There’s something magical about games that can tell an entire story without a single line of dialogue. The Gardens Between is one such game—a visually captivating, atmospheric, and deeply moving experience crafted by the Australian studio The Voxel Agents. If you love games that are equal parts relaxing and brain-stimulating, it’s one you don’t want to miss.
In this blog post, I’ll dive into what makes this game so unique and why its minimalist design, paired with a nostalgic storyline, left me more emotional than I expected.
I’ll also share a personal experience that made me connect even more with the game’s themes of friendship and memory.
The Premise: Friendship in a World of Memories
At its core, The Gardens Between is a game about two friends, Arina and Frendt, exploring a surreal world shaped by memories of their friendship. You play by guiding them through a series of islands filled with puzzles—each island symbolizing a memory or shared moment.
There’s no dialogue, but the design of each island tells a story, showing how the characters’ friendship has been built over time. The game uses simple mechanics: you control time. You can rewind or fast-forward to manipulate the characters’ surroundings to solve puzzles, which gradually reveals layers of their memories together.
What struck me first was the visual style—it feels like you’re walking through an animated painting. Each level is crafted to evoke memories and emotions, whether it’s a backyard treehouse or an old VCR. The game captures those fleeting childhood moments in a way that’s warm, nostalgic, and sometimes bittersweet.
And trust me, by the time you reach the ending, you’ll feel a weight in your chest as if you’re saying goodbye to a dear friend.
Gameplay: Simple but Effective Mechanics
You control time in The Gardens Between instead of directly controlling the characters, which is both innovative and fitting for a game centered on memory. Arina and Frendt move forward or backward in sync with the flow of time, and your task is to figure out how to align certain events to solve each puzzle. For example, sometimes you’ll have to rewind so a bridge collapses at the right moment or fast-forward to activate lights that help clear paths.
The puzzles aren’t overly challenging, but they’re clever enough to make you feel accomplished when you figure them out. It’s a game about perspective, where you get a chance to step back and look at how moments in life connect. You can’t always control the people in your life, but sometimes, a shift in perspective is all it takes to find harmony.
The Emotional Core: A Nostalgic Journey
The Gardens Between does something special: it taps into the universal feeling of remembering our childhood friendships, those seemingly endless days of adventure. The game’s story revolves around those formative years when our friends are our entire world, yet life moves us in unexpected directions.
Personally, the game took me back to one particular friendship from my childhood. There was a small wooded area behind my old house, and my best friend and I would always play there, pretending it was a world of our own. We’d build makeshift forts, race on imaginary quests, and occasionally have small arguments over silly things—nothing too serious, but the kind of moments that, in hindsight, you wish you could relive. Life, as it does, eventually moved us in different directions. I moved away; he joined a different school. The simplicity and relatability of Arina and Frendt’s relationship brought back those memories in a way I didn’t expect. It reminded me that those friendships, even if we’ve moved past them, shape who we are today.
Visuals and Sound: A Dreamy Atmosphere
The game’s aesthetic is a blend of vibrant colors and soft lighting, with islands that feel alive with personality. Each level in The Gardens Between reflects a memory—think oversized game consoles, garden tools, or scattered toys, turned into elements of the landscape. The attention to detail in each memory-based puzzle piece feels nostalgic, like leafing through an old scrapbook.
And the music? It’s hauntingly beautiful. Composed by Tim Shiel, the soundtrack perfectly captures the dreamlike, contemplative feel of the game. Soft, ambient tones mix with occasional melancholic melodies, creating a soundscape that draws you in without overpowering the visuals or puzzles. It’s the kind of music you want to listen to when you’re feeling introspective.
Why You Should Play The Gardens Between
The Gardens Between is a short game—you can finish it in about two hours—but it’s an experience that sticks with you. It’s for anyone who’s ever had a best friend, anyone who’s ever looked back at a moment in life with a mixture of happiness and a hint of sadness. It reminds us that memories, even the ones that fade over time, are precious. The game takes you on a journey of discovery, letting you reflect on what it means to grow up and how friendships evolve or change.
In a gaming landscape filled with high-action titles, The Gardens Between is a breath of fresh air. It invites you to slow down, take in the view, and remember. And in a world that’s constantly speeding forward, sometimes that’s exactly what we need. So, if you’re looking for a game that’s not just entertaining but also emotionally resonant, give The Gardens Between a try. It’s a journey you won’t forget.