

Alongside the stick I was hitting stuff with I also got a sickle by doing a solid for a lazy tomato, and there's a dowsing rod, which is essentially a fishing rod, that allows you to do damage too. There's a stamina gauge to watch and enemies strike back every now and then, but the demo at least is very gentle. Push those crates!Ĭombat and harvesting are all handled the same way: you have a weapon of some kind and you hit stuff.

In the demo, you visit a new area that has fallen into ruin, do a few favours for a few people and then rattle through a mini-dungeon where simple combat combines with sokoban puzzles. Your job is to restore a town to prosperity, harvesting stuff, clearing stuff up, knocking about gooey purple enemies known as the Rot. This is fairly well-travelled territory by now, but it doesn't stop Garden Story being wonderful. The demo was available on Steam over the last few days, while the game itself is out sometime in Spring.
#Garden story video game Pc
In Garden Story, a sort of town-rebuilding RPG for PC and Mac, with dungeons and beautiful chunky pixel art and a sweet nature, you play as Concord, a grape with a mission of regeneration. Then I realised it was a grape, so I guess I fell in love with a grape. Little things like how raindrops ripple in water, but splash on the ground or how Concord bounces up and down stairs, landing with an adorable expression, shows just how much love and care has gone into this game.This weekend I fell in love with a blueberry. Furthermore, there’s an incredible attention to detail that gives the whole game a greater shine of polish. Even as day progresses to night, the soft reds of afternoon and blues of night always keep the Grove looking soft and peaceful. Garden Story has a beautiful pixel-art aesthetic, with every square of the map absolutely PACKED with details, all complimented by a gorgeous pastel colour palette that really fits the game’s relaxed playstyle and adorable setting. Where Garden Story really stands out is in its visuals.

“ Garden Story has a beautiful pixel-art aesthetic, with every square of the map absolutely PACKED with details, all complimented by a gorgeous pastel colour palette that really fits the game’s relaxed playstyle and adorable setting.”
#Garden story video game upgrade
Granted there are ways to increase your stamina-either through special upgrade gems, or unique “memories,” that you can gain by performing certain actions, or visiting the monuments of past Guardians that act as perks. It’s an odd choice that doesn’t really gel with this kind of top-down adventure game given the simplicity of combat, this kind of stamina system makes things more tedious rather than adding any layers of complexity. There’s no real penalty for not completing a task, but doing so will raise the town’s corresponding level which will give you access to better tools and upgrades.Įvery swing of your weapon, or dodge roll requires one tick of stamina so players need to really pay attention while fighting-particularly at the start of the game where your base stats are fairly low-unless they want to get wiped out by the Rot and lose the day. You’re not really tending to your own garden, watching it grow as the days go by instead, each day you’ll be given three requests-combat, maintenance, and foraging.

While you can definitely see some inspiration from games like Stardew Valley Garden Story feels a lot more like a sim-based The Legend of Zelda. Rather, that feeling comes from a genuine want to see the story move forward. It’s up to Concord to reunite the Grove, and defeat the Rot once and for all! It’s an endearing story that genuinely makes you feel like a part of something bigger, but it’s laid back pace and gentle atmosphere doesn’t make you feel compelled to progress. Players take on the role of Concord-a small grape of few words, who is chosen to be the next Guardian by his mentor and friend, Plum. During the age of Guardians, the Grove flourished as the community rallied together, however many Guardians were defeated, and the island grew weaker and the four communities separated and stopped cooperating.
