The UnderGarden has finally come to the PlayStation Network, but is it worth the time to step away from fast paced retail games for a soothing break? The relaxing atmosphere is worth it, but can be ruined by a few unnecessary, frustrating moments.
The UnderGarden
Developer: Vitamin-G
Price: $9.99
Platforms: PS3[reviewed], Xbox 360, PC
The UnderGarden does not feature a plot, but the player is left to interpret their own story of why this mysterious character is floating around blooming flowers in a world that is as mysterious as the character. The environment is dark and lifeless, only altered by the flowers and music that is played in the background (more on that later). The environment, when colored in by the flowers, is beautiful to see. The levels lack a little variety, however. There is different puzzles in each level, but it feels as if many of the levels are just redone with alternate routes, leaving me feel as if I was doing the same level with a different path and different puzzles.
Gameplay is simple enough. The character floats around collecting pollen that is used to bloom flowers which colors in the environment, as well as grow fruit that can be used for solving the puzzles. The puzzles typically require you to lower or raise a boulder like object to allow you to carry on. Different fruit is used for different occasions, for example: heavy fruit is used to put weight on levers, and light fruit is used to raise levers, as well as explosive fruit that clears out certain obstacles. I enjoyed the different fruit and had no problem with their different abilities, however, I had a problem picking up and dropping the fruit. Some of the fruits, like the explosive fruit, blows up when the character drops it, or the fruit that works like a light bulb, goes out once the player drops it, making it an annoyance when I accidentally dropped something. This annoyance comes from the pickup and drop being the same button, making it difficult to carry multiple objects at the same time. I would have much rather preferred there being separate buttons for picking up and dropping objects.
A cool addition to the game is customization for the main character. The player can unlock several different color schemes for the main character, as well as different horns, and silly objects like a helmet, or a top hat with a mustache attached to it, that give a little more personality to the character. I was surprised to find how many combination’s to dress my character, and found this to be very rewarding after completing some of the frustrating levels. The costumes also add a little more “cuteness” to the characters, which I liked a lot.
The music is as unique as the environment. A constant soothing soundtrack is played in the background that can be altered by musicians that are spread out in each level. The musicians add several instruments, like percussion, flute, or even string instruments, which adds an extra layer to the overall music being played in the background. The player can pick up the musicians, and group them together to add color to the background music, which offers more energy to the soundtrack. But picking up the musicians felt more of an annoyance in some situations. For example, I would have to drop musicians to pick up fruit in order to solve a puzzle, but this would lead me to sometimes losing a musician, or accidentally leaving them behind. They would also get snagged on a wall when I was pulling them along, which meant I had to back-track to free them so I could continue on with the level. It felt easier to just leave the musicians behind, which is a shame because grouping the musicians together adds a layer of entertainment to the experience.
The UnderGarden offers drop in and drop out co-op play. The second player can do everything the first player does, which can make solving puzzles, and carrying multiple objects at a time, much easier. The second player can not go very far, however. Whenever the second player goes off the screen, he or she will spawn next to the first player,allowing them to never separate. The only problem I have is that the multiplayer is limited to local play. I would have enjoyed joining in with someone online, to solve puzzles, and find all the collectibles.
The Final Word
The UnderGarden delivers a unique world, that offers a beautiful environment, and a fitting soundtrack that sets the mood for each level. Customizing the appearance of the mysterious characters quite enjoyable, and searching for the collectibles can pump more time into this title. But frustrating controls, that lead to unnecessary accidents, can quickly pull the player out of the zen like state mind the game tries to set up.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average
