Mushroom Garden HD ~ RIEview
Game Plot
Like Mandrake Boys, Mushroom Garden HD don't have a plot. Instead, you are directed to a piece of wood where you will be given a basic tutorial on how to grow mushrooms. While the whole appeal of Mushroom Garden is to collect all the different types of mushrooms, with no character story available for any of them.
Verdict (N/A)
Just as with Mandrake Boys, because there is no plot in Mushroom Garden HD, this section can't be graded. Unlike Mandrake Boys, however, there are no character stories available in this game.
Character Diversity & Personality
Mushroom Garden HD is a casual game where its main appeal is collecting different types of mushrooms. Unfortunately, there is zero interaction between players and the mushrooms. What the game does have are brief introductions of the mushrooms when you click on the mushrooms. Based on the mini introductions of each mushroom, I will say that there is a diversity of different mushrooms of different, fun personalities.
Verdict (4.5/5)
While there are no character stories for the mushrooms, meaning us as players won't have much information about the different mushroom types, there is still a wide diversity of mushroom characters in the game. I kinda wish we get to send them out on expeditions like in Mandrake Boys, but because Mushroom Garden HD is crafted with the sole purpose of only growing and collecting different mushrooms, I kinda understand why BeeWorks did what they did for the game.
Game & CG Art
There is no CG art for each individual mushroom, but the game does reward you with 2 CGs. You will get them at two points in the game: when you complete the normal collection, and when you complete both normal and mutated collection. The overall art style gives off a rustic vibe that is reminiscent of the 2000s era, and in addition some mushrooms are drawn in a whimsical manner.
Verdict (5/5)
For a 90s kid like me, this game really does take me back with the visuals. Aside from sentiments, it's really hard to dislike the art. Yes, there's not a lot of CGs if you want to put them as your phone wallpapers, but BeeWorks have worked on this matter with their other Garden releases. As ancestor of the other Gardens, this has done well to bring in players' love for the game and the mushrooms.
Game Mechanics
Mushroom Garden HD is geared towards a casual game with easy-to-learn gameplay. When you first start the game, you will be given a tutorial on how to go about completing your collection of mushrooms. Instead of buying seeds, you buy a period of time that you will be growing your mushrooms on your log. Each period of time will have the same time frame of freshness; so a 4-hour growth time will have approximately a 4-hour freshness before the mushrooms wilt. All mushrooms harvested will have a value of NP, which is the currency used to upgrade your equipments such as the log and the heat lamp you use. This becomes important because wilted mushrooms have a value of 0 NP – which is great to unlock your first collection of a wilted mushroom, but not great if you need that NP to buy upgrades.
Not only can you buy upgrades in the lab, you can also disposables. One of the frequently used disposable is to remove mold from log. Mold will grow on the log if you don't take care of the log. Another thing to note is that some logs are more susceptible to mold infestation, so you need to keep tabs to make sure your gardening is going well. Other disposables you can get are medicine to speed up growth, and device that prevents withering.
Verdict (5/5)
Easy to learn and easy to use gives Mushroom Garden HD full score on a smooth gameplay. For casual games it's important that developers know to what extent do their games want to capture their players' attention. Mushroom Garden HD has less functions than Mandrake Boys, meaning Mandrake Boys have more attractive points to keep their players' attention on the game and not to another game. Due to its simple-ness, Mushroom Garden HD will appeal to gamers who want a game that demands less of their attention.
In-Game Events
N/A
If you're looking for a game that is less demanding of your time, but still enough to pique your attention to not delete the game, Mushroom Garden HD. Mushroom Garden HD is easy to play with a cute and fun collection for the collectors. So if you're into games like this, what are you waiting for? If you're not into these sort of games, why not give it a go and see if it's to your taste? Who knows, maybe the fungi life is for you?
~ RieRie
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