The Gardens Between

 PC
The Gardens Between Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

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  • Summary: The Gardens Between is a surreal puzzle adventure that follows best friends, Arina and Frendt, as they fall into a mysterious world of beautiful garden islands. Manipulate time to solve puzzles and discover the secrets of each island.

Trailer

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The Gardens Between - PGW 2017 Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. GameCritics
    Oct 15, 2018
    90
    No good thing can last forever though, and as pretty and pleasant as the islands are, I couldn’t stay. After finishing a section, I often made Arina and Frendt run back and forth just to look at the details and to enjoy the complete, endearing picture, but that’s not how progress is made. I had to make them move on. Reminiscing on and remembering the past is sweet and often important, but we can’t spend too much time on it — The Gardens Between serves as a gentle reminder to anyone who may have forgotten that.
  2. DualShockers
    Sep 19, 2018
    90
    A wholly unique experience that you shouldn’t let fade away from your memory.
  3. Hooked Gamers
    Oct 1, 2018
    89
    The Gardens Between is a beautiful game and combined with the relaxing atmosphere set by the wonderful soundtrack and simple controls make it one worth checking out. The story of the two friends’ adventures is told without the use of any dialogue and although it is a little on the short side, it did leave me wanting more - which is always a good sign. The puzzles are not overly difficult, and the lovely story of friendship told within the environments where their adventures occur, make The Gardens Between a game for all ages, but will be especially nostalgic for those gamers who grew up in the 80's.
  4. Adventure Gamers
    Sep 23, 2018
    80
    The Gardens Between is a lovely time with a neat puzzle mechanic that takes place in a breathtaking world, packing an impressive amount of effort, creativity, and TLC into an experience that sadly won’t last more than a couple of hours.
  5. Guardian
    Sep 24, 2018
    80
    The diversity and creative ingenuity of these little four-dimensional riddles is truly impressive. I was sad to finish the game after four or so hours, but enriched by the journey.
  6. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 23, 2018
    80
    Often simple and straightforward but also brilliant and profound, The Gardens Between is a visually wonderful adventure puzzle in which the clever time-bending mechanics are intertwined with a delicate story of an extremely strong friendship. A great little game.
  7. Riot Pixels
    Dec 2, 2018
    70
    The Gardens Between wins you over with immediacy and candor rather than original concept or atmosphere. Don’t expect metaphysical references, hidden postmodernist rhetoric, or a multi-layered narrative — there is none of that. Moreover, it is devoid of conflict, story and text. This is a journey through a child’s imagination made out of clever puzzles.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. TheGameIsALie
    Oct 5, 2018
    9
    A infância é talvez a fase mais determinante da vida de todos nós. Ainda assim, é a fase que encaramos com mais tranquilidade. A simplicidadeA infância é talvez a fase mais determinante da vida de todos nós. Ainda assim, é a fase que encaramos com mais tranquilidade. A simplicidade com que The Gardens Between fala sobre amizades e infância emociona, relembra e faz refletir. Jogar esse jogo é como reviver essas memórias, mesmo que por um curto período de tempo. Apesar de estar longe de ser um jogo perfeito, é uma experiência que eu acho que todos deveriam ter.… Expand
  2. Alexb1096
    Jul 24, 2020
    8
    ITALIAN:
    Puzzle game molto breve (l'ho completato in 3 ore) ma molto originale e curato.
    Graficamente il gioco ha uno stile bellissimo,    ITALIAN:
    Puzzle game molto breve (l'ho completato in 3 ore) ma molto originale e curato.

    Graficamente il gioco ha uno stile bellissimo, low poly e con tutte mappe circolari. Nonostante questa stilizzazione sono presenti belle e numerose animazioni, che rendono le location estremamente vive.
    Notevole la colonna sonora, mentre il resto del comparto audio è piuttosto basilare.

    Geniale l'idea alla base del gioco, in quanto non ci si può spostare ma si può controllare il tempo (avanti e indietro), oltre ad interagire con qualche oggetto. Il numero e la varietà di enigmi che sono riusciti a creare sfruttando quest'idea in un gioco così piccolo è sbalorditiva.
    I rompicapo inoltre risultano quasi sempre abbastanza difficili ma mai impossibili, e questo rende il gioco piacevole ed intrattenente.
    Molto bello che alcuni elementi non subiscano l'interruzione dello scorrere del tempo e quindi permettano di creare effetti particolari.

    A condire il tutto c'è una minimale ma empatica (soprattutto grazie alla colonna sonora) storia di amicizia. Oltre a brevi video presenti, la bella relazione tra i protagonisti è spesso evidenziata da alcuni gesti che compiono durante l'avventura.

    In conclusione, il gioco è molto breve ma divertente. Come gameplay forse renderebbe quasi meglio su smartphone o tablet, ma si perderebbe un po' dal lato emotivo. Consigliato come passatempo anche ai non amanti del genere.

    VOTO: 8.5/10    … Expand
  4. lenikk
    Jan 28, 2021
    8
    A short, not that hard but nevertheless pleasant puzzle game with original execution of classic puzzles
  5. naufri27
    Jan 2, 2020
    7
    Una serie de rompecabezas originales en su aspecto visual, nos cuentan la historia de una nostálgica amistad que, en el momento que empieza aUna serie de rompecabezas originales en su aspecto visual, nos cuentan la historia de una nostálgica amistad que, en el momento que empieza a despegar cargada de ilusiones y sueños, se termina.… Expand
  6. griefin
    Mar 6, 2021
    7
    The game is based around single gameplay mechanic, but it still gives enough riddles for unexperienced puzzle-gamer like me. I enjoyed artThe game is based around single gameplay mechanic, but it still gives enough riddles for unexperienced puzzle-gamer like me. I enjoyed art style though the ending seemed too dark and gloomy.… Expand
  7. nitorita
    Apr 12, 2020
    7
    Looking past the nice graphics and interesting time control puzzle mechanic, this game doesn't really have any story going on with it evenLooking past the nice graphics and interesting time control puzzle mechanic, this game doesn't really have any story going on with it even though it's designed to be atmospheric. You simply progress from level to level without ever knowing what's going on. The conclusion clears up a bit of the mystery behind the story, but by that point it's just not meaningful anymore.

    The maps look interesting, as if you're inside a dream-like world. Since there's only three buttons in the game (forward, back, and interact), there isn't a whole lot of complexity. The puzzles might not be super difficult, but they still require more than a few minutes to solve, and they get progressively harder.

    Overall, this game is a decent way to burn a few hours of your time if you have nothing else to do and want to play a puzzle game. At the design level, it's really just a mobile game that's been ported to PC. It looks pleasant and is optimized, but that's all. I generously give this a borderline 7 (it's more like a 6.5 though).

    On a side note, the XGP version has an issue with cloud saves, so you might end up losing progress if it doesn't properly sync with Microsoft's servers. This happened to me once early on, which was a minor inconvenience, but still one nonetheless. Since the game isn't long, try to get it done in one sitting.    … Expand
  8. auditbadger
    Mar 16, 2020
    5
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give thisI think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.… Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

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58
#58 Best PC Game of 2018

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