TL;DR
Cloud Gardens is a visually striking game where you transform post-apocalyptic dioramas into lush gardens by strategically placing objects to encourage plant growth. While its retro aesthetic and soundtrack are charming, the gameplay can be frustratingly obtuse. The game lacks clear tutorials, and understanding how "things" foster growth is often counter-intuitive. Expect to experiment and potentially restart levels without understanding why. Even creative mode suffers from control issues. It's a game with great potential for relaxation, but its cryptic mechanics can hinder the experience. Discover if the beauty outweighs the bewilderment in our full review.
Each level in Cloud Gardens presents a small diorama of decaying infrastructure, featuring buildings, vehicles, and roads. The player’s objective is to cultivate greenery within these scenes, transforming them into verdant environments. This is achieved by strategically placing various objects to stimulate plant growth.
Cloud Gardens possesses a compelling aesthetic, characterized by stylish visuals and a retro-inspired soundtrack. However, the initial gameplay experience can be perplexing. Each level requires strategic placement of objects to encourage plant growth, initiated by sowing a seed. Initially, the relationship between object placement and growth patterns may seem unclear, potentially leading to player frustration.
The game lacks dedicated tutorial levels that would provide clear guidance on its core mechanics. Progression through the initial levels can occur without a complete understanding of the underlying systems. This can result in encountering larger, more complex levels where progress is abruptly halted, necessitating restarts without adequate explanation.
The game’s core premise, that the addition of “things” fosters plant growth, can feel unintuitive. A more logical approach might suggest that the opposite would be true.
Even after achieving a basic understanding of the game’s mechanics, new levels can introduce further ambiguity. For example, one level featuring a scrap car provides only old tires as placable objects, the effect of which on plant growth is not immediately apparent. This can lead to experimentation and a diminished sense of relaxation.
A Creative Mode is also available, enabling players to construct custom environments using unlocked building blocks. However, this mode suffers from the same control issues as the main game, potentially hindering the creation of elaborate designs.
In conclusion, Cloud Gardens offers an appealing aesthetic and atmosphere when its mechanics function as intended. However, the game’s sometimes illogical mechanics and cryptic objectives can lead to frustration, undermining its potential as a relaxing experience.
Coatsink Software provided a review code for this evaluation. The provision of materials does not influence our editorial process.
