Gardenscapes

Gardenscapes Review

Ramona Wainwright

Gardenscapes is an unusual take on the Match-3 idea along with elements of other puzzles. You have inherited a house and now want to keep it in order, but it takes some effort. Solve puzzles, pass levels, and make your new mansion great again! You only need to install Gardenscapes for Android or iOS.

Gameplay 5/5

So, you start in the hot modern city you want to escape, and then you hear the news that you have inherited a house somewhere in the countryside. The house, though, needs to be repaired and decorated. You might think it’s another farming strategy. In fact, all the work is done almost automatically with stars you earn for completing levels.

The main part of the game is a multilevel Match-3 that reminds other classical games of the sort (even its powerups for four or five elements remind of Candy Crush). There are some differences in secondary tasks. But the basic gameplay remains.

Then there are other puzzles. For example, you need to get out of trouble with items you have to select, and the application of the right item may be unexpected. Protect yourself from rain, get out of the well you’re drowning in – what would you grab for that? Finally. There are social elements – with both imaginary and real friends. The former can do some job for you; the latter bring you rewards for your interactions.

Graphics 5/5

It’s 2D, with It looks equally well on phones and tablets, with big and juicy fruits and leaves within the Match-3, big and readable texts, and, of course, amazing house and garden. You can select the decorations you install; they don’t affect the gameplay but make it more beautiful. As for music and sounds, they are jolly and a bit cartoonish – just what the style demands. 

Replay Value 4/5

Not that the game is strictly replayable. You could have found it dull if you had to replay it all over from the start. But you don’t have to. If you connect your Facebook account, it will store your progress, so even if you switch between iOS and Android, you’ll resume from where you stopped. Without that, you’ll only keep your progress while you remain on the same OS.

Controls 5/5

The best thing about controls in Gardenscapes is that there’s no room for mistakes. In Match-3, you need to move elements to form groups of three or more. In escape, you have to tap the right item to pass it. As for the main menu, it may look a bit overloaded, but still quite beautiful and easy. And – just in case – there is a brief tutorial that introduces each new element you run into.

Conclusion

Gardenscapes is a perfect casual game. It combines familiar gameplay with the storyline, it lets you visualize the garden of your dreams (to some extent) and just kill a minute when you need it. It doesn’t take much storage, so you can download Gardenscapes to virtually any device.