The Garden Path
- July 30, 2024
- carrotcake
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreA slice-of-life sim about the joy of gardening, designed to be picked up and played in short and sweet bites. Whether you’re fishing, growing, trading, or making new vegetable friends, a wonderful and wistful adventure awaits when wandering The Garden Path.
Mac OS
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a beautiful art style and calming music, creating a cozy and relaxing atmosphere that many players find enchanting.
- It offers a unique, meditative experience where players can explore, garden, and interact with the environment at their own pace, making it ideal for short play sessions.
- The solo developer is actively working on updates and improvements, showing commitment to enhancing the game based on player feedback.
- The game lacks clear guidance and tutorials, leaving players confused about mechanics and objectives, which can lead to frustration.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues that hinder gameplay, such as problems with inventory management and tool functionality.
- Many players feel the game is grindy and lacks the engaging depth found in similar titles like Animal Crossing, making it less satisfying for those seeking a more structured experience.
- graphics15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming art style and beautiful aesthetic, evoking a cozy and magical ambiance that resonates with players. While many appreciate the visuals and sound design, some note that the overall mechanics can be buggy, which detracts from the experience. Despite these issues, the enchanting visuals and exploration elements keep players engaged and eager to discover more.
“The aesthetic of this game is so beautiful and cozy — it gives me such strong 'Over the Garden Wall' vibes, and I adore the art style of the world, particularly that of the characters.”
“The art style is wonderful, the soundtrack is awesome, and the gameplay is very simple in the best way.”
“I love the art style; it’s very charming and chill.”
“Art style is good, not great, and overall mechanics are very buggy.”
“That being said, as much as I adore the visuals and the foundation of the game, the core mechanics are so frustrating and off-putting that turning it on to play has begun to feel more like a chore than a treat, and more days are starting to pass in between my play sessions.”
“All in all, some great ideas; nice visuals and sound design, but somewhat poor execution of what could potentially be some fun relaxed gameplay.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of frustration and enjoyment; while the game features a charming art style and casual mechanics suitable for short play sessions, many players find the core mechanics buggy and lacking clear direction. The absence of adequate tutorials and character customization options detracts from the experience, making it feel more like a chore than a pleasure for some. Overall, the game shows potential with its visuals and sound design, but suffers from execution issues that hinder a smooth gameplay experience.
“The art style is wonderful, the soundtrack is awesome, and the gameplay is very simple in the best way.”
“I am only an hour in but I love how it is set up to be casual as my current schedule allows for small chunks of gameplay, so this fits perfectly.”
“The art style is lovely, the gameplay so far feels great from my limited amount of time; no complaints from me and I have a feeling that opinion won't change.”
“Not much character customization, and the day-night cycle is also a weird mechanic.”
“Art style is good, not great, and overall mechanics are very buggy.”
“It's just really bad at offering direction, and a lot of the game's menus and mechanics make it feel a bit... annoying to play.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is presented in a fragmented manner, encouraging players to piece it together by collecting journal pages, which adds an element of exploration and discovery. While the open-ended structure allows for freedom in co-op play, some players find the lack of clear guidance on quests and items can lead to confusion and frustration. Overall, the experience is more enjoyable in co-op mode, as discussing puzzles and missions with others enhances the storytelling aspect.
“My favorite bit is definitely the fragmented story you’re putting together by collecting all the journal pages.”
“I would warmly recommend this game as a co-op experience, even more so than single-player as it's easier to solve the puzzles and missions when you have someone to discuss them with.”
“I could have sworn I had a quest about an encyclopedia that either a) disappeared or b) didn’t actually exist and I’m crazy.”
“I still have a couple of quests that I can do but have no clue how to complete them, and some of these have to do with how it’s explained.”
“Most games nowadays are designed with a clear goal in mind and a chain of quests like 'do this, do that' — and people are so used to it that when a game doesn't have that, it's seen as 'boring'.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and calming qualities, perfectly complementing the enchanting art style and immersive ambiance. Players find the soundtrack and ambient sounds to be a significant draw, enhancing the overall experience and making exploration feel magical and soothing. Many reviewers suggest that the music alone makes the game worth playing.
“The music and ambience alone are worth playing the game for, and they complement the pleasant earthly colors of the garden to the point of lulling you to sleep.”
“The music and ambience alone is worth playing the game for, and it complements the pleasant earthly colors of the garden to the point of lulling you to sleep.”
“The artwork and music drew me in with their magical ambiance, and I was hooked by the vast amount of exploration and things to discover!”
“I'd recommend it just for the music and the ambient sounds; it's so calming!”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find "grinding" in Garden Path to be tedious due to its convoluted trading system, which detracts from the overall experience. While the game has a pleasant atmosphere, it fails to deliver a satisfying farming experience, leaving players wanting more from their short gameplay sessions.
“I always felt like I could do so much in ACNL in a short amount of time, whereas Garden Path feels grindy thanks to its convoluted trading system.”
“The game has a great vibe to it, but doesn't really offer much of a farming experience.”
“30-minute gameplays here and there don't really satisfy the itch for a farming experience.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as rich and immersive, encouraging players to explore and engage with the environment for extended periods. It evokes a cozy feeling, making players want to relax and delve into its intricacies.
“Overall, the atmosphere of the game makes me want to curl up on my couch, following and unraveling threads.”
“The atmosphere is incredibly rich, and I enjoyed just wandering around for more than an hour.”
“The atmosphere of the game feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real sense of immersion.”
“I found the atmosphere to be dull and lifeless, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“The game's atmosphere is so generic that it fails to evoke any real emotions or reactions.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for having numerous bugs that affect overall mechanics, despite a decent art style.
“The art style is good, but the overall mechanics are very buggy.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and glitches that ruined the experience.”
