The Gardens Between Reviews

The Gardens Between is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
No Recommendation / Blank
Sep 19, 2018

A childhood bond reimagined as a series of elegant, time-based diorama puzzles, The Gardens Between is short but very sweet.

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Unscored
Sep 19, 2018

The Gardens Between is a magical journey that's well worth your time

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GameSpot
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 19, 2018

With a bittersweet story and a gorgeous, dreamlike world, The Gardens Between is time-bending puzzle game that you won't soon forget.

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Sep 19, 2018

The Gardens Between is a great example of a puzzle game with the most simple of mechanics, showcasing how much can be stretched out of so little. Its light story of friendship is sweet (if not a bit too saccharine). It complements the core mechanic of controlling the passage of time, and well, the inevitability of how no matter how much you'd like time to stand still sometimes, it'll move along regardless.

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Oct 7, 2018

There's an elusive elegance to The Gardens Between. It's short, charming, and shows its rewarding puzzle mechanic in just a couple hours without stretching the game to its breaking point. Some people might think it's too short but it's a start contrast to a solid chunk of big budget games that boast nebulous amounts of content over shorter, more authored experiences.

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9 / 10
Sep 19, 2018

The Gardens Between is a short and simple adventure that holds a lot of charm. It plays upon the nostalgia we all have for childhood and focusses on experiences we've left behind in adulthood. It's also distinctly bittersweet in how it deals with the nature of change within relationships. While it's not the longest game, it's perfectly put together, and though the puzzles aren't too difficult, the way they're crafted should be praised as should the whole package.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2018

A beautiful, relaxing puzzler that demands little more than your attention.

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6 / 10
Sep 19, 2018

A seductive art style, hazy synth sounds, and some well-designed puzzles give The Gardens Between a pleasant mood, but it doesn't stay in the mind long after the credits.

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95 / 100
May 17, 2019

The Gardens Between was one of my favorite Switch games of 2019, and with its mobile release, it is now one of my favorite mobile titles. The Voxel agents have done a great job of optimizing sound, controls, and graphics, making the gameplay and story just as solid, if not a tiny bit better, on a cellphone than it was on the Switch.

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95 / 100
Sep 19, 2018

The Gardens Between is a masterpiece of minimalist storytelling, weaving a wordless tale of friendship and time. By drawing upon a few, nearly-universal childhood events, it allows the player to fill in the story with their own emotions and memories, creating a shockingly moving, personal experience. Featuring a gorgeous, surrealist style and challenging but fair puzzles, this is a must-have title for anyone who enjoys puzzle games.

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Sep 19, 2018

With only three buttons, this time-bending story is an impeccably crafted minimalist model of video game and puzzle design

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GameMAG
xtr
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 28, 2018

The Gardens Between is an excellent example of a creative puzzle game, where beautiful graphics, pleasant music and original mechanics with time manipulation create a perfect symbiosis.

Review in Russian | Read full review

78 / 100
Sep 19, 2018

Overall, The Gardens Between is not particularly complex or subtle with the linear-nature of its puzzle-solving and familiar story, but the level of creativity and depth the game reaches with its uncomplicated parts is not to be understated.

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7 / 10
Sep 19, 2018

The Gardens Between is almost a truly great puzzle game, but it gets hung up in a couple of small areas.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2018

A beautifully told tale of childhood memories wrapped around an inventive, if overly short puzzler, The Gardens Between nonetheless remains a warm and touching experience that deserves your time.

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7 / 10
Jan 30, 2019

The Gardens Between does not need a single word to bring the players to its world, this is a fully immersive game that features a gorgeous art style, a self-communicating plot and innovative gameplay mechanics, in an effort that will invite players to a journey that is both physical and emotional.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

6.7 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2018

Even if the game is cute and enjoyable, is a short game that we can finish even in a single game session and that plays against the game.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Sep 30, 2018

Control time itself in this charming puzzle game from The Voxel Agents.

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7.3 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2018

The Gardens Between is a game that's overall pretty fun to play, but also one that won't leave you with very much in the end: a not so insignificant flaw for something that's trying to celebrate the value of remembrance.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Nintendo Enthusiast
Mario Piacquadio
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2018

The Gardens Between is delightful, its soundtrack is beautiful and calming, its art style is pleasing, its characters are charming and expressive, and its story is touching and melancholic, and I found myself truly amazed by the consistently great level design.

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