Garden Buddies was a rough game to review and even harder to score. It is an almost unbearably cute game, to a point when I am not sure if I like it, or not. Characters are adorable, with expressive faces and big, shiny eyes. They talk in this Animal Crossing-esque babble that is never annoying and always manages to warm your heart. The art style itself, outside of the characters, is very soft and vibrant. The garden that you're making is going to be a very candy-like, colorful little place! So, all good so far, right? A charming little game to relax with the company of squeaky buddies in various shapes and forms, all made to squish your heart the right way.
But there are, unfortunately, issues. The game itself is so, so very small. Tiny even. And I know, we do love tiny games, but one hour of gameplay is on the excessive end of short. That is what it took me to go through the entire story mode. That, in itself, wouldn't be an issue - the story itself is rudimentary, sugary, and focused hard on the Good Feels. This is the mission of the game, its statement. It exists to give you a reprieve, a soft embrace of kindness and love. All characters, from the ever-happy Mutsy to the grandmother figure of Bolita (which must be a pun on Abuelita, right?) are there to tell you how great you are, how big your heart is, and how kindness is a virtue and value of its own.
The game further emphasizes this by offering mini-games to relax with. Not only some simple activities that every new buddy introduces, like Simon Says dance or rudimentary Guitar Hero moment, but also breathing techniques and advice on how to handle stress and conflict. Every day ends with those tiny meditations and some positive affirmations. For that alone I'd say it might be an excellent fit for younger teens as a method to introduce them to such concepts. But adults too can find sweetness in those simple, wholesome characters. It is hard to not end up even a short session with this game without a little extra tranquility, a bit of soothing of the mind.
If I had any issue with the game it was that the marketing oversells what it is. It might be my issue, that I build expectations based on what I read there, but sentences on the store page promise a lot. Bonding with your Buddies? It is not a thing. Cultivating a vibrant garden? Sure, you can make a cute little circle of some colorful objects and flowers, but the toys you get are very limited. Even the 90-minute story mode was a bit of a stretch, as I completed it in an hour without skipping a single activity.
Add to that some rather unsightly technical issues. I suffered through two hard crashes over that hour of gameplay. Loading times are atrocious. After most of the minigames game tends to freeze, and you gaze upon the unblinking faces of your buddies, wondering if loading is happening in the background. Items in the garden overlap and there's no collision detection of any kind. None of those issues are huge on their own, but all of them happening in such a short playtime was a bit annoying.
To sum it up, Garden Buddies is a pretty fine game for those, who look for a soft and tender experience. A game that is cute to no end and wants to put you in a mindset of relaxation. A tiny piece of wholesome entertainment. But if you're expecting a gardening sim with some charming buddies, if you're hoping for some meaty content, this will not be the place to look for it.
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