Gardens have been fruitful settings for stories ever since Adam and Eve were ejected from Paradise. This delightfully wide-ranging collection brings together all sorts of tales of the tilled earth, featuring secret gardens, enchanted gardens, gardens public and private, grand and humble. I need to talk about combat now, because despite all the cosy creativity and charming characters, hitting things is still at least half the game. I like the ‘RPG’ part of Garden Story fine - collecting and upgrading weapons, slotting in ‘memories’ to boost stats - I’m just not as sure about the ‘A’. The action is a bit fiddly, dictated by an initially stingy stamina bar that feels more like a hindrance than a challenging limitation, stifling flow rather than dictating rhythm. Foes feel like obstacles to be manipulated and cleaned up, rather than sparring partners. All game combat is pattern exploitation in one form or another, I know, but it rarely feels natural here. Combat, farming, dungeon-delving, handywork, story and construction are all present, but in half-pints. They never quite reach their full potential, and we couldn’t point to a single one of them and say “yep, Garden Story nails that one”. Garden Story emphatically sits between stools. By Mary Ann Lieser, published originally in 2019, in GreenPrints Issue #117. Illustrated by Christina Hess

You play Concord who, as mentioned, is the custodian of a tiny garden. But they are soon seconded by a giant plum called, um, Plum, to become a ‘Guardian of the Grove’. This is a rather important title in the Grove, as it effectively positions you as one of the four towns’ champions. Being a Guardian means that you will be fixing bridges, clearing out water supplies and boshing the odd slime on the head with a hammer. Of course, that’s not the end. Mary Ann’s grandmother was clearly a very special person, and used the moment to teach Mary Ann a very important and comforting lesson about life. Gardening Stories Can Clear The Mind and Help Us Heal. Read So Many More of Them in GreenPrintscottage living inspired me to do more gardening activities together with my sims. however, the majority of in-game objects are very cottagecore/country-style - which is cool, but i tend to grow tired of using the same type of garden boxes or flower arrangement table... that's why i am super excited to release this GARDEN STORIES set! We’re delighted to see how well-received this piece was — we’ve a true soft-spot for these most delicately pretty of trees. And so my earliest garden memories center on life as much as on death, the two going around and around, linked together in every living thing. Japanese Acers: The ultimate guide to what to grow, how to grow it and the best acer varieties for your garden Yesterday I was driving through an unfamiliar neighborhood, searching for a garage sale I’d read about, and my eyes spotted a small wooden cross, painted white, beneath a tree. I realized that someone’s beloved pet must be buried at that spot—and almost immediately remembered the day my grandmother buried her dead budgerigar, rolled up in a handkerchief, beneath the pussy willow in her garden.

Combat Rot: Solve puzzles and fend off Rot as you delve into particularly infested locations of The Grove. Take caution: especially formidable Rot have taken residence in the depths of these areas! You see, Garden Story may lure you in with its Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley-like aesthetic, but this game about community and saving the world turns out to be an RPG in farm sim's clothing.

It felt all wrong to me. This was the way it had to be, Grandma told me. Budgie would live now in our memories of her. I fashioned a pile of small stones under the pussy willow to mark Budgie’s resting place, feeling very unsettled. If Budgie lived only in my memory, then she could cease to be altogether—I forgot a lot of things! Sometimes I forgot to close the latch on my rabbit’s cage and had to chase her around the yard. Sometimes I forgot that I was supposed to brush my teeth before I went to bed. Sometimes I couldn’t even remember my parents’ phone number, despite the fact that my mother rehearsed it with me on a routine basis. My memory challenges did not bode well for Budgie’s chances of immortality. I mentioned a twist earlier, and here it is: Garden Story gives the player the opportunity to live in - not just pass through - the four main villages. Temporary homes await Concord in each. You can rush through the story, but you can also get comfy. Lay your grape hat in your grape home, and start pitching in. Protecting, restoring, and helping the residents flourish. Explore a lush, living world: Immerse yourself in The Grove’s vibrant, organic ecosystem with four distinct (and adorable!) regions to enjoy. The four towns have seen better days. They’re in various states of ruin, and often share animosity with each other. There’s a civic feel to Garden Story, as you learn the benefits of helping each other and working together to a common goal. It’s a warm, cuddly message that does work, but it replaces any high-concept stories, plots or even particularly interesting characters (only a frog, Rana, really registered with us). While there is an easy-going comfort to interactions in Garden Story, they don’t really capture the heart or mind.