The Gardens Between Reviews
Full of wonderful dream like miniature island locations and some slightly head scratching puzzles, The Gardens Between is exactly what I wanted from the title. It offers a laid back approach to puzzle games, which doesn't artificially slap on time based goals. Given the time manipulation theme it is almost awkward to say that time can slip away from you when playing, trying to complete just that one more island. Overall, this is a stunning little puzzle title that deserves some love!
The Gardens Between feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch, allowing you to play in short bursts or in one go at home or on the go. The game looks great on the TV and on the Nintendo Switch, and the way the game is presented and how you interact with each small island you explore means that there is no slowdown or weird graphical artifact that would get in the way of enjoying this charming and short puzzle adventure. I highly recommend that you download The Gardens Between so that you can dive into its colorful and enticing world.
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.
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.
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
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 a stunningly beautiful look at friendships through the lens of video games, once again showing that video games are an artform.
Although a lot of The Gardens Between is focused on its narrative, it also has clever brain-teasing puzzles and an engaging world that will hold the interest of gamers looking for an immersive story as well as those who love a challenge.
With a bittersweet story and a gorgeous, dreamlike world, The Gardens Between is time-bending puzzle game that you won't soon forget.
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.
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.
A beautiful, relaxing puzzler that demands little more than your attention.
With only three buttons, this time-bending story is an impeccably crafted minimalist model of video game and puzzle design
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
Relaxing as it is taxing, The Gardens Between offers a poignant coalescence of charming visuals, a relaxing soundtrack and a bittersweet story.
Beautifully designed and painfully creative, The Gardens Between is an absolute delight. It's a shame that the lack of levels and short runtime prevent it from reaching true classic status.
A unique and charming puzzle game which doesn't outstay its welcome.
The Gardens Between is a short and sweet puzzle game where you control the flow of time.
The Gardens Between is a beautiful and charming game that is as clever as it is touching.
Final Thoughts The Voxel Agents have created a nice, simple and truly charming puzzler. Its price tag might be a bit heavy for the given play time, but you shouldn't let that keep you from diving into this game since it'll be totally worth playing as it's a great relaxing puzzler.