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Welcome to Botany Manor, a stately home in 19th century England. You play as its inhabitant Arabella Greene, a retired botanist. Explore your house and gardens, filled with botanical research, to figure out the ideal habitat for a collection of forgotten flora. Grow each plant to discover the mysterious qualities they hold…
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Story and Narrative
Analysis Unavailable
NA
Description unavailable
Summary unavailable
Gameplay
86
Critics praise Botany Manor for its engaging gameplay, creative puzzle-solving, and satisfying mechanics. While some mention minor challenges like high difficulty levels, the overall consensus is overwhelmingly positive. The game offers a compelling experience centered around puzzles, plant cultivation, and unique mechanics, showcasing creativity and strategy. Critics highlight the approachable controls, rewarding progression, and quality-of-life features, making Botany Manor a standout choice for gamers looking for a captivating and immersive gameplay experience.
The majority of the critics unanimously praised the gameplay of Botany Manor for its engaging and unique elements. Windows Central highlighted the game's approachable experience with consistently introduced mechanics, while Noisy Pixel appreciated the chilled-out and satisfying puzzle-solving experience with quality-of-life features. PC Invasion also commended the clever clue-analyzing puzzles that offer a good balance of difficulty and intelligence, leading to a rewarding gameplay experience. The game's focus on cultivating plants through solving puzzles, discovering growth requirements, and providing necessary conditions was well-received by critics, showcasing a blend of creativity and strategy in gameplay. While the overall sentiment towards Botany Manor's gameplay was highly positive, there were some minor criticisms raised by a few critics. GAMINGbible mentioned fast-paced platforming with engaging traversal mechanics but did not delve into any potential downsides. Guardian highlighted the challenging yet satisfying nature of leading Arabella through interconnected set pieces, indicating that some players might find the difficulty level to be a bit high. However, these critiques were overshadowed by the overwhelmingly positive feedback on the game's puzzle-solving mechanics, controls, and overall gameplay experience. In conclusion, the consensus among the critics is that Botany Manor offers a compelling and enjoyable gameplay experience that revolves around solving puzzles, cultivating plants, and exploring unique mechanics. The engaging puzzles, approachable controls, and rewarding progression were highlighted as key strengths of the game by multiple reviewers. Despite a few mentions of potential challenges in gameplay difficulty, the overall sentiment leans heavily towards the positive side, with critics appreciating the game's creativity, satisfying puzzle-solving elements, and quality-of-life features that enhance the overall experience. Botany Manor seems to have successfully captured the attention and admiration of critics for its well-crafted gameplay mechanics and immersive world.
Graphics and Visual Design
86
Critics overwhelmingly praise Botany Manor for its stunning graphics and visual design, highlighting its gorgeous aesthetics, attention to detail, and vibrant world. Despite minor critiques, the game's colorful landscapes, charming characters, and immersive atmosphere make it a visually appealing standout title.
The majority of critics were highly impressed with the graphics and visual design of Botany Manor, praising its stunning aesthetics and attention to detail. Windows Central commended the game for its gorgeous, soft visual style and fantastic animations, creating a vibrant and lively world to explore. GAMINGbible highlighted the stunning pixel art with retro sensibilities, visually engaging levels, and charming character designs, which added to the overall appeal of the game. GameGrin also lauded the excellent visual design, particularly noting the attention to detail in locations, buildings, and flora animations, capturing the essence of the English countryside. PC Invasion further emphasized the vivid and picturesque art style with smooth textures and rich environmental details, making the manor feel alive despite its emptiness. While the majority of critics had overwhelmingly positive feedback, there were some minor critiques regarding the graphics and visual design of Botany Manor. Noisy Pixel mentioned initial graphical issues that needed to be resolved but ultimately appreciated the low-detail yet effective art style with pops of color and standout foliage. This suggests that while the game's visuals were generally well-received, there may have been some technical hiccups that affected the overall experience for some players. Overall, the consensus among critics is that Botany Manor excels in its graphics and visual design, with the majority praising its stunning aesthetics, attention to detail, and immersive atmosphere. The colorful and well-lit landscapes, charming character designs, and vibrant art style contributed to creating a visually appealing and engaging experience for players. Despite minor issues mentioned by a few critics, the overall sentiment leans heavily towards the positive, making Botany Manor a standout title in terms of graphics and visual presentation.
Music and Sound Design
Analysis Unavailable
NA
Description unavailable
Summary unavailable
Voice Acting
Analysis Unavailable
NA
Description unavailable
Summary unavailable
Technical Performance
Analysis Unavailable
NA
Description unavailable
Summary unavailable
Replay Value
66
Botany Manor offers engaging gameplay and puzzles that make players want more, but its limited replay value due to short gameplay duration and lack of additional content may deter some from revisiting. Critics find the game enjoyable initially but question its lasting appeal for replayability.
In terms of positives, several critics highlighted aspects of Botany Manor that contribute to its replay value. GAMINGbible appreciated how the game encourages replaying levels for completion and offers bonus content like bonus levels and collectibles, providing players with reasons to revisit favorite stages. PC Invasion also noted the engaging puzzles and mysteries in the game that make players want more despite the satisfying six-hour experience, indicating a level of enjoyment that could lead to replaying the game to experience the challenges again. On the negative side, there were concerns raised by multiple critics regarding the limited replay value of Botany Manor. Windows Central and GameGrin both mentioned the relatively short gameplay duration of around three hours for completion, which may deter players from replaying the game once all puzzles are solved. Windows Central specifically pointed out the lack of a way to review clues in the herbarium, which adds to the replayability concern. Noisy Pixel expressed a desire for more secrets or a twist in the plot to enhance the replay value, indicating a perceived lack of depth in terms of content that would entice players to revisit the game. Overall, the consensus among the critics leans towards Botany Manor being an enjoyable but relatively short experience with limited replay value. Guardian highlighted the game's immersive and relaxing nature, offering a satisfying two-night experience despite not having high replayability. While PC Invasion found the game to be engaging and leaving players wanting more, the general sentiment from critics like Windows Central and GameGrin suggests that the short runtime and lack of additional content for replaying may hinder the game's lasting appeal. Collectively, the opinions indicate that while Botany Manor may provide a pleasant initial experience, it may not offer enough depth or incentives for extensive replay value for all players.
Overall Verdict
Botany Manor has received high praise for its charming gameplay, beautiful visuals, and relaxing atmosphere, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Myst and The Witness. Critics commend the engaging puzzles and immersive storytelling, making it an easily finishable and enjoyable experience. However, there are concerns about the high price, short length, and technical issues in the game. Overall, critics overwhelmingly praise Botany Manor for its charming atmosphere and engaging puzzles, with some even calling it potentially the best puzzle game of the year. Despite minor criticisms, the game offers a delightful and immersive experience recommended for players seeking a relaxing puzzle-adventure game.
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80
CRITIK
Reviews
54 reviews found90
Pcinvasion.com
Apr 8, 2024
This is an AI summary of the review and not a direct quote.
Botany Manor is described as a delightful and immersive exploration and puzzle game, potentially the best puzzle game of 2024, recommended for fans of cozy, exploration puzzle games.
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90
Gamingbible.com
Apr 9, 2024
This is an AI summary of the review and not a direct quote.
Pepper Grinder is an excellent indie platformer with jaw-dropping pixel art, engaging gameplay, and a unique sense of humor and joy. Highly recommended for fans of retro platformers and quick reaction-based gameplay.
80
Windowscentral.com
Apr 8, 2024
This is an AI summary of the review and not a direct quote.
Botany Manor is a charming and engaging puzzle-adventure game with a relaxing atmosphere and beautiful visuals. Despite its short length and some technical issues, it offers a delightful experience for players looking for a casual gameplay session.
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80
Noisypixel.net
Apr 12, 2024
This is an AI summary of the review and not a direct quote.
Botany Manor is a deeply charming and immersive title with a ton of promise, offering a delightful and easily finishable experience. It excels in storytelling and puzzle design, despite being relatively short.
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80
Theguardian.com
Apr 10, 2024
This is an AI summary of the review and not a direct quote.
Botany Manor is praised for its engaging gameplay, immersive environment, and satisfying puzzles. It offers a classic feel reminiscent of games like Myst and The Witness, with upfront accessibility options. The story, while not deeply personal, connects players to Arabella in a peaceful manner.
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80
Gamegrin.com
May 11, 2024
This is an AI summary of the review and not a direct quote.
Botany Manor is a charming puzzle game with a lovely setting, engaging puzzles, and a relaxed atmosphere. Recommended for fans of puzzles and botany, but the price may be a bit high for the content offered.
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100
Gamespew.com
Apr 8, 2024
There’s not a single misstep in Botany Manor. It looks fantastic, and it’s supported by a gorgeous, if sometimes subtle, soundtrack. It’s the puzzles that take the limelight, though: they’re almost flawless in design, requiring just the amount of brainwork to complete. The perfect blend of exploration and puzzle-solving makes Botany Manor an absolute delight — and as thrilled as we were that Arabella got to finish her book, we were gutted that it meant our time with her was over. This review of Botany Manor is based on the PC version of the game, via a code provided by the publisher.
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100
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