There have been many simulation video games over the years, but none has ever been like Garden In, come and find out with us why in this review
Garden In is an independent video game developed by Dramatic Iceberg, and it is a rather unusual simulation title, in fact we will have to cultivate plants. Yes, you read that correctly, the video game will focus on the cultivation of houseplants of different kinds, and will also allow us to give free rein to our green thumb by letting ourselves go into dozens and dozens of hybridizations. If you are curious to know more about Garden In, this review is here for you.
A title you don’t expect
In an era in which FPS are the masters, even better if Battle Royale, seeing a software house embark on an enterprise that goes far beyond anything we ever expected makes us smile a little. It’s what the boys of Dramatic Iceberglaunching into the development of a video game that we never thought we’d see on our ultra-luxury gamer monitors. In fact, Garden In is something that left us amazeda title that brought us back to the old Tabozz Simulator.
It was back in 1997 when, with friends, we used to turn on the PC and load those little “killer apps”, video games that he didn’t even call such because they were mostly applications that you opened to spend those few minutes of relaxation. Most of the time there was nothing so complicated to do, except click with the mouse on some option and wait for the result, then close the program after a few minutes and go back to enjoying the nice weather at the park behind the house.
This is the feeling that Garden In gave us while the review was in progressa small application (or in this case I should say “independent video game”) useful for relaxing those few minutes, between one shooting and another, or while Master Chief he’s making Covenant stew here and there. To be honest, if we are to let ourselves go down memory lane, Creatures also comes to mind a 90s PC video game.
Simulation of relaxation – Garden In review!
Although Garden In! presents itself as an independent simulation title, this does not mean that we are dealing with a poor quality or poorly made product. It’s importantvery important, iInsert Garden In in its relative “market” segment so that every reader can fully understand the reference range in which this stock is positioned. We are in fact faced with nothing but an application useful for us to relax our nervesperhaps between one death and another in Elder Ring (of which you can read our review here).
All we have to do is place pots, plant seeds, and take care of our plants in two very simple ways, giving them the right amount of water, and keeping away the various parasites that could infest them. Put like this anyone would exclaim the craziest of statements about how boring it could be, but if approached correctly it is not at all. Starting simply from noting that each seed will need its right habitat to germinate.
Refined Simplicity – Garden In Review!
The gameplay of Garden In! as seen in the review phase it is very simple and everything will be managed through the mouse and a few keys on our keyboard, in fact we will have to choose which seed to cultivate and start positioning the pot with the right bottom where to plant our seed. From that moment on, ours will all be a long wait, a wait that fortunately won’t necessarily force us to keep the video game open. Indeed even if we haven’t opened the application, the seeds will continue to germinate and the plants to grow.
In the game it is also present the herbarium, a book that will help us to ascertain the growth times of a plant, or how to get some through the hybridization of two seeds or two plants. Which brings us to the next question, what is the use of growing other plants or hybridizing them? There is an achievement mechanic in the game, and every completed achievement will unlock something in it. Aesthetically more captivating pots, gadgets to beautify our rooms, skins for our walls or in-game backgrounds, without forgetting other seeds and other plants. Additional rooms will also be unlocked as the game progresses.
Conclusion
Garden In left us pleasantly surprised as it is that kind of project that goes against the tide, which puts a very simple and almost an end in itself into the hands of the gamer. It is precisely the end that pleasantly surprised us, relaxing the user behind the PC by giving him minutes in which the only thing to do is reflect on where to place a vase and which seeds to plant.
Despite the simple gameplay found in the review phaseand despite the fact that it is a title that you will open for a few minutes and then close immediately after, we don’t feel like rejecting Garden In!, far from it. The effort that the boys have put into creating something out of any current videogame canon is to be commended. It’s not a boring title, also because we remember that it doesn’t need to spend hours and hours looking at a fixed screen, but it’s still a title that in its simplicity may not appeal to everyone.
The title is available from January 26, 2023 for PC on the Steam platform, for Nintendo Switch, and for Linux. To stay up to date on everything that revolves around video games (and not only) we invite you to stay tuned to the TechGameWorld.com pages, and always throw a shred of attention to the Instant Gaming site where you can find all the video games of the moment at discounted prices .
A green thumb at work!
Plus points
- Simple gameplay
- Lots of choice of seeds and items to unlock
- It’s in Italian
Points against
- It is a video game not suitable for everyone
- Unfortunately you move in an “open” and “close” application
- Sometimes rotating objects is a titanic undertaking