My hype for The Voxel Agents’ The Gardens Between has been real. From writing an article for this site to posting my joy on Twitter, I literally haven’t been able to shut up about this game. Upon first seeing the trailer, I was enchanted by the whimsical visuals and serene mood. It looked different than anything else on the Switch and I knew I wanted to play it. Needless to say, my expectations were high.

Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Developer: The Voxel Agents

Publisher: The Voxel Agents

3 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $19.99

The Gardens Between starts on a stormy evening. Two friends, Arina and Frendt, sit in their treehouse before they are whisked away on a journey through their memories. These memories are represented by groups of islands, all of which are composed of items from their shared experiences. Dinosaur bones cover one island, while paintbrushes and wood litter the next. Surreal and dreamlike, the locations in this game are breathtaking. When players successfully make their way through an island cluster, they are rewarded for their progress with a small snapshot from Arina and Frendt’s friendship. These snapshots show from which memory these gorgeous islands were created. In this way, players learn about the protagonists’ friendship in small, bite-sized chunks.

An example of the charming islands found in The Gardens Between.

Dialogue doesn’t play a role in exploring the twosome’s friendship, but The Gardens Between masterfully portrays both children as complete characters. Both Arina and Frendt have their own personalities, despite never saying a word. As I played through the game, I found myself watching both characters carefully. During what moments does Arina take the lead? When does Frendt march ahead of his friend? What sights distract each of them? As someone who has spent most of my adult life in the throngs of academia, I found a certain pleasure in analyzing the body language and behavior of these dual protagonists. The Gardens Between should be used as an exemplar for future games wishing to master the art of showing a story, rather than simply telling one.

A tender moment between friends that attentive players can catch.

Most importantly, this is a game full of tenderness. The visuals, paired with Tim Shiel’s pleasant music, filled my heart with warmth as I played. When I saw Arina and Frendt hold hands, I couldn’t help but smile; this game perfectly captured the closeness of intimate friends in a way that I’ve never seen before. Often, while playing, I found myself reflecting on my own friendships, warmly recounting sweet moments of times long passed.

The aesthetics of this game are perfectly curated to my personal preferences, and the same can be said of the gameplay itself. At its heart, The Gardens Between is a puzzler. To progress to the next level, a lantern-equipped Arina, followed by Frendt, must get to the top of the island. Once there, Arina lights up a gate that takes the friends to the next level.

The goal is to get to the top of each of these islands.

This simple task becomes a puzzle because players do not control the movement of either character; they can only control time and, occasionally, ring bells that cause lanterns to light up. On top of that, there are environmental obstacles that add a level of challenge to the game. These include, but are not limited to, lanterns that steal light, dancing robots, and clouds of smog.

Despite the simple mechanics, the game’s puzzles never become boring. New challenges are added with almost every level, and players are pushed to think outside of the box when it comes to solving problems. One of my favorite examples was when Frendt fiddles with an oversized radio. As he changes the station, different music plays. Depending on the tune, one of the various robots found on that island will move to the beat. Because, naturally, different robots like different types of music. As a player, I had to figure out when to play which music to get my lantern light to the top of the island. This was a fun, unexpected, and delightful use of the beautiful environments that litter the islands of The Gardens Between.

The game is almost always peaceful and beautiful.

The game is challenging at points. More than once I found myself unable to progress and unsure what to do next. Despite these challenges, I was never upset at my lack of progress. With the exception of one puzzle, where I had to get a friend’s help, I was able to solve each island by retracing my steps and interacting with the environment around me. This helped me remain optimistic whilst playing the game, a quality that I think is important in puzzlers.

My biggest complaint when it comes to The Gardens Between is that it is so short. The time I got to spend with the beautiful worlds, quaint puzzles, and delightful characters passed me by too quickly. However, this is the best complaint one can have about a game. If you are at all a gamer who enjoys the carefully crafted worlds of indie games, I highly recommend playing The Gardens Between.

I had a delightful time playing The Gardens Between. Another favorite title of mine is Oxenfree! If you have another indie darling to recommend, join our Discord and let me know! All of our writing is done through the work of Nindie-loving volunteers, so please consider fueling our passion by buying us a coffee!