For instance, if Concord was in the midst of pulling a resource from the water when a nearby enemy injures them, they will lose their grip on the line and have to recast it. It is possible to avoid fighting these enemies by running or rolling past them, though there are times when clearing them is necessary as they can interrupt Concord’s activity. Although the main boss battles cannot be skipped and the difficulty level is fixed, Garden Story has a “perish prevention” mode where Concord’s health points (HP) will never drop below one.īoss battles aside, regular enemies will be encountered in several areas of every town that has been touched by the Rot. Action, therefore, forms a significant component of this game. But before they can move on to the next town, Concord has to first vanquish the boss enemy of the current town. Their journey starts from Spring Hamlet and the main questline will bring them to three other towns in sequence according to the seasons: Summer Bar, Autumn Town, Winter Glade. Initially acting as a gardener taking care of the vine inside the Kindergarden, Concord is soon appointed as a Guardian to help with the increasingly dire situation happening around the Grove caused by the aggressive Rot. The main story of Garden Story is linear, short, and follows a typical plot where the protagonist rises up to the grand task of saving the day. While the estimated playtime is 15 to 20 hours, I took around 40 hours for a complete playthrough - but was the adventure with our grape protagonist sour or sweet? From Gardener to Guardian Visual-wise, there are screen shakes and flash effects used, though as of v1.0.8, only the former can be toggled on/off.įor this review, the game (v1.0.6 to v1.0.7) was played on a PC using keyboard controls.

Suitable for ages 10 and above, Garden Story has no notable content warning apart from fantasy violence. Join Concord, the youngest grape of the Grove, as they work with the other inhabitants to help save and rebuild their home that has been invaded by the Rot. Released on 11 August 2021 for PC and Nintendo Switch, Garden Story is an indie action role-playing game (ARPG) developed by Picogram and published by Rose City Games.

Garden story map