Review: Blueberry Garden (PC)
“Blueberry Garden” was developed by Erik Svedang with music by Daduk. The game was the winner of the Independent Games Festival 2009 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. This places it in such lofty company as “Crayon Physics Deluxe,” “Aquaria,” and “Darwinia.” So what is Blueberry Garden and what makes it so unique and fun?
To start, this is definitely one strange little game. It is a platforming game at its heart but one that plays differently than anything else. The protagonist is a rather odd looking fellow with a beak, who has the ability to float across the level with an almost dreamlike quality. He can eat fruit which affects the level layout in various ways. These changes are left to the player to figure out.
While there are little question marks scattered about that offer hints about what to do, the general feeling is that it is up to you to figure everything out. There is no story per se, but it becomes clear that someone or something has left a water spigot turned on full blast and it is your job to turn it off. As you go about gathering an odd assortment of objects to build a tower to reach the spigot, the water level slowly rises. On one play-through I missed the spigot by an inch and watched as the Blueberry Garden was flooded.
The music is truly remarkable. Daduk has crafted a truly memorable score that adds to the experience immeasurably. The soothing piano music and art style blend together beautifully to make you forget that drowning is imminent. The relaxing vibe is magnified by the art style which looks like a children’s book come to life. The music and art blend together and leave the player with a feeling of wonder. It is not often that a game is able to tap into that feeling of childlike innocence. I don’t think a direct sequel is necessary, but I for one want to know more about this strange little world and its odd little inhabitants. Hopefully, Mr. Svedang has another adventure in store for us.
While the game can be finished in about 30 minutes, it oozes so much personality and heart that anyone with an appreciation for originality has to give it a try.
For a measly $5 on Steam, I heartily recommend this weird and wonderful game.
Tags: blueberry garden, independent games, Independent Games Festival 2009 Seumas McNally Grand Prize, PC, platformer
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 8:30 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Jonah "spambot" Gregory says:This definitely sounds like a game I need to play. I’m glad it was included in that crazy Steam bundle I picked up.
August 12th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:I bought the independent games pack but i havnt tried this one yet. Mostly just been playing audiosurf