When I first heard the title The UnderGarden I could only think of the twisted possibilities of what kind of gruesome and dark game it could be, but low and behold, it was quite the opposite of what my first thoughts were. Developed by Vitamin-G and published by Atari, The UnderGarden can be a very addictive and a visually stimulating game.
Gameplay is very different, if asked how to describe what it’s like I would have to say it’s sort of a 2D version of Flower with puzzles thrown in, with a small hint of sea monkeys.
In the game you play a type of under water fairy who’s job is to make plants grow by pollinating nearby plant life, something along the likes of a worker bee pollinating flowers. When you pass by planted seedlings/flowers, they bloom into colorful plants and trees that give the desolate surrounding areas life and beauty.
The game sounds simple enough, right? Well thrown in the mix are different puzzles and collectible objects throughout each group of stages that unlock extra costumes for your character. Also to enhance the blooming flowers musicians are scattered throughout the level. Musicians alone trigger a small amount of reaction to the flowers, but if you combine all the musicians together not only do flowers flourish but the music becomes much more enjoyable.
Throughout each level there are obstacles and puzzles that will delay your goal of collecting everything, but you don’t need to worry UnderGarden has no time limits nor lives to be lost. Creation is the game and not destruction. With that said simply sitting back and enjoying the pleasures of exploring and creating doesn’t come easier then this. That’s also a draw back to the game since again there is no real way to die but if you get stuck there are checkpoints to go back to.
Vitamin-G created this game to take a break from all the FPS mayhem and carnage, to give you a game where creation is the main goal. With a $10 DLC price on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, I would recommend this game if you have young kids or would like a beautifully created game to take a break from all the FPS’s and other fast paced games.
Overall = 7.3