Botany Manor is a relaxing, atmospheric puzzle game full of beautiful plants. But a more serious story is emerging in the background.
What is it about?
Botany Manor is located in 1890, in a beautiful British country house surrounded by all kinds of palatial gardens. You take on the role of retired botanist Arabella Greene. She researches special, rare, mysterious – and fictional – flowers that only grow in special circumstances.
What should you do?
So gardening. But really: screwing it up, getting out and enjoying the atmosphere. In order for such a plant to bloom, you often have to do a lot of work. Step one: find seeds. Step two: collect clues about the specific location of the plant. Step three: let the special plant grow.
In this way you will learn that the ‘Ash plume’ needs heat to germinate. And only flowers in the smoke of a certain type of wood. Everywhere you come across books, letters and pictures that don’t contain much information. Step by step you solve the mystery of nature.
There is no violence involved. There is also no time pressure. This is a particularly fun game that you can play through at your leisure. But, you want to keep playing. This is mainly due to the comfortable and seemingly endlessly furnished country house.
At the beginning, many rooms are closed, but gradually you will get more and more access. And what does it look like behind almost every door? More plants, more secrets, and even more doors. The stately building seems to be an almost endless series of inviting rooms and gardens.
That brings with it one small drawback. The clues can be found in different rooms and gardens, but you won’t see them in the center. That sometimes causes unnecessary running back and forth. So be sure to take notes. Or, if you’re as lazy as I am, take a screenshot regularly.
Does Botany Manor have a story too?
Gradually you learn more about Arabella Greene’s life, mainly in the form of letters you find here and there. She is intelligent and ambitious, wants to learn more about the wonderful world of plants. But as a woman in 1890, this was made impossible for her. In rejection letters, male professors describe her research as “reserved,” fun for her gardening club. But at the university they only do ‘real’ science.
As I played, I felt my frustration grow and grow. While you find the most amazing flowers, you read the most accurate messages from arrogant scientists. This subtly creates a deeper, emotional level in a smart, inviting game.
Who is it suitable for?
Botany Manor has only two conditions. You have to be able to speak enough English to understand all the suggestions and you shouldn’t be too busy with your real garden to take care of all these fictional plants. In terms of time, the game comes at an unfortunate time: just when the grass needs to be cut again, seeds planted and weeds pulled. It just depends on where your priorities lie.
One point of attention for those who are sensitive: the game can cause a feeling of motion sickness in some. The developer is also aware of this and has special options in the opposite menu. motion sickness added. That’s great, because gardening, above all, should still be fun.
Botany Manor is available for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC. Developed by Balloon Studios and published for Whitehorn Games. Age: 3+
2024-04-21 06:17:00
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