Playrix Entertainment introduces us their new creation under the title Gardenscapes game. It is a mixture of hidden object gameplay with the elements of time management. The plot obliges you to restore a once-stunning garden to its former glory by purchasing a wide variety of ready-made elements.

The genius here is that the game does not limit itself to questing of different objects, but also offers some activities. The faster you find objects for your customers, the more money they’ll pay and the quicker you can afford new pieces for your garden. There are loads of little extra challenges along the way. In this case from time to time you’ll receive messages with various requests. So don’t miss a letter sign in the right corner of your screen. With all of the added challenges, you’ll end up visiting each of the game’s 15 rooms maybe ten times in the course of the story. That does make things start to feel a bit repetitive. Still, it’s difficult to imagine many players growing bored with what they see.

That’s because the artwork is gorgeous. Each room is drawn in bold colors, and each object that we hunt for is quite recognizable, though there are some really exotic items. It makes the process of searching more exciting and dynamic.

Aside from the relatively small number of rooms to explore, the only other criticism to be leveled at Gardenscapes is a lack of originality in hints system. As in most HOGs, players must earn hints by finding question marks, click on camera to briefly reveal the location of item, and find thermometers that let you see how far an item is. But all these drawbacks melt immediately as you admit its great illustrations and perfect design. 

11, November 2009