Garden Story

"If you are looking for a stopgap substitute for a 2D Zelda game, but with a bit more to offer in terms of depth and playability, Garden Story is the way to go."

"At times frustrating, Garden Story is a fantastic example of how charm can help push a game to the next level, despite some frustrating design choices."

"Taking cues from Zelda and Stardew Valley, Garden Story is a charming adventure packed with action and crafting that can often be oddly paced, dampening the fun of an otherwise delightful time."

"Garden Story is not actually about gardening, in the Stardew Valley sense, and that’s great. The story is about growing friendships and the organic development of communities. The mechanics are good enough to keep players engaged with the world. The …"

"Some games show that you don’t have to be flashy and dramatic to be epic, and I think Garden Story is a shining example of that. At its core, Garden Story is a game about community and the bonds we …"

"Garden Story is not the apple of my eye, nor is it rotten. I enjoyed my time helping Concord clear the rot, especially with the boss fights, but by the third town (out of four) I felt I had picked …"

"Garden Story offers an enjoyable, light and relaxing experience, although not perfect, between action adventure and life simulator."

"As an inexpensive and relatively short title by a one-person team, it is hard for me to lend much weight to the game’s misses. Garden Story’s characters and world have a magnetism; it’s hard to stop spending time with them …"

"There are so many chosen ones in the world. People, animals, and now in Garden Story there’s even a grape. Each one involves doing your best to make your world a better place. And here, things feel a little more …"

"Garden Story is a wonderful and unique take on the sim-adventure genre, and it’s definitely worth a look."

"It&s;s a title that would have been better had its length been pruned back to 8-10 hours. Anyone looking for a particularly chill experience that isn&s;t very demanding may derive more pleasure out of Concord&s;s adventure than I did, but …"

"Garden Story reaches for the sun with its bold stalks, but a shallow root system robs it of the stamina needed to fulfill its lofty dreams."

"When it comes to relatively chill adventures in more of a classic style the Switch has pretty great representation already and can now add Garden Story to the list..."

"As one of the surprise drops of the Nintendo Indie World showcase, we couldn&s;t wait to get our hands on Garden Story, one of the most hyped "wholesome" games of the past few months. What we were expecting was perhaps …"

"The Grove is slowly getting much weaker, and only one tiny grape is capable of saving it. In Garden Story, you play as Concord and must defend your community against Rot while also uniting the villages that have been torn …"

"I have enjoyed my 25+ hours with Garden Story for Switch so far. While I have cleared the story, there are still a few upgrades I don’t have, and more cosmetic unlockables to get for Concord to wear. The game …"

"Overall, Garden Story is a lovely and easygoing game that appeals to a broad audience. Despite some easier-than-expected dungeons and some elements being introduced much later than they should be, the game more than makes up for any shortcomings with …"

"Garden Story is a charming game. While it doesn’t do any one thing perfectly, it does all of it well enough to allow you to enjoy the chilled setting and charming character interactions. It is a delightful RPG, simulation full …"

"When I imagine my ideal cosy scenario, I picture being under fluffy blankets and playing the latest indie game with a nice cup of tea. The game of choice always has to match the environment. I can hardly be cosy …"

"Garden Story is a ripe take on Zelda-like ARPGs, but falls short in a couple of aspects."