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements and more graphics options to enhance performance. Additionally, the imposed limits on in-game elements, such as plant caps, are seen as a workaround for optimization issues rather than a solution.

    • “The game is made in Unreal Engine 5, which can make games look beautiful, but if poorly optimized, even high-end PCs will struggle running this game (as seen in some reviews).”
    • “Despite some room for growth in garden expansiveness and optimization, its blend of charming artistry and detailed gardening garners a solid 4 out of 5 blooming flowers.”
    • “It's a very relaxing and beautiful game, with so many quests to complete and enjoy. It gives off cottagecore vibes, and the aesthetics are beautiful; I haven't found the game to have any glitches yet, everything runs smoothly.”
    • “The performance of the game is pretty bad, especially because this game shouldn't be this demanding.”
    • “The game is made in Unreal Engine 5, which can make games look beautiful, but if poorly optimized, even high-end PCs will struggle running this game.”
    • “You need to provide more graphics options in settings and fix the awful optimization.”
  • music
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally described as calming and relaxing, enhancing the cozy atmosphere with soothing soundtracks and ambient sounds. While some players find it beautiful and immersive, others feel it lacks inspiration and can be somewhat mediocre. Overall, the music complements the game's visuals and theme, contributing positively to the overall experience.

    • “The calm music and ambient noises really let you immerse yourself.”
    • “The game captures the essence of gardening with stunning visuals, relaxing music, and endless possibilities for creativity.”
    • “It is so chill and relaxing, the soundtrack is beautiful.”
    • “The music is decent, but not inspiring to listen to.”
    • “Runs poorly, music is meh, progression is rng.”
    • “The soundtrack isn't too intrusive which is always a plus in cozy genre games.”
  • stability
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been a significant issue for many players, with frequent crashes and freezes reported, particularly during loading screens and when starting new games. While some users have noted improvements over time, the overall experience remains marred by bugs and unresponsive elements, leading to frustration and a lack of enjoyment. Despite its appealing concept and aesthetics, the stability problems have resulted in it being described as one of the worst gaming experiences for some players.

    • “I thought I was just getting one of each piece, so I went crazy and took stacks... yes, I placed 100 balloons in the greenhouse lol. Kudos on a perfect game with no glitches, and lastly, I appreciate that all the achievements were joyfully obtainable without a guide.”
    • “When starting a new game, it freezes at the bus station after the story intro.”
    • “Overall, I love the concept and the atmosphere of the game, but I’m writing this because this is one of the worst gaming experiences I've had in a long time due to crashes, freezes, and many quality-of-life features not existing within the game.”
    • “It constantly freezes and there is a huge delay that makes it unplayable.”
  • atmosphere
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its relaxing, cozy, and dreamy qualities, making it easy for players to lose track of time while tending to their gardens. The graphics enhance this ambiance, with whimsical character designs and soothing soundscapes, such as raindrops, contributing to a charming and inspiring environment. Despite some technical issues, the overall vibe is appealing, particularly for those interested in gardening and decoration.

    • “The atmosphere is so relaxing, and I feel inspired to tend to my garden in real life.”
    • “Graphics are really nice and the atmosphere is cozy and kind of dreamy/melancholic!”
    • “The whimsical character design and discoverability of additional plant variations add to the cozy atmosphere.”
    • “Overall, I love the concept and the atmosphere of the game, but I’m writing this because this is one of the worst gaming experiences I've had in a long time due to crashes, freezes, and many quality-of-life features not existing within the game.”
    • “You grow/take care of plants while trying to make the garden as pretty as possible, a lot of things to customize alongside a very warm atmosphere.”
    • “Chill atmosphere and very little risk?”
  • emotional
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its charming environmental design, engaging gameplay, and a heartfelt story that effectively addresses themes of loss and grief, creating a cozy and emotional experience for players. While the character art received criticism for being poorly executed, the overall emotional impact of the game is described as beautiful and touching, making players feel seen and relaxed throughout their journey. The balance of fun and wholesome elements contributes to a delightful gaming experience that resonates deeply with players.

    • “The characters are really cool and the way loss and grief are dealt with was very well-done and wholesome.”
    • “It's all very sweet and this game really surprised me with how it made me feel so seen and cozy.”
    • “The decorations are cute, the seasons are nice, it's a very relaxing game with a little heartfelt story on top of it all from beginning to end, it made me fall in love with taking over this garden.”
  • character development
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is praised for its whimsical and gorgeous designs, contributing to a cozy atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the quality of illustrations and the creativity of the design team, noting that the character and environmental aesthetics enhance the overall experience.

    • “The character designs are gorgeous, the illustrations are perfect, and I have had little to no issues with running this game.”
    • “It was going okay until the character design.”
    • “The game is beautiful, and I can tell the design team had a good time coming up with the decorations, character design, and environmental look.”
    • “The whimsical character design and discoverability of additional plant variations add to the cozy atmosphere.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by playful interactions among characters, such as Harley and Jinx's chaotic antics contrasted with Ivy and Zyra's pride in their garden, creating a lighthearted atmosphere. The amusing decor and character dynamics add a charming touch to the overall experience, enhancing the game's more tranquil moments.

    • “The decor and their description can be pretty funny, nice little addition to a calmer game.”

Buy Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator

13h Median play time
19h Average play time
5-36h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 28 analyzed playthroughs

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