Through these little moments, Garden Story finds ways to show through progression, gameplay, and story how a community works together. It’s hitting some resources and seeing a little note in the corner of the screen that says, “Concord is learning the value of contributing,” and then activating a new Memory-a way to slot in skills and stat upgrades when you rest-that reflects what you’ve learned in the course of helping out. It’s about picking up some tasks and contributing, and feeling like you’ve done something good for the village. Garden Story is about hanging out around town and helping people out. The Stardew Valley comparison might be obvious, thanks to its art style and garden focus, but the thread I’m finding between the two isn’t just the look or subject material, but the general mood.
DOWSING ROD COZY GROVE OFFLINE
With Garden Story, and its thankfully offline story, I’m finding myself using it as a way to unwind at the end of the day. (Not to mention the Turnip Market, which was a whole thing.) Even in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I would get occasionally stressed out about making sure I made my rounds every day, and maxing out my potential gains and profit. Usually, checklist games can wear on me after a while. They even offered to stand guard at my home in the evenings, so I didn’t have to worry about kicking out any Rot before going to sleep.Īdd on an absolutely incredible look, with some really amazing pixel art, and some nice, cheery tunes, and Garden Story makes for a very relaxing game. I got some lenses for one character, a strong-hearted little cherry, and they were moved by my help. Some townsfolk might even start to ask me for favors, or just chat with me as I go about handling the day’s problems. The more tasks I complete, the more lively the town starts to feel. And with the setup of the game, it looks like Concord will likely move from area to area, helping each little village in the Grove (the world of Garden Story) get back on its feet.īut Garden Story has also just been about building a home. There are elements of gardening and resource-growing too, though they seem pretty low-key for the moment. I can use it to grab items out of the ocean, pull enemies closer, or rip shells off the heads of Rot so I can hit them with my Pick. The equipment is where things start to feel a bit different, as the second town-the one I’m currently working my way through-features the Dowsing Rod heavily, as a sort of fishing rod. It has some cool bosses from what I’ve seen as well, and the equipment Concord is picking up seems real fun to work with. It’s probably closest to a Legend of Zelda game, with top-down exploration and combat, and some dungeons to explore. Moment-to-moment, Garden Story can feel like a lot of different kinds of genres and games. The more you help around town, the more shops can open up and offer better items. Most of Garden Story so far has focused on resources, and gradually picking up requests to fill up meters. These tasks are pretty straightforward, though they thankfully haven’t ever become tedious. It might involve clearing out some Rot, the gooey monsters that plague the idyllic towns or it might mean repairing some fencing, or re-establishing a bridge or even just picking up some resources to put in the storage box. Every day, the citizens of the town put requests on the board for you to take care of as Guardian. Once you’ve played through the early tutorial sections, Garden Story gives you a place to call home and a bulletin board. Garden Story hits those same notes, but with a focus on community-how each person helps in their own way.
So many games take you through towns, but I really like the moments where I get to build something I can call my own whether that’s a village in Dragon Quest Builders, or a mining operation in Dyson Sphere Program, or a fortress in They Are Billions. There’s something about building a community that feels really good in games. Garden Story isn’t just about defeating evil, but building a home, and how everyone contributes to that home together. But at its core, it’s also about community. It tells a fun story about a tiny grape, Concord, who has to become a Guardian and fight the Rot. Garden Story is one of several indie games that surprise-dropped on the Switch this week, and it’s frankly adorable.
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