Gardening and farming are lifetime pursuits that appeal to many. Unfortunately not every devotee can have a physical garden or farm, making games of the genre an appealing choice. Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator on PlayStation 5 takes a neglected plot of communal land, and encourages transforming it into a thriving flower-filled place that can aid the local community too.
For those unused to first-person games, initially Garden Life feels odd to play with simply having the tool of a trowel or a watering can hover in the screen’s centre. Usually farming sims involve watching a full person, either 2D or 3D, perform the actions, rather than the horticultural instrument. Thankfully it doesn’t take long before viewing a fork in midair feels normal.
As often is the case for titles about taking care of the land, the initial garden area is full of weeds that need pulling up. The tutorials are easy to follow and in no time seeds are being sewn. The full range of seeds isn’t unleashed at once, which gives time to plan out different plant families. They can be moved so no need to panic if poppies are placed where daisies are wanted.
Once a vacant planting spot is chosen, the seeds are buried and then watered. Rainy days are celebrated for the sheer fact of not needing to water anything, which takes time. Keeping up to date with the weather forecast is as simple as stepping into the shed and looking at what has to be a magical wall calendar, which is beside the sleeping cat that purrs when petted. It is useful but not mandatory to plan ahead for when planting and harvesting can be maximised.
The shed is also where out-of-season seeds, handcrafted goods, and tools are stored, freeing up space in the personal bag for new seeds. Manually sorting plants by seasons can be beneficial from the start, as plants won’t grow out of season. The auto-sort button sorts the seeds into plant categories so all types of hydrangeas are grouped together. However, manually moving each stack into season order saves planting a plant that can’t grow. Seeds aren’t infinite, especially at the start when the quantity for each type is smaller than later on when extras can be purchased in town.
Given that some quests need certain colour variants that only bloom once the initial ordinary plant blooms (seeds are collected from flowering plants and the type of harvested seed is random), it can be a long wait to get to specific seasons. The exception is in the non-story creative mode where seasons can be changed at will in the shed.
Thankfully in both play modes it is possible to manually advance the day to the next, so time skipping can happen a day at a time. This is more convenient in the later stages when a scant few quests remain, so waiting for time to pass while plants grow is the main activity. Quest completion results in a monetary reward, or a useful tool or gardening item. The letter the quests arrive in are decorated to suit the requester’s personality, and only the outstanding ones are available to view. There also aren’t deadlines so there is no pressure to produce an out-of-season flower for a set date. This feature enhances the unhurried relaxing vibe of Garden Life.
The serene nature sounds and occasional music make it a perfect before-bedtime game to wind down with, or one that can be used as a form of incorporating real-world mindfulness into the day. Each session was looked forward to because of how restful it feels to grow a few plants and help people out. Without much deviation, playing the main story took about 38 hours, and that was without trying the creative mode that excludes the plot. There is a photo mode for those who like taking pictures, although there isn’t a protagonist so it is for admiring the pretty flowers that are easy to grow. The main plot involves creating objects for the local residents, and helping prepare for an important show.
