A small, independent studio in China took inspiration from some of our favorite mystery games, and spun it into a delightful detective story spread along (you guessed it) the Yangtze River. It’s clever, humorous and educational all at once: we appreciated getting to learn a few factoids about the Chinese legal system in the late 1800s/early 1900s, and how defending yourself could be a real uphill battle.

It stumbles at the end with some puzzles that demand precise ordering of events, and even though they’ve patched this already, the English localization could use more work. Aside from that, we’d recommend this to just about anyone who loves a good detective game.

A great, tight, puzzle game that doesn't overstay it's welcome.

Botany Manor provides a novel, and unique, set of puzzles which are all about botany during the 18th century England. Taking me a little under 4 to complete the game doesn't give itself any time to get long in the tooth and that is to it's credit resulting in all of the puzzles feeling engaging and enjoyable as opposed to tedious.

It provides little in terms of story, but just enough to have a payoff after the credits roll. Which is another aspect of the game that works in its favour, as is the case with quite a few indie puzzle games where too much of a focus is put on a poor story that drags the rest of the game with it.

Accompanying the puzzles is an equally enjoyable setting, in which the game takes place - the titular Botany Manor, in the Somerset Countryside providing the player with an enjoyable set of views for the duration of the game. Which is further backed up by the games stylistic approach. Working hand in hand with the games art style the music to the game provides a relaxing atmosphere that doesn't grate on the ears, further enhancing the experience.

My only major gripe with the game would be that the sprint mechanic seemed to kick in as and when it wanted despite me having it toggled on the entire time. Sometimes I would move at a quick pace, but other times I would be going no quicker than the games walk speed. Sadly this elongated some of the late game puzzles which involved quite an amount of back and forth throughout the manor lands for me.

Brief, light, pleasant, Botany Manor has a fantastic set up and delivers on that premise but lacks any ambition to go beyond and become more than the sum of its parts.

Being given a book of blank pages and a gorgeous mansion to explore is intensely charming. Each page represents a flower with unique conditions for blossoming, which you're tasked with first deducing and then recreating within the grounds of the manor.

The puzzles have an escape room feel, key information is scattered around in notes and pages that you must cross reference until you puzzle out what your little sprout needs to grow. These puzzles are all delightful, each flower is fickle in its own whimsical way, but the logic is rooted in real principles of botany to help guide your intuition. Light, soil, temperature and even sound are the lingua franca of the floral world.

There's a feature to place relevant clues on a flower's page, which then "lock in" once you have the full set; it's usefulness is middling, you can't view information remotely and the puzzles don't have much overlap anyway. This feels like a half-hearted gesture at Return of the Obra Dinn's genius information managing system.

As is typical for this type of silent first person indie game the story and background must be inferred rather than shown directly. This is done through notes and objects that have varying degrees of subtlety regarding the themes of the game. This is where the game falters for me, not that I dislike the themes or feel that they're not important or emotional, but rather that the game is lacking a watershed moment that ties gameplay and narrative together as a cohesive Experience.

That said, ultimately it's a short enjoyable game that I didn't regret my time playing, so maybe you won't either.

Full review here: https://gameluster.com/botany-manor-review-a-garden-to-root-for/

There are times when I think Botany Manor asks too much of its players in terms of brainpower, and a few more hints and more easily manageable clues would have made a huge difference. However, I had an amazing time regardless learning about a litany of plants too fantastic to be real, and feeling the ultimate satisfaction of figuring out the solution and then executing it perfectly.

Botany Manor will be on Game Pass day one as well as for purchase, which is a huge get. Fans of escape room-like puzzles, gardening, and especially fans of both will no doubt fall in love with all the manor has to offer. The narrative is satisfying and paced extremely well, and I completed Botany Manor with a genuine smile on my face. And now, it is time to tend to my few real plants, and maybe try and replant those geraniums. After all, won’t it feel nice to help guide new life into this world?

A cute, creative, small and clever enough collection of mazes that can keep you entertained for an hour or so. I liked the simple design and the way each of them had a different way to go about them. By the end I was left wanting more but I can't complain about what I got.

Tired of solving the same old mazes in the back of kid's menues? Good, then this is for you.
Wanting to play a short puzzle game with some tea on the side? Good, then this is for you.
Going broke and wanting regardless to play a game for some time in order to distract you from the horrible economical and political situation that society is currently through which will most certainly leave a blow into your future prospects? Good, then this is for you... probably.