Even static screenshots of Garden Story practically bloom out of the screen, so it’s no surprise that the presentation is a treat throughout. Unique animations nestle hidden in surprising places. My favourite was the deadly serious face Concord makes while impaling rot slimes with a parasol, as if performing some terrible ritual execution. Concord’s stair-walking animation is life affirming. When I first saw it, I squeed loudly, nodded in stoic appreciation, then repeated it for six actual minutes. Take it slow, says Garden Story. Yes, peril approaches, but fences need fixing just as monsters need slaying. 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.

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. Grandma rewrapped Budgie in the handkerchief and placed her body in the hole. We began sifting dirt through our fingertips. The brown soil soon covered the clean white cotton that had Budgie’s small body inside. cottage 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!This story comes from our archive that spans over 30 years, and includes more than 130 magazine issues of GreenPrints. Pieces like these that turn stories of healing gardens into everyday life lessons always brighten up my day, and I hope this story does for you as well. Enjoy! Budgie What Grandma’s garden taught me. By Mary Ann Lieser Japanese Acers: The ultimate guide to what to grow, how to grow it and the best acer varieties for your garden Gardens of the imagination round out the anthology: the beautiful but fatal garden of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the crystal buds of J. G. Ballard’s “The Garden of Time,” ravenous orchids in John Collier’s “Green Thoughts,” and Matsudo Aoko’s “Planting,” in which a young woman plants each day whatever she has been given—roses and violets, buttons and broken cups, love and fear and sorrow. Garden Stories is an abundant crop of entrancing stories and the perfect gift for gardeners of all kinds. so... it is my 1 year anniversary on tumblr! yay! i thought about releasing this set in early september, but it feels appropriate to share it with everyone today. so, meet my last release of this summer - the GARDEN STORIES PATIO set! It’s for Budgie,” she told me. She led me inside to collect the tiny, still body of the bird that had lived for several years in the cage in her front room. Grandma unwrapped the cloth that held Budgie and stroked the blue feathers with a finger. Budgie lay on her side, her dark eye wide open but unmoving. It was the first time I’d been brought face to face with the reality of death. I couldn’t make sense of it. Just the day before, I’d watched Budgie tilt her head to the side, then plunge her beak into her dish and spray water in a little halo around her head. It was clear she’d never do that again.

So Concord will arrive at a bustling beach town, meet the townsfolk, be given a place to crash, plonk themselves down on a big leaf, make the most heart-melting resting animation, then conk out. Each morning, new requests come in from the villagers. Repair a bridge, beat down some bad slimes, collect and deliver a rare resource, and so on. Complete tasks, level up the village, get access to new weapon upgrades and other shinies. It makes for lovely “loops within lines” progression, letting you alternate between climbing the beanstalk and enjoying the view, whenever the mood takes you. 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. By Mary Ann Lieser, published originally in 2019, in GreenPrints Issue #117. Illustrated by Christina Hess Explore a lush, living world: Immerse yourself in The Grove’s vibrant, organic ecosystem with four distinct (and adorable!) regions to enjoy. I love gardening stories. They may be humorous, scientific, whimsical, or even tales of frustration and wonder. Why, after all, can everyone around me grow beautiful lavender plants, but mine seems like I just dug them out of the basement? I’m sure there’s a story there! Plus, there’s no shortage of material. Had a run in with Japanese Beetles? Did your little pet turtle turn into a giant that rearranges lawn furniture? Or perhaps you discovered something special and magical in your garden. Or you learned a lesson about how quiet time in the garden can heal a troubled soul. You, my friend, have gardening stories.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 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.