The Gardens Between
By: The Voxel Agents
Back in 2017 when The Voxel Agents announced their dreamlike adventure game, The Gardens Between, I desperately hoped it would come to iOS. But there was no plan to do so, and when it released in 2018 on PC and other platforms, I tried not to pay too close attention in order to keep my jealousy at bay. But it still seemed like it would be a great fit for the platform, so I didn’t entirely lose hope. There was still no word about it after it got a Switch release, but then out of the blue, just last week, they announced it was coming to iPhone and iPad May 17th. I was lucky enough to get a copy ahead of release and after just a few seconds with it, I knew this would be something truly special.
What originally captured my attention were the gorgeous surreal landscapes that mix nature with electronics and other man-made items. I didn’t know much about the gameplay itself, assuming it would be similar to OXENFREE, where you walk around and explore, maybe solve light puzzles. I was not expecting it to have such clever mechanics involving the manipulation of time. And I was right that it’s a perfect fit for touchscreens, as you simply swipe back and forth to move time, then tap on objects to interact with them. That’s pretty much it, but it’s surprisingly tricky. I’ve only spent a half hour with it, but it was hard to put down. The Gardens Between is something truly magical. I don’t want to say much more about it, since I’ll have a full review out for the release next week. But it’s a fraction of the price on other platforms, includes a number of GameCenter achievements, and plays in either portrait or landscape mode. It even had iCloud sync! So I think it’s safe to say you should pre-order it or grab it on May 17th when it’s out. This is not a game you want to miss out on. You can also watch some of my gameplay video above, but it’s more fun to discover the mechanics for yourself.
