The Gardener and the Wild Vines

About

"The Gardener and the Wild Vines" is a challenging platformer where you leap and slash through handcrafted towers, using flowers and vines to propel yourself upward. Search for the missing Prince, battle environmental hazards, and experience a touching fairy tale of love and risk. With 28 challenging levels and a separate Challenge Mode, there's plenty of content to master.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

The Gardener and the Wild Vines screenshot

+10

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

story26 positive mentions

The game features charming characters and a heartfelt story that resonates with players, particularly those who appreciate LGBTQ+ representation.
Gameplay mechanics are unique and satisfying, allowing for enjoyable platforming and creative combos with flowers and vines.
The visuals are beautifully polished, with a cute art style and engaging sound design that enhance the overall experience.

Some players found the vine growth mechanics to be arbitrary and frustrating, leading to confusion during gameplay.
The game can feel repetitive, with levels that may look similar and a pacing that some found to be drawn out.
While the story is appreciated, certain plot elements, like the rebels vs King subplot, were seen as unnecessary and detracting from the main narrative.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The story of the game is widely praised for its charm, emotional depth, and engaging narrative, centering on a touching love story that resonates with themes of self-discovery and support. Players appreciate the lighthearted yet meaningful plot, which features LGBTQ+ representation and relatable social topics, making it a delightful experience that enhances the platforming gameplay. Overall, the narrative is described as cute, funny, and well-integrated with the gameplay, leaving players eager to see how it unfolds.
- “The storytelling is great, quite touching.”
- “It has really amazing feeling movement with interesting levels, all while telling a short but sweet story about self-discovery and, in a way, the importance of a functioning support system when one struggles with doubts.”
- “The story made me cry many times, and I think it's a perfect mix of storytelling and play, and has great parallels to real-life situations that people may be struggling with.”
- “For a price as low as this, I was expecting a game that could be finished in half an hour and not give the slightest toss about plot resolution or characterization.”
- “The plot could be wholly about a gardener trying to rescue a prince from an evil magician without anything else tied to it and it would've worked very well, especially as it removes some of the plot threads at the end.”
- “The story is cute too.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The gameplay in [i]The Gardener and the Wild Vines[/i] is praised for its unique and satisfying mechanics, particularly the platforming and vine-pruning elements, which are easy to learn yet complex to master. Players appreciate the variety of challenges, the introduction of new mechanics as they progress, and the overall smoothness of the gameplay, although some feel that the combo system is less integral to the story mode. The game is described as a delightful puzzle-platformer with a charming design and engaging mechanics, making it a standout indie title.
- “So mechanically rich and interesting, but really simple to understand and master.”
- “The action mechanics and movement are so tight and feel really good to play.”
- “The combo mechanic feels out of place and encourages you to spend time cutting flowers rather than progressing the level, even though there is no point in doing more than the bare minimum.”
- “The platformer mechanics are simple to learn but complex to master, as well as unique!”
- “The main mechanic of dash/pruning vines is very satisfying.”
emotional
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartfelt storytelling and emotional depth, often evoking tears through its touching narrative and relatable themes. Players appreciate the charming visuals and humorous, heartwarming dialogue, particularly highlighting the representation of a gay protagonist on a quest for love. Overall, it is described as a fun, wholesome experience that resonates with real-life struggles while providing a delightful gaming experience.
- “The storytelling is great, quite touching.”
- “The story made me cry many times, and I think it's a perfect mix of storytelling and play, and has great parallels to real-life situations that people may be struggling with.”
- “I decided to pick it up because of the gay protagonist and his quest to find his prince because that is the cutest thing I've ever heard, and there are not enough wholesome gay games, but what I got was that and more.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming and cute aesthetic, featuring a unique 2.5D style that evokes nostalgia for mid-to-late 90s PS1 and N64 titles. The pixel art is inventive, complemented by a delightful soundtrack and humorous dialogue, creating an engaging visual experience that enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The game has a wonderful art style, a sort of 2.5D perspective shifting chunky pixel aesthetic reminiscent of mid-to-late 90s PS1 and N64 games.”
- “Good pixel art and an inventive graphics style with the 3D towers and 2D sprites.”
- “The art style is cute, the music is a vibe, and the dialogue is a treat.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a charming and heartwarming narrative, with extremely funny dialogue that keeps players laughing throughout. While the plot is simple, it is well-paced and complemented by delightful visuals, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience despite some technical issues.
- “The visuals are charming as hell, the dialogue is extremely funny and heartwarming.”
- “The story has so much charm and has me laughing the whole time.”
- “The narrative is funny and very well paced.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music and sound design in the game are consistently praised as phenomenal, enhancing the overall experience with a captivating soundtrack and effective sound effects. Players appreciate the music's ability to create a vibe that complements the cute art style and engaging dialogue, contributing to smooth gameplay and an enjoyable atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack and sound design are phenomenal, and the characters are so good.”
- “The sound effects and music are amazing; the gameplay is smooth, and I'm getting so much better at combos without even thinking about it.”
- “The art style is cute, the music is a vibe, and the dialogue is a treat.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
"The Gardener and the Wild Vines" offers a short playtime of 3-4 hours, but its replayability is enhanced by extra challenges, collectibles, and built-in challenge modes, making it a polished and engaging experience that encourages players to return.
- “The Gardener and the Wild Vines is a relatively short game, clocking in at about 3-4 hours, but there are extra challenges and collectibles to add replay value.”
- “It is an overwhelmingly polished, quick, but highly replayable experience with built-in challenge modes and bonus objectives.”
- “The Gardner and the Wild Vines is a relatively short game, clocking in at about 3-4 hours, but there are extra challenges and collectibles to add replay value.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Character development is highlighted as a strong point, with users praising the engaging story that effectively explores themes of love and friendship.
- “The game features a compelling story and character development that beautifully explores themes of love and friendship.”
- “The character development is rich and engaging, making the relationships feel authentic and meaningful.”
- “I was impressed by how the character arcs evolved throughout the game, highlighting the importance of love and friendship.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players have noted that the game features numerous movement techniques and optimizations, encouraging exploration and mastery of these mechanics for enhanced gameplay.
- “Lots of little movement tech and optimizations to be discovered.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its calming quality, which complements the engaging puzzles and story, creating an immersive experience for players.
- “Loving the puzzles, story, and calming atmosphere.”

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