Garden of the Sea
- January 13, 2022
- Neat Corporation
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Garden of the Sea" is a relaxing VR game that allows players to craft and customize their own gardens and care for local creatures. Explore and gather resources to upgrade your house, cook new dishes, and complete quests to unlock new creatures and adventures. The game encourages players to take their time and enjoy the calming atmosphere of the virtual world.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 5
Virtual Reality
Windows
PlayStation
PlayStation VR2
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style with cute creatures that enhance the overall relaxing experience.
- Gameplay is intuitive and enjoyable, allowing players to engage in farming, crafting, and exploration at their own pace.
- The boat mechanics provide a fun way to explore different islands, adding an element of adventure to the game.
- Currently, the game lacks substantial content, leading to a short gameplay experience that may leave players wanting more.
- There are issues with inventory management and controls, which can be frustrating and detract from the overall experience.
- The game is still in early access, and there have been concerns about the lack of updates and communication from the developers.
- grinding61 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mixed perception of grinding in the game, with many players finding the farming and gathering mechanics enjoyable and relaxing rather than tedious. While some appreciate the simplicity and charm of the farming experience, others feel that the lack of challenge and depth may lead to a sense of repetitiveness. Overall, the game is recommended for those seeking a cozy, low-pressure farming sim, though some players desire more content and complexity.
“I find collecting seeds, wood, plants, and tools to be tedious, but even more tedious in VR.”
“The closest thing this has to Stardew Valley is that there's farming in it, which is the most shallow farming that I've ever seen in a game.”
“I like the crafting system, but I worry that having to go back to the house to craft everything could get tedious quickly, especially with a limited inventory.”
- graphics58 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and cute art style, reminiscent of titles like Wind Waker, which enhances the overall experience despite being simple. Many players find the visuals to be beautifully executed and immersive, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere, although some note the lack of graphics settings and minor optimization issues. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature that effectively captures the game's serene and whimsical nature.
“The graphics have a very Wind Waker feel to them, with enough polish and charm to impress.”
“The graphics are gorgeous and are well optimized, really highlighting that art style is supreme when it comes to delivering pleasing aesthetics.”
“Beautifully executed, fair price, lovely stylized visuals in an infinitely replayable VR haven, I'm in love.”
“If you've ever seen the meme picture going around of Sonic saying he wants shorter games with worse graphics, from devs that are paid more, Garden of the Sea is a contender for almost exactly that.”
“The one weird thing is that there are no graphics settings.”
“And yes, I did check the graphics settings which are nonexistent.”
- story56 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as short and minimalist, often feeling secondary to the relaxing gameplay and crafting elements. Players can choose to engage with the story at their own pace, but many find it lacks depth and clarity, leading to a sense of ambiguity. While the narrative may not be the main draw, the overall experience is enjoyable and cozy, with potential for future content to expand on the story and gameplay.
“Cute, relaxing, interesting story and gameplay.”
“The main story can be completed quickly, but the relaxing cuteness makes up for it.”
“Garden of the Sea is a fun casual farm-style game with a short but cute story.”
“I have zero clue on what the story for this is.”
“My main complaint is that the game's 'story' feels a bit short if you try to b-line it like I did.”
“The story isn't engaging or anything and is pretty obvious, but again the fun of the game is the simple tasks themselves.”
- gameplay54 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Garden of the Sea" is characterized by its focus on simple, relaxing mechanics centered around crafting, farming, and exploration, reminiscent of titles like Stardew Valley. While many players appreciate the charming visuals and intuitive interactions, some feel the gameplay lacks depth and a compelling loop, leading to a sense of superficiality and limited content. Overall, it offers a cozy experience but may leave players wanting more substantial gameplay elements and objectives.
“An absolute delight of an experience, so many little things I tried to do just for the sake of doing them and had the game actually respond with a fully thought-out mechanic or system. Movement and setting the camera can be a bit of a struggle at first, but otherwise everything works quite well intuitively, and the little details more than make up for it.”
“From the solid physics to the charming visuals and the calming yet also somehow exciting gameplay, this game scratches that itch of a true adventure in the form of a VR game. I spent an hour and a half before even exploring the other two-thirds of the starter island, and every step of the way I was pleasantly surprised.”
“The gameplay is rather simple, but it's fun and relaxing, perfect for unwinding after a stressful day.”
“If you're like me and prefer crafting in games to support stronger game mechanics instead of being the primary game mechanic, then you won't like the gameplay Garden of the Sea has to offer.”
“It's a beautiful game, very cute, but it lacks gameplay as of right now, and from what I can see, there's very limited mechanics.”
“It is an unfinished game with some very basic game mechanics... you'll like the game for a bit but it will be shallow and leave you hanging... really unfortunate.”
- music22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and ambient qualities, enhancing the cozy atmosphere and providing a soothing backdrop to various activities. Players appreciate the dynamic nature of the soundtrack, which adapts to their actions, such as fishing, and the contextual sound design that offers engaging audio feedback. While some users noted minor sound glitches and expressed a desire for more background music options, the overall sentiment is that the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersive experience.
“The music itself is very relaxing and ambient - which is perfect, and I love - but everything you do has a beautifully adaptive little chime, ding, or piano key.”
“The sounds and music were perfect for the mood.”
“The music moves with you in the game and reacts to your actions.”
“As for the game, I like it, but I'm hoping for more sound upgrades; some background music would be nice. Other than that, I noticed that there are some sound glitches here and there.”
“The music isn't amazing, but it doesn't get annoying or repetitive.”
“The coral island has a really cool atmosphere to it, with somewhat intense and spooky music as you sail up to it and realize those giant stone structures surrounding the island are actually tentacles, as well as the eternal night that shrouds the island.”
- emotional16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overwhelmingly positive, with players praising its wholesome, cute, and relaxing nature. Many reviewers express that it evokes nostalgia and provides a comforting experience reminiscent of childhood, making it a perfect choice for fans of similar games like Stardew Valley and Slime Rancher. Overall, the game is celebrated for its charming aesthetics and enjoyable mechanics, contributing to a delightful emotional experience.
“This might be one of the most wholesome and well-developed games that I've ever played.”
“It made me feel like a kid again.”
“This game is so wholesome and precious; I bought it yesterday and already finished the story, and I absolutely loved it. <3 I will continue to play to just relax with and take care of my lovely animals.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its serene and cozy qualities, enhanced by beautiful graphics and soothing music. Players appreciate the blend of relaxing exploration and engaging puzzles, with some noting a contrasting intensity in certain areas, such as spooky music and mysterious elements. Overall, the game creates an enchanting world that invites players to immerse themselves in its charm and tranquility.
“The cozy atmosphere is spot on; the music is great. You can farm, explore different islands, pet animals, make stacks of cash, and best of all, you can set out on the sea to find the one piece.”
“I cannot stress enough how absolutely beautiful this game and its atmosphere is.”
“The mellow atmosphere blends well with some hidden secrets you can discover.”
“I can't help but fall in love with this world and its adorable inhabitants, all while being soothed by the soft, weighted blanket that is the music and atmosphere.”
- stability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 73 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most players reporting a smooth experience and only minor glitches affecting gameplay. While some users have noted occasional sound issues and temporary object malfunctions, these do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment. The developers appear to be actively addressing these bugs, leading to improvements over time.
“It feels polished and bug-free.”
“Game runs great and the low-poly style is charming.”
“Runs great on a system that's from 2016: Z270 ASUS Prime, i7 6700K @ 4700, 16GB 3600 RAM, and a GTX 1080 at 2000.”
“There are still a lot of small glitches that I have noticed, but I believe they are working on fixing them.”
“Aside from that, there are standard glitches.”
“As for the game, I like it. I'm hoping for more sound upgrades; some background music would be nice. Other than that, I noticed that there are some sound glitches here and there.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a mix of good performance and significant lag issues, particularly when turning the head, despite achieving solid frame rates at high resolutions. While the visuals are appreciated, there is a strong call for better optimization to enhance the experience, especially for lower-end hardware like the GTX 1060. Future content updates are also anticipated to improve performance further.
“Good performance.”
“I really enjoyed the visuals; it just needs better optimization.”
“I would rate it much higher if it were optimized and had planned future content updates.”
“Managed to launch it today, but poor performance with lagging when turning head.”
“Would rate much higher if optimized and with planned future content updates.”
“That said, I'm getting solid 90 fps using resolution 500% - that's about 45 million pixels per frame for both eyes with the Index (2 x 4500 x 5000 pixels) - so surely the developers can add even more details without having GTX 1060 owners complaining about bad performance.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is appreciated by users, with instances of lighthearted mishaps, such as accidentally dropping a fishing rod and the amusing chaos of VR experiences. Players find the developers' sense of humor refreshing, especially in the context of early access challenges. Overall, the comedic elements contribute positively to the gaming experience.
“I dropped my fishing rod in the sea once by accident, but you can just pick it up from the tools rack, so it's funny.”
“I'm so glad they have a sense of humor about being in '(way too) early access.'”
“I'm somewhat new to VR; I love it, but Europe thought it would be funny to light itself on fire once I got it going and got the games working.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Users highlight the game's "infinitely replayable" nature, indicating that it offers a compelling experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“Infinitely replayable.”
“The game offers countless choices that make each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
“With multiple endings and diverse character paths, I find myself coming back for more.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again. The story doesn't change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
“I found the gameplay mechanics to be fun, but after completing the main story, I felt no urge to dive back in. The lack of new content really hurts replayability.”
“While the game is enjoyable, the limited choices and predictable outcomes make it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
