Gardener's Path
- December 22, 2021
- Viridino Studios
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games StoreIn Gardener's Path, protect underground gardens from giant insects in this top-down, turn-based puzzle game. Solve intricate puzzles across 60 unique levels with season-based pixel art and a soothing soundtrack. Utilize magical artifacts, plants, and insects to maintain the fragile balance of life in a fantasy world.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Gardener's Path features beautiful graphics and a relaxing soundtrack, creating a delightful atmosphere for puzzle-solving.
- The game offers a variety of interesting mechanics and challenges, with a good balance of difficulty that keeps players engaged without being overly frustrating.
- It includes a skip option for levels, allowing players to enjoy the game at their own pace and return to challenging puzzles later.
- The game lacks an undo button and has limited keybinding options, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Some players found the execution of the game to be lacking, with issues like a small starting window and annoying sound effects during cutscenes.
- The overall length of the game is short, with no additional content or challenges after completing the 60 levels, leaving some players wanting more.
- gameplay28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a simple yet engaging loop, featuring 60 stages filled with unique pests and obstacles that introduce new mechanics gradually, ensuring a balanced difficulty curve. Players can easily restart stages, making it accessible for those who prefer a fast-paced experience, while the well-crafted level design prevents repetition and enhances understanding of each mechanic. Overall, it offers a chill puzzle experience with a delightful mix of challenges and a relaxing soundtrack.
“As you progress deeper into the gardens, you come across a variety of different pests and obstacles, each with their own unique mechanics: beetles which cannot be hit from the front, snails which bounce backwards when hit, centipedes which can only be defeated by hitting their specific weak spot, cacti which defeat you when moved into, etc.”
“The gameplay is fast-paced and the player can quickly restart a stage, a very welcome aspect for those who suffer with slow-paced games.”
“But it never feels tiring or repetitive as you are being introduced to new gameplay mechanics every 5 levels or so.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's your average sliding game, no timer or move limit, but the annoying real-time element near the end detracts from the experience.”
“The gameplay is very simple; you just move in 4 directions to reach the end, which can feel limiting.”
“It might feel like you are being thrown new mechanics at you too often, but the level design is very well-made, making it easy to understand every mechanic.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of *Gardener's Path* are widely praised for their beauty and charm, contributing to a relaxing and immersive experience. Players appreciate the vibrant pixel art and the overall visual appeal, which enhances the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay execution. Overall, the visuals are a standout feature that attract players to the game.
“The art, visuals, and story elements are all beautiful, and added a real sense of comfort to the game.”
“[gardener's path] is a short and relaxing puzzle game with chill music and beautiful graphics.”
“The graphics and music are amazing; it was the graphics that got me to buy this game to begin with.”
“Gardener's Path is a short sliding game with great pixel graphics and music, but pretty bad execution otherwise.”
“Took my smooth brain ~100 mins to wrap it up, very good feel and creative level designs - it's like a fast-paced Chuchu Rocket from the Game Boy Advance era with better graphics.”
- music10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in *Gardener's Path* is consistently praised for its chill and relaxing quality, complementing the game's beautiful graphics. Reviewers appreciate the variety of tracks that enhance the overall experience, although some note that the game's execution could be improved. Overall, the soundtrack is a standout feature that contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
“The soundtrack is super chill and the gameplay is perfectly balanced regarding difficulty.”
“And the music is great, plenty of tracks, and they all fit very well.”
“The graphics and music are amazing; it was the graphics that got me to buy this game to begin with.”
“Gardener's Path is a short sliding game with great pixel graphics and music, but pretty bad execution otherwise.”
- story4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story follows a gardener who strives to protect her village and its underground gardens from giant insects, creating a comforting narrative enhanced by beautiful art and visuals. Overall, the storytelling elements contribute significantly to the game's charm.
“The art, visuals, and story elements are all beautiful, and added a real sense of comfort to the game.”
“The story is about a girl, gardener by trade, trying to protect her village and the underground gardens from giant insects.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to the need to scroll through 60 levels across 4 environments for replaying, as level numbers are only visible on the level select screen and pause menu. This design choice contributes to a frustrating experience when attempting to revisit levels.
“The game features 60 levels across 4 environments, but the level numbers are only displayed on the level select screen, which requires a lot of tedious left/right scrolling if you want to replay them.”
“With 60 levels spread over 4 environments, the only way to see level numbers is through the level select screen, leading to frustratingly repetitive scrolling to find the ones you want to replay.”
“There are 60 levels in 4 environments, but the lack of easy access to level numbers on the main screen means you'll spend a lot of time scrolling back and forth just to replay a level.”
