Gardenscapes Guide 

The game begins with the player inheriting a mansion behind which sits a once resplendent garden. With the help of the butler, Austin, your job is to restore the garden to its former glory by purchasing a wide variety of ready-made elements, ranging from shrubs and gazebos to birdcages and mini-golf holes. With all of the sales plus the added challenges, you’ll end up visiting each of the game’s 15 rooms maybe ten times over the course of the four or five hour story. That does make things start to feel a bit repetitive.And as a little bonus, your custom gardenscape can also function as a screensaver, with birds, butterflies, your butler, and your self-named puppy wandering about in the rain and sun.Austin focuses your efforts on specific sections of the sprawling garden one at a time and breaks each section down into a series of tasks. Many of these tasks are obvious needs—plant shrubs, add benches, fix a broken fountain—but some will crop up as you progress.

The fountain may flood while being fixed or a beetle infestation may be uncovered while patching the treehouse. This garden restoration is essentially a simple building or design simulator, and it’s supported by the other half of the game: the match-3 levels. In order to complete garden tasks, you’ll need to spend stars—simple tasks like installing benches will only require one star while more involved tasks, like building a treehouse, may require two or three. These stars are earned for beating match-3 levels—one star per level—and can be stored and saved up as a task-completing currency.

Uncovering hidden garden gnomes by making matches on top of grass; collecting flower tiles only after filling up a stationary flowerbox; digging through dirt to reach hidden emeralds; and contending with rotating lily pads, ice-encased fruit, piles of acorns, heavy boulders, and dozens of other obstacles all create very different challenges that are often combined in unique and interesting ways. Each time you complete a level, you’ll earn between 50-70 coins, with 70 being a very strong finish with lots of moves leftover that turn into bonus coins. This means that it takes at least 12 levels before you earn enough for even a single continue, and levels cannot be replayed for extra coins.

As in the previous Gardenscapes games, New Acres brings you to a mansion estate maintained by butler Austin and asks that you assist him in renovating the currently less-than-pristine grounds. Austin’s family has cared for this land his entire life, so he has fond memories of the area and the features it used to boast which have been withered by time and the loss of its last owner. Previously manicured lawns have become overgrown, sturdy trees have wilted, elegant statues have cracked and crumbled. This garden restoration is essentially a simple building or design simulator, and it’s supported by the other half of the game: the match-3 levels.

In order to complete garden tasks, you’ll need to spend stars—simple tasks like installing benches will only require one star while more involved tasks, like building a treehouse, may require two or three. These stars are earned for beating match-3 levels—one star per level—and can be stored and saved up as a task-completing currency.It’s Austin’s dream to work together with you, the new owner, to return the estate to its former glory. Austin focuses your efforts on specific sections of the sprawling garden one at a time and breaks each section down into a series of tasks. Many of these tasks are obvious needs—plant shrubs, add benches, fix a broken fountain—but some will crop up as you progress. The fountain may flood while being fixed or a beetle infestation may be uncovered while patching the treehouse. filling them with garden-appropriate tiles like leaves and apples, objects like lemonade and garden gnomes, and obstacles like dirt and flowerboxes. The boards are colorful and lovely to look at, with large puzzle pieces that have a gratifying tactility when moved. The power-ups you can earn by making matches of four or more are increasingly potent types of explosives that range from small, immediate blasts to extremely satisfying board-wiping eruptions. Many stages will require multiple replays before you achieve the goal, but victory rarely feels completely out of your hands.Each time you complete a level, you’ll earn between 50-70 coins, with 70 being a very strong finish with lots of moves leftover that turn into bonus coins. This means that it takes at least 12 levels before you earn enough for even a single continue, and levels cannot be replayed for extra coins.

This garden restoration is essentially a simple building or design simulator, and it’s supported by the other half of the game: the match-3 levels. In order to complete garden tasks, you’ll need to spend stars—simple tasks like installing benches will only require one star while more involved tasks, like building a treehouse, may require two or three.  Collect certain types of fruit, uncover gnomes, bring down lemonade, break acorns, and more within a fixed number of moves. Each new mechanic is explained as they’re introduced, so you never have to worry about feeling out of depth. These stars are earned for beating match-3 levels—one star per level—and can be stored and saved up as a task-completing currency.Austin focuses your efforts on specific sections of the sprawling garden one at a time and breaks each section down into a series of tasks. Many of these tasks are obvious needs—plant shrubs, add benches, fix a broken fountain—but some will crop up as you progress. The fountain may flood while being fixed or a beetle infestation may be uncovered while patching the treehouse. Austin will update and add tasks as needed when new problems or ideas arise, creating a dynamic world packed with surprises both good and bad.

The match-3 levels themselves are fairly standard for the genre, with variously shaped boards challenging you to different tasks ranging from collecting a certain amount of tiles to dropping items from the top of the board to the bottom.filling them with garden-appropriate tiles like leaves and apples, objects like lemonade and garden gnomes, and obstacles like dirt and flowerboxes. The boards are colorful and lovely to look at, with large puzzle pieces that have a gratifying tactility when moved. The power-ups you can earn by making matches of four or more are increasingly potent types of explosives that range from small, immediate blasts to extremely satisfying board-wiping eruptions. Uncovering hidden garden gnomes by making matches on top of grass; collecting flower tiles only after filling up a stationary flowerbox; digging through dirt to reach hidden emeralds; and contending with rotating lily pads, ice-encased fruit, piles of acorns, heavy boulders, and dozens of other obstacles all create very different challenges that are often combined in unique and interesting ways. Many stages will require multiple replays before you achieve the goal, but victory rarely feels completely out of your hands. New Acres provides the perfect cycle of challenge and progress, wrapped in a highly polished set of game modes that work together beautifully.