For the last three years, developers at The Voxel Agents have been hard at work on their new game The Gardens Between. This small team of four based out of Australia have been building a beautiful time-based puzzle game unlike anything else we saw at Playstation Experience. The closest comparison to the level design would be Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker and even that is a stretch.
The Gardens Between takes place on a surreal island set against the backdrop of childhood dreams. Throughout each level you will find reminders of your childhood such as board games like Jenga, old video game systems, and even a VCR. As you make your way through the levels you control time rather than the characters themselves.
Best friends Arina and Frendt find themselves on a number of different garden islands where they must manipulate time and solve various puzzles in order to leave. In an attempt to be accessible to players of all skill levels, the game starts out with puzzles that, while incredibly enjoyable, won’t have you cursing out of frustration. As the game progresses the challenge is ramped up, but from what we played you’ll never feel like the levels are unsolvable. They want to be respectful of your time and create a relaxing experience for anyone who plays it. As you complete the levels the developers say that a story will unfold about friendship, childhood, and growing up. They compare the setting to that of Wonderland and, as you complete each puzzle, you will be given another piece of the narrative.
The game controls incredibly well. As you manipulate time in order for the characters to progress, you interact with the environment in the past, present, and future. On one occasion Arina must move back and forth though time in order to cut a piece of wood with a saw. This creates a ramp that Frendt can use to reach the level where she is waiting in order to move forward. The puzzles only continue to get better from there. The moment when you finally realize how to solve a puzzle is so satisfying and you could see the delight on their faces as you come to these realizations.
The Gardens Between is shooting for a release date in the third quarter of 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Steam. This was definitely one of the highlights of our second day on the show floor so we’re definitely hoping that The Voxel Group hits this window and we’ll be playing it next year.
