As soon as I saw Whitethorn Games and Balloon Studios’ upcoming game Botany Manor, it immediately put itself on my wishlist. I like plants. I love plants. I also really like antique books about plants, and what does Botany Manor have? Exactly that.
I recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of wholesome, laid-back gaming, especially titles like Strange Horticulture or Garden In! – and anyone that enjoys plants or a wander around a stately English manor.
Botany Manor takes place back in the 19th century. The manor itself is in the heart of the English countryside and includes sprawling gardens with an impressive glass house. Within the manor lie many rooms to be explored and secrets to uncover, all in pursuit of finding out how to get pesky plants to bloom.
The game is a puzzler, with each puzzle coming in the form of a seed you need to grow. Clues are spread around the manor and its different areas, which tell you exactly how to get a blossoming bloom out of your saplings. Once it’s grown, the next area opens up, and you’re off to investigate the next herby holdup.
Our ‘rulebook’ is Arabella Greene’s herbarium where all the information you could ever need is found – except it’s empty. You need to fill it by discovering every piece of information the manor has to offer. While you do this you learn more about Arabella’s career and life as she works to clear the offending smog problems of her environment.
The short and sweet preview I got let me wander around the grounds and solve the first two plant-growing puzzles. The assumed time to do this was around half an hour, but I spent a little extra just taking in the sights and sounds. The music in this game is lovely with tinkly, soft melodies whenever flowers bloom and you reach a new area.
When playing a pre-release demo I expect some issues, but found none. I played Botany Manor on PC for this preview, it runs well on all graphics settings – even ultra-performance – and there were no bugs or glitches anywhere. I’m very excited to play this on Switch, as it feels like more of a curl-up-and-be-comfy game than sitting at my desk playing it on PC.
Keep up with all the Botany Manor updates on the game’s Twitter here. If you need some more wholesome game recommendations, check out our picks of the best wildlife games on Switch and all the hidden object games you could ever need.
