The Undergarden:
I though this game worth a mention in the game discussion forums as it’s got a wide appeal. No in ‘yer’ face action here, just a beautiful and very colourful casual arcade game that’s ideal for the end of a stressful day as it’s very relaxing. No timers or enemies to worry about, though there are puzzles to solve. I’ve just bought it and am enthralled as is my 10 year old daughter, so I purchased a copy for her steam account as well. The cost is about the same as most arcade games, though not as cheap as Big Fish games. No doubt it will appear on the Big Fish catalogue once the initial sales are over.
There is a demo available for anyone who is interested. If you’ve ever played a game called Aquaria, and loved it, you’ll certainly love this little gem of a game; the game play has similarities, though I don’t think it was made by the same game house. Calling all old hippies, this is a game for you. :)
You can check the game out on Steam or, if you don’t want to install the steam client directly from the distributors. You can also get the demo from the second link:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/9980/
http://www.atari.com/undergarden
The Game:
The UnderGarden is a casual Zen game that challenges players to explore beautiful underground caverns filled with strange life forms, sound, music and plenty of hidden secrets. Casual gamers with an affinity towards puzzle games will enjoy The UnderGarden’s modern exploration quest filled with brain teasing games that combine state of the art 3D rendering and physics based puzzles. Players traverse large underground worlds in search of members of their musical band. The goal is to bring them together and lead them to the surface. Along the way, players will encounter puzzles that must be solved and strange life forms that must be befriended or avoided. Provides a truly visceral and relaxing gameplay experience that gamers will enjoy as a contrast to the frenzied action of most popular core titles.
reference accessed HERE on 11th nov 22010
Key features:
• The Pick up and Play mechanics utilizes straightforward, accessible controls.
• Puzzles are physics based, solved by placing grown “fruit” that weighs down levers, or lifts up platforms to allow access to new areas.
• Environmental puzzles solved by growing exotic plants around the player. The world springs to life with vibrant colour and music as the player drifts past dormant seeds.
• Serene music and audio is threaded within the game to enhance user experience.
• Progress is driven by player’s own pace, desire to see their effect on the world, and exploration of new environments.
• First game of its type to offer 2 player co-op play.
• Casual Zen game design offers 20 different levels, each with a unique look.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPTzW-PN6nk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h53UuTjhVOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tnbo_mKzr8
Reviews worth reading:
http://www.mpogd.com/news/?ID=7096
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-09-the-undergarden-review?page=1
http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2010/11/08/review-the-undergarden-pc/
http://www.gamingbits.com/game-review-bits/the-undergarden-review/
System Requirements:
OS: Windows® XP SP2, Windows Vista®, Windows® 7
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo E4300 or AMD Athlon X2 3800+ or faster
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon X1650, Intel GMA HD 733mhz, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or faster
DirectX®: 9.0c
Hard Drive: 1 GB Free Disk Space
Sound: DirectX® 9.0c compatible