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About The Garden
The Garden is a visual novel by developer AngryRobo, released October 30, 2025 for PC and Linux. It’s a 30, 60 minute story centered on a garden, its inhabitants (rabbits, cats), and a tense, emotionally charged relationship between two characters. The narrative unfolds through dialogue, branching choices, and symbolic imagery, with a runtime too short to feel padded. It’s not a traditional dating sim or long-form RPG, this is a tightly written, niche experiment in tone and pacing. Best suited for players who prefer abstract storytelling and aren’t afraid of ambiguous endings.
Gameplay
You navigate The Garden through static backgrounds, character portraits, and text-heavy scenes. Choices pop up rarely but carry weight, selecting a dialogue option can shift the tone from melancholic to confrontational. The game’s core loop is reading, reacting, and re-reading scenes to catch subtle shifts in character dynamics. There’s no combat, no inventory, no side quests. A typical session lasts under an hour, with the story’s short runtime encouraging replayability to see alternate outcomes. Controls are basic (keyboard/mouse for navigation), and the minimalist design keeps focus on the dialogue and art.
What Players Think
The Garden holds a 4.2/5 on PlayPile, with 68% of players completing it. Average playtime is 2 hours 15 minutes, and 90% of reviews are positive. Community moods split 70% intrigued, 20% confused, and 10% conflicted. One fan called it “a haunting micro-story about control and decay,” while a critic noted “the pacing falters in the middle act.” With 25 achievements (30% completion rate), most players unlock 70% of content. Priced at $14.99, it’s seen as a low-risk buy for visual novel enthusiasts.
PlayPile's Take
The Garden is a polarizing, bite-sized story for fans of abstract dialogue-driven games. It’s not for those expecting resolution, endings feel more like interpretations than conclusions. At under $15, it’s worth trying if you appreciate minimalist design and aren’t put off by ambiguity. The 25 achievements add a light replay incentive, but the game’s true reward is its quiet, unsettling atmosphere. Not everyone will get it, but it’s a bold, memorable experiment.
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