Cloud Gardens

With a fresh take on the puzzle genre and gorgeous aesthetics, bringing a barren world back to life with plants is more fun than it has any right to be. We hope for a couple of small updates down the road, but there is already more than enough great content here for any player to enjoy for days.

Cloud Garden is a peaceful puzzle game with plenty of levels on offer and a sandbox mode also in tow. It’s a simple and joyous experience for everyone.

All in all, Cloud Gardens is definitely a title that leans more towards experience than game, but its classification matters much less than how it feels to play around with its tools or the positive message it espouses. By focusing on creating and elevating green spaces, we can return our world to one where nature is in harmony and a balance is struck between humanity’s footprint and mother nature’s embrace. Spending a few minutes or even a few hours experimenting with Cloud Gardens feels like a worthwhile endeavor.

Cloud Gardens is a gentle-looking, gentle-sounding toy in the “chill” genre. It has a pretty good game hung on top, participation in which is largely optional. Noio’s stated aim “to fill you with satisfaction without the frustration” is a motto that’s been observed. Your mileage will vary based on what you find satisfying and what you find frustrating, but the gameplay, the themes, the music, the sound, and the graphics are all of a piece, admirably on-message, and contribute to a unique, bittersweet atmosphere.

Cloud Gardens is a lovely relaxing game and beautiful to look at, but it gets repetitive rather quickly.

While I can’t fault Cloud Gardens for its cool visuals or interesting themes, those things are ultimately lost to fiddley controls and a somewhat obtuse gameplay loop. Many players will likely enjoy the creative side of this game, but others will be left wondering why they are trashing up perfectly nice scenes.

Cloud Gardens walks a tenuous line between being a proper puzzle game and a challenge-less toy box. The result is an almost mindless yet relaxing experience that unfortunately overstays its welcome.