The Gardens Between Reviews
The Gardens Between is, in my opinion, one of the most original and emotional puzzle games to hit the PS4 this year. Each of the puzzles has been carefully planned out and crafted into memorable and fun situations, even the ones which don’t seem like puzzles at first until you look around and work out what you have to do. The music can get a little repetitive in-game (it changes as you move through the chapters), but the ambient sounds and the calmness of the tune really help you think about the solutions. It also allows you to immerse yourself as you sink into the world of Arina and Frendt within the spectacular looking dream-like environments.
I enjoyed my time with The Gardens Between and appreciated it dealing with a topic that almost everybody can identify with but few games have tackled. Contemplative and moving, The Gardens Between is perfect fodder for a rainy morning in bed spent reminiscing about friends lost and the years separating then and now.
The Garden Between may not be a puzzle game that challenges you, but it is one that makes you think. It’s enchanting, creative, introspective and entertaining, and whilst it’s let down by its simplistic gameplay, it’s got enough nostalgic charm to stay afloat.
Journey through a world that can only exist in your dreams. A dreamlike world seen through the eyes of two young children reminiscing about their time spent together. Their struggles, their joys, their adventures. This is The Gardens Between.
Time flows inexorable, but this work allows us to play with it, to mold it to our liking, but it always takes us to the end of the narrative. Although the reality is that there is no end to it: memory and friendship, memories and shared experiences move in a circle, like the islands of this work. A wheel that has no beginning or end, in which looking back also implies look ahead. A wheel.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Voxel Agents have managed to knit a clever game concept around time manipulation with only one key plus analog stick and completely without text, which not only becomes a bit more complex from level to level, but also hardly repeats itself. If you don't mind the short playing time, The Gardens Between is a wonderfully playful and pretty puzzle adventure that's perfect for in between.
Review in German | Read full review
Although short, The Gardens Between is a relaxing puzzle game with unique ideas and a nostalgic, bittersweet snapshot of childhood friendship.
The Gardens Between shouldn’t be overlooked. The near-perfect title combines beautiful imagery with seamless gameplay and challenging puzzles, creating a top-notch gaming experience.
I enjoyed every bits and pieces of The Gardens Between and I admired every garden of it. My only regret is that the game is kind of short.
Knowing that I was walking into an abstract puzzle game, I wasn't quite prepared for what I received. Even at that, I found myself to be pleasantly surprised and challenged by this game. I tend to gobble puzzles for breakfast and some of these islands had me stumped. I love this game and would recommend it to all ages because of its art style, casual nature, and general concept. It does not have any violence, fighting, nor inventory management making it the perfect game for youth and adults to enjoy.
Even if the nostalgia of the objects littered throughout the islands is before your time the emotional resonance of The Gardens Between should work for everyone in some regard. Memories from being younger, simpler times. The ending is bittersweet, but the journey there is every bit rewarding through interesting mechanics and subtle story-telling.
I personally appreciate that The Gardens Between never came close to overstaying its welcome. Minimalist images between the islands help the player piece together the story, and the game ends with a subtle-yet-powerful scene that made me think about my childhood and the time I spent with friends in the moment.
The Gardens Between is an amazing game, with an amazing story and style. The puzzles make the game challenging and add to the time you need to complete te game, but are never to cruel.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Childhood is maybe the most important stage of our lives. Still, it's the stage we face with the most tranquility. The simplicity with which The Gardens Between talks about friendships and childhood touched me, making me remember and reflect. Playing this game is like reliving these memories, even if for a short period of time. Despite being far from a perfect game, it's an experience I think everyone should have.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Gardens Between is a stunningly beautiful look at friendships through the lens of video games, once again showing that video games are an artform.
In The Gardens Between, a new puzzle and adventure game from The Voxel Agents, the central idea is to manipulate time. It is a puzzle game with relatively simple mechanics: you move back and forth in time, following two friends while carrying a flashlight to the top of a small island. Read our review.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Gardens Between is a charming, engaging, and inventive puzzler with the potential to really draw you into its world of bittersweet nostalgia. While the puzzles may lack some teeth for the brain game veteran, there's plenty of fun to be had here.
If you love indie adventure and puzzle games and more importantly looking for an impressive experience that could remind you of your childhood memories you should definitely play The Gardens Between. this game is a magnificent experience and will bring you one of the best two hours of your life.
Review in Persian | Read full review
While some may not be fond of the game’s conclusion (I personally thought it was appropriate and touching) the journey in The Gardens Between is absolutely a special one. While mechanically a puzzle game, and one that can be tricky in places, as an overall experience it has a remarkably universal quality that I think anyone can appreciate. In a sea of indie (and even AAA) titles it stands out and is deserving of both praise and your attention.
One other artistically awesome indie game that left an emotional impression on me was Old Man's Journey. Now with the journey of Arina and Frendt, The Gardens Between manages to go for the same areas of emotion. There's nothing seriously gripping here, but it's meant to leave an overall personal feeling, which it does well. The environmental puzzles using objects from each memory builds up a personal idea of what event is actually taking place and ultimately becomes resonating when it is revealed. It's fun getting to those points. The Gardens Between may look simple when giving it a brief glance, but it's one of the most charming, clever and wholesome games of 2018 and it's all about beautifully capturing friendship.