Botany Manor

• DEVELOPER: Balloon Studios
• PUBLISHER: Whitethorn Games
• PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch
• GENRE: Puzzle
• RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2024
• STARTING PRICE: 24,99€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Botany Manor is a really refreshing game that I fell in love with after playing the demo a few months ago. It’s not just because of the great graphics and interesting puzzles, but because it’s so relaxing and helps you escape from reality for a few hours. It’s a first-person game where you explore a beautiful manor filled with colorful background and environment, but it’s more about enjoying the journey through the manor than challenging your brain with difficult puzzles. In fact, all you have to do is follow the manual and various clues laying around before completing the chapter (there are five in total).

The year is 1890, and you play as botanist Arabella Greene, who is working to finish her botanical research book Forgotten Flora. As you play, you uncover more about the main protagonist (no spoilers here) through letters, posters and so on. The game is straightforward, showing you everything you need to do to progress. You must explore and interact with highlighted pictures, books, items or devices to move forward, leaving no hidden surprises along the way.

The focus of this game is gardening, but it’s rather simple than anything; you just need to get a pot, fill it with soil, plant the seed, and water it. The real excitement comes from all the strange and mysterious plants that need unique conditions to grow. These “puzzles” may involve squeezing the perfect amount of apple juice or adding heated water with a rusty pig souvenir in a bath tub for a plant to grow. It’s quirky and entertaining, while still being easy enough to finish each chapter quickly. Completing a chapter requires finding all the clues while exploring, but things can get confusing when there are multiple clues and plants to be discovered and cultivated within a single chapter. Improved organization would have made the process smoother, although personally, I didn’t struggle with solving multiple puzzles in one go.

One major drawback is the repetitive backtracking required in the game, as not everything is conveniently located on the map. It can become tedious to traverse the same areas multiple times to solve a puzzle, especially when the key item is on the opposite side of the room and you finally got a certain cue clicked in your head in that exact moment. Additionally, the lack of a rewarding feeling when a plant grows diminishes the satisfaction of completing tasks. Despite all the effort and problem-solving, the lack of significance in the plant’s growth leaves me feeling disconnected and simply moving through the chapters without much excitement. Not only that, I also do wish you could see the clues you’ve read in your book instead of having to go back and look for them again. Why can’t we just click on the clue inside the manual is surprising nevertheless.

Visually, the graphics in this game are undeniably stunning, complemented by a soothing soundtrack that accompanies you throughout the entire experience. Personally, I found myself wishing for more gameplay as the three hours I spent playing left me craving additional content. While the price of 24.99€ may seem a bit steep for the current gameplay length, I believe waiting for a discount before purchasing would be the wisest choice. However, this game does lack some accessibility points, like hints after certain period of time. If you do enjoy cozy puzzle games, then Botany Manor is perfect game for you. Other than that, it’s worth noting that there are no plans for future DLCs or additional content at this time.

Review copy provided by the publisher