Gardenscapes for PC and Mac

Software Reviews and Criticism

• By Juniper1989

  Love / Hate Relationship

  Love 1. I love earning stars to improve the garden because it takes the normal “3 swap” kind of game up another level. 2. There is more of a buy-in because you are trying to reach a goal other than beating the level. 3. Storyline is entertaining enough, yet short enough to not be irritating. Hate 1. Main pet peeve. They say to sign in to Facebook so you can play across devices. This is not accurate (for me at least). I have an iPhone and a Pc. It does not sync, and I received an email from the developer that says this isn’t a device issue. They do not sync across these two devices. Period. So if I want the bigger screen of my laptop, I have to replay any levels that I have played. So, I have pretty much abandoned by laptop version - it’s on level 65 and my phone is on level 655. It’s irritating. 2. Some of the stars needed to advance the story are a bit steep. 3. I don’t mind all the competitions because I just play when I have time. If I do well, great. If I don’t, whatever. 4. However! When you do earn free lives for X amount of time. It would be nice to bank those somehow - like a power up - rather than it automatically going into effect. It NEVER fails! I earn one when I’m playing one last game before I have to leave, go to bed, or whatever. UGH! So it goes to waste! Overall, I like this game, so I gave it a 4 star.

  
  
• By 69-Barracuda

  I like a little competition, but seriously...

  I’m totally in to this game. I like the challenge, and even the near impossibility of getting past certain levels. I think the storyline(s) are quite creative as new garden areas are unlocked. Seeing as how I’m a bot of competitive person by nature, I even like the tournaments. However, even as competitive as I am, I don’t want to be forced into having my score go toward either Fireworks or Rainbow Blast/Electric Show tournaments. Hence I rated this game “3 Stars” - the average of “1 Star” for being forced into constant tournament play, and “5 Stars” for everything else. I’m at such a level of frustration with the game, because every day is tournament day! I mean, seriously; no sooner does one end, then the next one starts. I really wish participation in the tournaments were optional (like doing the dog training). Many times I just want to play a few rounds - especially if I’m just goofing around waiting on something/someone. I can’t do that without having the pressure to participate in some tournament and maintain my league level. So now, I mostly just collect my daily spin, watch videos, and collect coins, power-ups, or extra lives. PLEASE Playrix team, do something about the constant “mandatory” participation in tournaments. I like a little completion, but seriously...

  
  
• By grumpy unhapy player

  So sad….

  Art work excellent. I have a love hate relationship with this game! Eager to see each garden take shape. Frustrated with the stingy rewards for how hard it is to “earn enough stars” to accomplish each goal. The game sets you up to fail repeatedly. Sometimes 20 times on each level before a combination appears that can be won. I like a challenging game but I don’t like being set up for failure! Don’t waste your money on power ups, they are not a guarantee that you can get to the next level. I saved up my power ups, to test them and see if they really made a difference on the hardest levels. They did not. You have no control over how they will be used in the game so they are often wasted because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time to do any good in beating that level. If your goal it to test your tenacity… this is the game for you. If you need to reduce stress… play some other game. I read the other reviews. Believe them. They have legetimate input on how this game could be inproved. I am on level 883.. complete 4 1/2 gardens… stuck on on level 883 been playing repeatedly for 2 days and still not a winning combination showing up in spite of powers. Apparently I have tenacity. Would appreciate some mercy from the creators of this game! It is just too difficult to be consistently enjoyable.

  
  
• By mfears

  Not Recommended

  It’s a really neat concept. Unfortunately everything in the “game” is designed to get you to spend money. I certainly don’t have a problem paying for applications. These games are very difficult to design and maintain. I want to support the development companies that bring this games to life but at a certain point, you are just throwing money away. This game is very extreme in its measures to get more money from you. It’s not really a game in the sense that skill is involved in any way. The software is designed to allow you to win at certain points in the game. For example, the game becomes impossible to beat for about 3 tries, then on the fourth try it becomes so easy that it basically gives the match to you. I believe the game concept is to create a level of frustration high enough that you will pay for more lives but not so high that you will quit playing the game. After I spent around $40 dollars, I deleted the software. So I’m out $40 and I don’t have a game to play. It’s not worth paying more than that to use the software. I managed to get to level 381 before I stopped. After a while, this software starts to feel like a slot PC just pumping in more money so I don’t feel frustrated with losing. Sounds a lot like a gambling habit. My advice is don’t ever start playing.

  
  
• By Beedottie

  Good, but not great.

  I enjoy playing this game when I just want to veg out, but it could be improved. The graphics are quite good and the character banter is fun. I also like the novelty of the “newsfeed”/Austin’s social media and especially the little bios for all of the other characters on Austin’s friend list. Like others have stated, the timed levels are annoying. You have no control over the drop, and if anyone walks into the room or there is any distraction in real life, poof, one life wasted, because I’m not going to ignore a human or my dog or whatever to try to beat a game level. Also, fairly quickly, the game progression really slows. By the third section of the garden — having the mason come fix the fountain — every task requires multiple stars, but there is no way to earn multiple stars in one go. Every level is just one star. Seems to me if some levels are going to be intentionally hard, or very hard, beating them should earn more stars. I’ll keep playing for now, but I imagine in the not too distant future, the game progression will become so slow, I’ll get bored and move on to something new. Also, it won’t let me sync my game on my laptop (Pc) and my iPhone even though I connected both to Facebook. So that’s another annoyance.

  
  

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