Developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games, Garden Story is a charming RPG adventure featuring a full cast of forbidden fruits and vegetables. I say forbidden because, although tasty, these pieces of plump produce are our friends!
Step into the purple shoes of Concord, the grape with a green thumb and a quiet life. After being unexpectedly recruited to become the Hamlet’s new Guardian, Concord must help all the villages in the Hamlet reconnect and rebuild while keeping the creeping Rot at bay.
Garden Story is a subtle tale about the circle of life. Concord and his new friends must acknowledge that “death,” in this case what I would call change or transformation, isn’t always bad, and that decomposition is what helps nourish the future.
Players are periodically given new tools that double as weapons, allowing for a wide variety of combat styles from simple swordplay to AOE attacks with a hammer and double-hits with the use of a lunging scythe. Even healing has myriad options that include added buffs and effects, as well as a range of healing potency.
Combat is further customizable with the use of Memories, unlockable stat and trait buffs that Concord gains access to by finding the memorials to previous Guardians and undertaking tasks that fit those personalities. Stamina and health can be increased, but there are some quality of life options as well, such as a high chance to use a seed from your seed pouch for free.
The pacing of Garden Story is very relaxing, and players can choose to progress each village to its max before moving on or to unlock all of them and continuously swap residences for jobs. The dungeons are unique and offer special items, which helps break up any sameness a player may feel in combat, as each region has one tool that is most effective.
My only real complaint about this game is that there are no rewards or acknowledgments for completing the Hamlet. Players are welcome to continue improving life for the villagers after beating the final boss, but there was nothing new when I unlocked the final memory, nor when I maxed out the various levels for each village. Given that from levels 1-3 in each category for every village there are new shop items and tool upgrades, I expected something, even if it was just a message, but got nothing. I have now 100%’d the game and spent quite a few hours ensuring I had done everything, so it was a big let down.
All that said, it’s still very much worth it to at least upgrade everything to level 4, as there are still unlockables and new items for most of those level-ups.
I would definitely recommend Garden Story to players who enjoy relaxing experiences that have options for combat. This could include lovers of Stardew Valley, Rune Factory, and Reccetear.
Garden Story is available on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. If you add it to your library, or have already played it, let me know about your experience in the comments!