Review on: The Gardens Between

Developer: The Voxel Agents

Available On: Steam (Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS), Nintendo Switch, iOS,  Xbox One, PlayStation 4

There is something to be said about a story unfolding, without the need for words. As a writer, words and how to express those words, are how I see stories and perspectives being shared across platforms and countries. This is one of the core reasons I do what I do – write, speak, blog. But The Gardens Between does it (storytelling) so beautifully without having to explain anything aside from the initial controls instruction. Everything else unfolds as the game is being played; it’s just a matter of discovering the methodology and the order to things.

In The Gardens Between, there are multiple levels and scenarios that depict the passage of time and the memories between the two characters, and how their real-life adventures are visualized in a dream-like imaginary-world puzzle stage where you’re supposed to get from the start to the finish. The gameplay is surprisingly simple – you CONTROL TIME. You work to finish the game by moving forwards or backwards in time. What complicates it is what’s in the middle. As the stories progress, it becomes more challenging to complete each level. To get from the start to the finish, you’re supposed to light your lantern and bring it to a pedestal that takes you to the next level. Along the way there are obstacles such as another lantern that sucks up your light, there’s a fog that dissapates when your lantern is lit which incidentally also causes bridges to disappear, and items that appear and dissapear depending on what you click and which order within the level.

It seems surprisingly simple, and looks suprisingly ordinary, but the puzzles are actually quite complex and sometimes take multiple back-and-forth attempts to get right. The graphics are beautiful and unlike any puzzle game I’ve seen before. I fell in love with the small things that the developers added into the game, such as the way buttons light up or click when you walk over them, or the way each little item in this world seems to have a life of their own, or reacts to the characters’ movements in their own little way. They’re not there just for show or for background design, they actually interact along with the characters. The soundtrack is also beautiful, and fits perfectly with the flow of the story. And exactly as I mentioned earlier, the developers did not skimp on the little details and sound effects, and these little things are what I think endear players to the game even more.

If you love discovering how to solve puzzles and don’t mind going back and forth while figuring it out, The Gardens Between comes highly recommended. It is aptly challenging and at times frustrating, but the experience and joy from figuring out how to solve each puzzle (especially after numerous trial and error attempts) is one of the most satisfying and happy feelings you can get in the game. The game is not meant for button-mashers or players seeking active action-packed visuals and gameplay. While some might consider it slow and time-consuming, The Gardens Between focuses more on the small and intricate details and uses it to underline the beautiful story, visuals, soundtrack, and gameplay in nothing more than a few words.

The Gardens Between is currently on sale in the Steam Store for the Steam Summer Sale 2019. Available until July 10.