The UnderGarden

 Xbox 360
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 32
  3. Negative: 4 out of 32
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Jan 26, 2011
    70
    We're actually more fond of how The UnderGarden looks and sounds than how it plays.
  2. Gamereactor Sweden
    Jan 3, 2011
    70
    The Undergarden is a highly original idea with great puzzle elements that will keeep you entertained for hours, especially when playing co-op. In the end, it lacks some variation though.
  3. IGN
    Dec 19, 2010
    70
    The Undergarden really is best used as a palette cleanser, a game to break up the monotony of blood and violence gamers seem to revel in.
  5. VideoGamer
    Dec 19, 2010
    70
    It's an ambient experience stuffed with a very simple puzzle game, not a complex chicken cordon bleu as much as a comforting pig-in-a-blanket. Possibly the best looking pig-in-a-blanket you'll come across.
  6. MS Xbox World
    Dec 16, 2010
    70
    UnderGarden feels like an artsy game made by a bunch of businessmen, rather than an artist.
  7. DarkZero
    Dec 14, 2010
    70
    Despite its few shortcomings, though, The UnderGarden is an almost entirely pleasant experience, and easy to recommend to anyone who's fed up with shooting people in the face, or fancies some laid-back, same-sofa multiplayer.
  8. Official Xbox Magazine
    Dec 13, 2010
    70
    With a decent number of areas to clear, that's pretty much it. [Jan 2011, p.74]
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  9. GamingXP
    Jan 3, 2011
    67
    "What is this place?", "Why is this place?" seems to be the question here. Why does this game exist? It's not outstandingly beautiful or thrilling. It's not outstanding in any way. If you dig the style, check it out – if not, you won't miss much investing your Microsoft points elsewhere.
  10. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jan 6, 2011
    60
    A pleasantly relaxing evening's worth of entertainment. [Issue#67, p.102]
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  11. GameWatcher
    Dec 19, 2010
    60
    Though it's competently made and packs in a good amount of content overall The UnderGarden makes for a fairly dull experience.
  12. Cheat Code Central
    Dec 19, 2010
    58
    While the game is good in small chunks, it gets monotonous quickly and doesn't have much replay value.
  13. GamesRadar+
    Feb 2, 2011
    50
    If you can get past these problems, The Undergarden is a competent puzzle game with beautiful (if a bit samey) art and music direction, a light hearted concept, and an absolutely adorable protagonist.
  14. Joystiq
    Dec 19, 2010
    50
    Unlike the Buddha, who waited for his students to grasp his lesson on their own, The UnderGarden felt the need to prompt me. That's not very Zen, dude.
  15. GameShark
    Dec 16, 2010
    50
    It's lovely to look at, the collectible musicians are relatively enjoyable to listen to, and it generally plays well enough (barring the aforementioned puzzle hiccups). The problem is that the sum of the game is never greater than its parts, and it starts to feel old pretty quickly and never induces the relaxation you expect from such a game.