Garden Story

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 3 out of 20

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. QilBoy
    Dec 5, 2021
    2
    Garden Story starts with the most promising of beginnings: the world is endearing and full of tender whimsy, yet alluding to a deeper, more mature epic hiding beneath. As you are introduced to the numerous charming characters full of life and personality (the dialogue writing is really good), you start to learn the basics of gameplay. You see how many different types of weapons there are,Garden Story starts with the most promising of beginnings: the world is endearing and full of tender whimsy, yet alluding to a deeper, more mature epic hiding beneath. As you are introduced to the numerous charming characters full of life and personality (the dialogue writing is really good), you start to learn the basics of gameplay. You see how many different types of weapons there are, each with their different attack types and stats, all the different stat buffs you can obtain through character customization or potions, all of the numerous materials and seeds you can gather. Seeing all of this promising stuff, how many variables and mechanics are present, you can't wait to see what the game truly has to offer, after this simple tutorial is over. And so you wait. And you wait. And you wait. And then the credits roll. And you realize that this "simple tutorial" was really long, and actually was the whole game. Garden Story is so simple and barebones that it feels like the alpha version of a game that is still in development.
    You fight three types of enemy in the starting area and can't wait to see what other types of enemies await you in the other areas, only to find out that it's the exact same enemies you already faced, only with a different color or... a hat that you need to remove from their head. Not joking. The game takes the same enemy you fought to exhaustion, gives them a minuscule cosmetic change and an extra step to defeat them and thinks it can get away with it.
    It doesn't make sense for the game to have so many weapon types with different stats when you have basically just a couple of enemy types, and the starting weapon does the job just fine.
    The worst part is that this could be somewhat acceptable if this one enemy type was really fun to fight, but they aren't. They're boring and after you've dealt enough damage they get smaller, so small that their hitbox becomes frustratingly hard to reach. All of this is aggravated by how slow the player character is, both in their movement speed and the time they take to switch weapons. The whole thing feels clunky, the Combat just doesn't cut it.
    There are some small good ideas here and there like the Shield, to defend yourself from projectile attacks, but only two enemies in the entire game use projectile attacks and they are so slow a simple roll is sufficient to evade, so why does the shield even exists? Just like all the different potions: why do they exist when the game is so easy that you can get by without ever needing anything other than the starting potion? Why giving the player the possibility to use the fishing rod to fish items out of the ocean, which at first seems so cool, when in actuality you mostly find items you can easily find on land? The game is full of mechanics that showcase how it wanted to be complex and rich when in reality the content it offers is so so scarce.
    Even the possibility to customize towns, although really cute, is super limited both in terms of how small the areas you can customize are and the underwhelming amount of utilities you can craft. The Dungeons are also underwhelming.
    The Dungeon Bosses are the best part of the entire game but when compared to other games they are just decent. The Dungeon puzzles you'll need to solve to proceed are so easy that they just feel like a waste of time.
    It certainly isn't enough to save the whole experience but the game suddenly picks itself up in quality in the last couple of hours, with a Final Dungeon that has actually challenging puzzles and a Final Boss that may not be very hard but requires the player to solve an enigma and fight in a pleasantly unexpected way that ties with the story.
    Speaking of the narrative, it's the only thing about Garden Story that luckily doesn't try to appear fancier or bigger than it actually is. It's the simple tale of a small hero saving a dying community from a grim future. A humble story of hope, kindness and perseverance, told with love and warmth. This wholesome atmosphere is greatly strengthened by the soft upbeat musical score of Grahm Nesbitt, which perfectly encapsulates the hopeful but delicate mood of the journey.
    Or, in other words: Garden Story is a simple story that warms your heart with endearing characters that try their best to help the community around them even when all hope seems lost. Let's just hope that that will be enough to help you go through this tedious chore of a game before the lack of any meaningful content makes you fall asleep to the game's beautiful tunes.    … Expand
  2. Zenodo
    Oct 28, 2021
    10
    It's nothing like stardew valley. But it doesn't have to be for me. With it's rpg elements and combat this game was a must pick for me. Definitely my game of the year.
  3. Monkeyslunch
    Dec 26, 2021
    7
    Adorable little game with a lot of pull to keep playing for longer chunks of time. Some quests can get repetitive (if I have to repair one more damn bridge...), but overall it's great.
  4. EmCza
    Aug 22, 2021
    7
    Chill game, full of charm, but unfortunately it's quite slow and boring after while. After all i like it, especially for shorter play-sessions. For me this game is much better than Stardew Valley.
  5. aaahahahahahaaa
    Aug 17, 2021
    9
    Such a chill game with great music and beautiful, lush pixel art. It's more combat-focused and more of an RPG than I expected, but that was a pleasant surprise. Its vibes are immaculate and I highly recommend!
  6. Aaritron
    Aug 15, 2021
    8
    What a fantastic and chill game. You definitely want to go into this one with the right frame of mind. It’s going to take its time and is also not going to give you tooo much direction. Everything is does it charming and while it doesn’t do any one thing perfect, it does all of it well enough to allow you to enjoy the chill setting and charming character interactions.

    The only real    What a fantastic and chill game. You definitely want to go into this one with the right frame of mind. It’s going to take its time and is also not going to give you tooo much direction. Everything is does it charming and while it doesn’t do any one thing perfect, it does all of it well enough to allow you to enjoy the chill setting and charming character interactions.

    The only real negatives I would say is the floating and inaccurate at times combat and “figure it out yourself” UI. Everything else works great and is just a pleasure.    … Expand
  7. Maor_NYC
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Garden story is a charming relaxing and addictive single player experience that id reccomend to any player interested in games that just make you feel good.

    It's wonderful pixelart and fun story mixed with its well executed simple combat is a joy from beginning to end, you'll never want to put it down.
  8. KamaiJR
    Dec 2, 2021
    8
    Garden Story is a relaxing game to play,BUT it don't have someting new, It only basic RPG + Farming simulator.somehow i anjoy to play and spend longtime to collec all collection
  9. Shwiftyin
    Nov 27, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really wanted to give this game a 9 or a 10 from the get go. The way it introduces the characters is so charming, the way it introduces you to the gameplay is wonderful, you feel like you are in a small little world to be explored and things to find. Then it slowly all goes down hill, the same enemies, the same personalities, the same dialogue, you realize this game is seriously lacking in content. This game feels wonderful at the start and towards the end I was skipping dialogue, not doing tasks that were all the same simply because it started to feel like a chore to finish. It’s like how Stardew Valley feels after you played it for hundreds of hours except this game does it in about 10. I can’t recommend this game to you greatly but if you love games to pick up and and put down quickly then sure go for it! This game really needed to be developed more before being released but is still in my opinion pretty cute and the music is a bop. The main problem is it feels like the same thing for 20 hours and ITS SO EASY, I didn’t die once throughout the journey because I just spammed dew! I think the easiness and them throwing the same thing at you over and over again with barely any new content along the way is what made my adventure so dull. It feels like they got so close to getting what they wanted but just weren’t quite there. Overall 4/10, the average game I’ve played I have most likely enjoyed more than this sadly. Hopefully more content in the future!… Expand
  10. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    8
    When it comes to relatively chill adventures in more of a classic style the Switch has pretty great representation already and can now add Garden Story to the list. Playing as the little grape Concord, you’ll take on the mantle of your area’s Guardian, doing a bit of learning on the job as you try to complete various tasks to keep the residents happy as well as give the beatdown to theWhen it comes to relatively chill adventures in more of a classic style the Switch has pretty great representation already and can now add Garden Story to the list. Playing as the little grape Concord, you’ll take on the mantle of your area’s Guardian, doing a bit of learning on the job as you try to complete various tasks to keep the residents happy as well as give the beatdown to the encroaching threat of The Rot. There’s a satisfying and generally more action-oriented vibe to your daily activities as you do what you can to help people to gain perks and support as well as upgrade your abilities. While it’s not terribly elaborate in its world and storytelling it’s a relatively familiar sort of gameplay loop that has that sort of “one more day” pull as you hope to see what comes next. Recommended for fans of games in the vein of Stardew Valley and some other farm simulators that are itching for just a bit more combat to spice things up.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/08/mini-reviews-august-18th-edition.html    … Expand
  11. Coolic
    Nov 25, 2022
    9
    Absolute amazing game. Sure, it's not a 10, but I really don't have any problems, just not the best of the best. Very charming game.
  12. AKAda
    Dec 2, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful chill game with a beautiful story and a few harder challenges to overcome like the bosses. Love it.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Nov 8, 2021
    70
    Garden Story's on the short side, but it has plenty of options and content to really stretch your experience toward 100% completion. It's grape for all ages! [Issue #56 – November/December 2021, p. 21]
  2. Vooks
    Sep 21, 2021
    80
    Garden Story is a cute little adventure. When you get over the initial hurdle of the first boss, it becomes a more enjoyable time. Saving the world doesn't always have to be super over the top action. Garden Story shows you can do it by helping people and helping to rebuild a community in a more relaxed setting. While there are a few frustrations, if they're ones you can overlook, there is a charming game waiting for you.
    Read full review
  3. Digital Chumps
    Sep 21, 2021
    80
    The gameplay loop can be repetitive but is able to be consumed in such small morsels that one may enjoy picking up Garden Story every day just to get a small fix. There’s a lot of promise here in terms of a sequel but in the next go round, I think a bit of editing might be beneficial. As much of an embarrassment of riches Garden Story may seem, it can be a lot to take in for such a compact adventure.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »