Garden Story

Last updated
Garden Story
Garden Story cover.jpg
Developer(s) Picogram
Publisher(s) Rose City Games
Programmer(s) Picogram
Artist(s) Picogram
Composer(s) Grahm Nesbitt
Platform(s)
ReleasemacOS, Windows, Switch
August 11, 2021
Xbox One
July 12, 2022
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Garden Story is an action role-playing game developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games. The game was released for macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch on August 11, 2021, and for Xbox One on July 12, 2022. Limited Run Games announced that physical copies would be distributed in Q3 2022.

Contents

The game follows Concord, a grape who takes care of the kindergarten, which is tended by the youngest Greenling. Plum, the Guardian of Spring Hamlet, tells them that the Rot is causing the lack of new Greenlings. Plum appoints Concord as the new Guardian of Spring Hamlet, and Concord goes on a journey across the Grove to defeat the Rot. Garden Story received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the visuals and music, but were underwhelmed by the gameplay.

Gameplay

Concord fighting Octopihi, a boss. Garden Story Octopihi boss fight.png
Concord fighting Octopihi, a boss.

In Garden Story, players control a grape named Concord, who has to travel across the Grove and eliminate the Rot that resides there. [1] Concord can wield a sword, a hammer, and a dowsing rod. Each weapon can be upgraded with materials. [2] An enemy may require the use of a certain weapon to defeat them. [2] Weapons can be used to solve puzzles and gather resources. Concord can use the dowsing rod to grab items or activate switches. [2] Attacking, rolling and sprinting depletes Concord's stamina gauge. [1]

In each town that they visit, Concord is given a house where they can change their clothes, store materials, and refill bottles. [2] Garden Story has a day-night cycle. [2] The day ends if Concord dies or goes to sleep. [3] [2] When Concord wakes up, they are given daily tasks to complete. [1] Each day, the requests on the bulletin board are changed. [2] When Concord rests, the town earns experience points from requests completed during the previous day. [2] The experience points are given to one of three categories. [4] Increasing the level of each category upgrades the inventory of the town's shops. [2] Some towns have to reach a certain level to progress in the story. [2] They are leveled up when Concord completes the town's requests. [4] Concord can collect new resources by planting seeds. Some seeds have to be planted to progress through the story. [1] Concord can build structures around town, and purchase cosmetic items from the stores. [1] To gain access to an area's dungeon, Concord has to complete requests and gather resources. Concord has to defeat the dungeon's boss to move on to the next area. [5]

Orbs can be found around the island. [2] Concord can break them and consume the gems inside of them. [2] These gems provide permanent upgrades to Concord's stats, including stamina, health, resistance, and mind. [2] Perks can be used to change Concord's stats and abilities, which are obtained when they complete tasks. [2] These perks represent memories which alter stats and grant abilities. [2] Concord can restore their health with bottles filled with dew. [2]

Development and release

Garden Story was developed by Filipino-American creator Picogram. [6] The soundtrack was composed by Grahm Nesbitt, who also composed the soundtracks of Goodbye Doggy and Floppy Knights. [6] Garden Story's development started in March 2018. [7] After seeing the game in Portland-based events, Rose City Games partnered with Picogram. [7]

In August 2019, Viz Media announced Garden Story for PC, with a scheduled release in spring 2020. [8] [9] The game was featured at PAX West 2019 Featured at PAX South 2020. [10] [11] A demo showing off a region called Autumn Town was released on Steam in November. [12] It was available until December 21. [13] Garden Story was a part of the Indie Megabooth at PAX East 2020. [14] The developers showcased the game at the Fellow Traveller event, LudoNarracon. [7] To prepare for the event, Picogram recorded themselves making art. Grahm had discussions about composition, and played live versions of the soundtrack's songs. [7]

In June, Garden Story was delayed to 2021. [15] In July, the game was featured at Twitch's Indie Showcase. [16] The developers received funding from Kowloon Nights, a funding source founded in 2017. [17] [18] Garden Story's demo was playable during the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition. [19] [20] At the Day of the Devs event, a trailer was released, showing gameplay footage. [21] Garden Story was given a release window of summer. [22] [23] The game was featured in Wholesome Games' Wholesome Direct. [24] [25] In August, Garden Story was showcased at Nintendo's Indie World event. [26] [27] A Switch release was announced on that same day. [28]

On August 11, 2021, Garden Story was released for Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch. [29] The game was also featured at Nintendo's Indie World Showcase. [30] Garden Story received a free expansion, which added shops to the Perennial Plaza, and cosmetic items for Concord. The expansion was released on Steam on October 28. [6] [31] At Limited Run Games' LRG3 presentation, a physical release for Garden Story was announced. [32] The copies are slated for pre-order in Summer 2022. [33]

Reception

Garden Story received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [34] [35]

TouchArcade 's Shaun Musgrave called the world "positively adorable", and described the game as a " Zelda style" action-adventure. Musgrave wrote that the presentation and characters helped "pull it along". He criticized the technical issues of the Switch version, including the length of the load times. Musgrave believed that Garden Story would appeal to fans of Blossom Tales or Ittle Dew. [36] Kate Gray from Nintendo Life praised the game's music and the variety of systems, but felt that the game quickly lost momentum. [4]

Izzy Parsons from RPGFan lauded the game's graphics and enjoyed the soundtrack. However, Parsons felt that the game design was repetitive and that there was no sense of cohesion or progression in the dungeons. Parsons believed that the characters and world had a magnetism, and wrote that Garden Story was "definitely worth checking out". [2] Nintendo World Report's Jordan Rudek felt that the game made a good first impression, but did not build on its momentum. He praised the art style and music, comparing the visuals to Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion . Rudek believed that the story and combat were insufficiently compelling, and deemed the gameplay loop uninspired. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Crystar</i> 2018 video game

Crystar is an action role-playing game developed by Gemdrops and published by FuRyu. The game was released for PlayStation 4 in October 2018 in Japan, and internationally by Spike Chunsoft in August 2019 with an additional Microsoft Windows version. A port for the Nintendo Switch was released in Japan in February 2022, and worldwide by NIS America later that year.

<i>The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero</i> 2010 video game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a 2010 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series. It takes place in Crossbell, a city-state located between two great powers fighting for control over it, and follows Lloyd Bannings and his colleagues Elie MacDowell, Randy Orlando, and Tio Plato. The four form the Special Support Section, a newly formed department of the Crossbell police. The game and its 2011 sequel, Trails to Azure, form the Crossbell arc of the series.

In the video game industry, 2021 saw the release of many new titles. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted development schedules, leading to several games being delayed into 2022 or even postponed indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of a semiconductor shortage and a rising growth of bitcoin mining that strained the supply of critical components.

<i>Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia</i> 2020 video game

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a turn-based strategy game with tactical role-playing elements, developed by Matrix Software and published by Happinet. It is a sequel to the 1998 PlayStation game Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena, and features the same core gameplay with a new setting. The player chooses one of six nations of the continent of Runersia and must guide it to conquer the others and unify the land using powerful Rune Knights and their summoned monsters. The game was released worldwide for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2020, and for Windows in May 2022.

<i>Bravely Default II</i> 2021 video game

Bravely Default II is a role-playing video game developed by Claytechworks and published by Square Enix. It was released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on February 26, 2021, with Nintendo publishing the game on the platform outside of Japan, and was released for Windows on September 2, 2021. It is the third main installment in the Bravely series, following the original Bravely Default and its direct sequel Bravely Second: End Layer. It features a separate story, setting, and cast of characters.

<i>Giraffe and Annika</i> 2020 indie video game

Giraffe and Annika is an indie, action-adventure and rhythm video game hybrid developed by Atelier Mimina and published by Playism, NIS America, and Koei Tecmo Games. It released on February 17, 2020 for Windows, August 25, 2020 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, and August 27, 2020 for Xbox One. The game revolves around Annika, a catgirl who finds herself stranded on the island of Spica with amnesia. She must recover her memories with the help of a boy named Giraffe by finding three special star fragments. The game uses a pacifist battle system where fights are done through rhythm based action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serenity Forge</span> American video game developer

Serenity Forge LLC is an American video game developer and publisher based in Boulder, Colorado. The studio was founded in 2014 by Zhenghua "Z" Yang.

<i>Little Kitty, Big City</i> 2024 video game

Little Kitty, Big City is an adventure video game and debut release from American indie developer Double Dagger Studio. The player assumes the role of a cat lost within a city, with the main objective of making their way back home. It released for the Nintendo Switch, Windows, the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X/S on May 9, 2024.

<i>Pupperazzi</i> 2022 video game

Pupperazzi is a photography game developed by Sundae Month and published by Kitfox Games. The game was released on January 20, 2022 for macOS, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch port was released on April 6, 2023. Players control a humanoid camera, earning followers by taking photos and sharing them on the in-game social media site, dogNET. Pupperazzi received mixed reviews upon release.

<i>Cake Bash</i> 2020 video game

Cake Bash is a party video game developed by High Tea Frog and published by Coatsink. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on October 15, 2020, later releasing on November 19 for the Nintendo Switch. In the game, players control cakes competing against each other in order to be chosen by a customer.

<i>Dark Devotion</i> 2019 video game

Dark Devotion is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Hibernian Workshop and published by The Arcade Crew. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch. Development started in 2015, with a successful Kickstarter campaign being launched two years later.

<i>Kunai</i> (video game) 2020 action-platform video game

Kunai is an action-platform video game developed by TurtleBlaze and published by The Arcade Crew. The game was released on February 6, 2020 for Windows and Nintendo Switch. In the game, the player controls Tabby, a robot tasked with defeating Lemonkus, an AI that nearly causes the extinction of humanity. In July 2020, The Arcade Crew partnered with Limited Run Games to release physical copies of the Nintendo Switch version. The physical copies were released in October 2020. The PC version received generally favorable reviews, while the Nintendo Switch version received mixed reviews.

<i>Phogs!</i> 2020 video game

Phogs! is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Bit Loom Games and published by Coatsink. The game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia on December 3, 2020, and for Amazon Luna on November 18, 2021. In Phogs!, players control a two-headed dog called Red and Blue. Phogs! received generally favorable reviews from critics.

<i>The Big Con</i> 2021 video game

The Big Con is an adventure game developed by Mighty Yell and published by Skybound Games. It was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 31, 2021. A Nintendo Switch version was released on June 1, 2022. Versions for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were released on August 31, 2023. Set in the 1990s, the game follows Ali, a teenager who works at a video rental store owned by Linda, her mother. After learning that her mother owes $97,342.18 to loan sharks, she meets Ted, a con artist. They travel across the United States, earning money to save Linda's store. The Windows version of The Big Con received favorable reviews, while the Xbox Series X/S version received mixed reviews.

<i>KeyWe</i> 2021 video game

KeyWe is a 2021 puzzle-platform video game developed by Stonewheat & Sons and published by Sold Out. The game was released for Windows and Nintendo Switch on August 31, later releasing on September 28 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S ports were released on December 16. KeyWe follows Jeff and Debra, two kiwis working at the Bungalow Basin Telepost Office. KeyWe was prototyped during the 2018 Global Game Jam. Grant Gessel, the technical artist, took inspiration from Going Postal, a story by Terry Pratchett. Rare games such as Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day inspired KeyWe's art style. KeyWe received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Monster Crown</i> 2021 video game

Monster Crown is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Studio Aurum and published by Soedesco. Heavily inspired by early games in the Pokémon series, it features similar mechanics, but with a darker fictional universe and storyline. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay and graphical style, but noted significant bugs and performance issues, and also criticized it for game balance issues as well as its story.

<i>RPG Time: The Legend of Wright</i> 2022 video game

RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is a 2022 adventure video game developed by DeskWorks and published by Aniplex. Described as a "handwritten role-playing game", the visuals of RPG Time are depicted as a hand-drawn series of paper-and-pencil games on a notebook presented to the player as a role-playing adventure. Development of the game was led by Japanese designer Tom Fuji, who had worked on the game for over ten years, and cited his childhood experiences with hand-made games from craft materials as the inspiration for the game's visual design and theme.

Plug In Digital is a French video game publisher and distributor. They were founded in 2012 and established two subsidiaries since then: Dear Villagers, who publish mid-market games for personal computers and consoles, and PID Games, who publish games of all varieties.

On Your Tail is an upcoming narrative mystery adventure life simulation video game developed by Italian indie studio Memorable Games and published by Humble Games.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Score based on 6 reviews.
  2. ↑ Score based on 17 reviews.
References
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rudek, Jordan (19 August 2021). "Garden Story (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Parsons, Izzy (2 September 2021). "Garden Story | RPGFan". RPGFan. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  3. ↑ Gerblick, Jordan (22 October 2021). "Have you tried… Saving the world as a grape in Zelda-meets-Stardew RPG Garden Story?". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gray, Kate (22 August 2021). "Review: Garden Story - A Flawed But Charming RPG In Farm Sim's Clothing". Nintendo Life . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Nightingale, Ed (23 August 2021). "You need to play this delightfully wholesome game about sentient, non-binary fruit". PinkNews . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Bashir, Dale (20 October 2021). "Filipino-American Action RPG 'Garden Story' Getting Substantial Autumn Update This Month". IGN Southeast Asia . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Windom, Jenny (14 May 2020). "Cultivating Curation: LudoNarraCon 2020 Recap". Gamasutra . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Fuller, Alex (21 August 2019). "VIZ Media Announces Garden Story". RPGamer. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Romano, Sal (20 August 2019). "VIZ Media and Rose City Games announce pixel graphic adventure game Garden Story for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Welhouse, Zach (9 September 2019). "Garden Story PAX West 2019 Impression". RPGamer. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. ↑ Denzer, TJ (24 January 2020). "Garden Story hands-on preview at PAX South 2020". Shacknews . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  12. ↑ LeClair, Kyle (12 November 2019). "Free Demo For Cozy Adventure/RPG Game Garden Story Now Available - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  13. ↑ Chalk, Andy (15 November 2019). "Try the super-cute adventure-RPG Garden Story for free in the new demo on Steam". PC Gamer . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  14. ↑ Romano, Sal (11 February 2020). "Indie Megabooth announces PAX East 2020 lineup". Gematsu. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (25 June 2020). "Garden Story pushes its harvest back to 2021". Shacknews . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Chalk, Andy (27 July 2020). "Twitch's Indie Showcase will feature Garden Story, Nuts, Werewolf, and more". PC Gamer . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  17. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (5 February 2021). "Kowloon Nights announces litany of indie studio partnerships". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  18. ↑ MCV Staff (8 February 2021). "[From the industry] Kowloon Nights announces 23 new titles, continues to quietly revolutionize game funding". MCV/Develop . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  19. ↑ Adler, Matthew (18 March 2020). "Steam's Spring Game Festival Features Over 40 Playable Demos Until March 23rd". IGN . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  20. ↑ Fuller, Alex (19 March 2020). "Steam Game Festival Makes Limited-Time Demos Available". RPGamer. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  21. ↑ Tekaia, Pascal (12 June 2021). "Garden Story to Sprout This Summer". RPGamer. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  22. ↑ Romano, Sal (10 June 2021). "Garden Story launches this summer". Gematsu. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  23. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (10 June 2021). "Day of the Devs: Everything Shown Including Last Stop Release Date, and Axiom Verge 2 - Summer of Gaming". IGN . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  24. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (12 June 2021). "Wholesome Direct: Everything Announced, Including Lake Release Date, Skatebird Accessibility - Summer of Gaming". IGN . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  25. ↑ Fuller, Alex (27 May 2020). "Wholesome Direct Highlights Upcoming Indie Titles". RPGamer. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  26. ↑ Fuller, Alex (18 August 2020). "Nintendo Indie World Showcase Round-Up". RPGamer. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  27. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (18 August 2020). "Nintendo Indie World August 18 Showcase Highlights 14 Switch Games". IGN . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  28. ↑ Romano, Sal (18 August 2020). "Garden Story adds Switch version". Gematsu. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  29. ↑ Romano, Sal (11 August 2021). "Garden Story now available". Gematsu. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  30. ↑ Stewart, Marcus (11 August 2021). "Everything You Need To Know About Today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase". Game Informer . Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  31. ↑ Gray, Kate (19 October 2021). "Free 'Garden Story' Update Adds New Shops, Shortcuts, And Hats". Nintendo Life . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  32. ↑ Denzer, TJ (6 June 2022). "Limited Run Games LRG3 2022 showcase - All announcements & trailers". Shacknews . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  33. ↑ Fuller, Alex (7 June 2022). "Limited Run Games Reveals New Physical Releases". RPGamer. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  34. 1 2 "Garden Story for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  35. 1 2 "Garden Story for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  36. 1 2 Musgrave, Shaun (23 August 2021). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Fort Triumph' and More, Plus the Latest New Releases and Sales – TouchArcade". TouchArcade . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.