A Hero and A Garden review for PS4, Xbox One, Switch

A Hero and A Garden is interesting in that it mixes together two genres that some people have a hard time accepting as games. Part of the game is a visual novel, where you just press a button to advance the story along. The other part is a clicker game, where you…press a button to advance the story along, only in a different way.

There?s not a lot for you to do here other than click a few buttons, is what I?m trying to say.

But even though it?s not the most interactive of games, A Hero and a Garden is still charming in its own right. It follows the story of a prince who attempted to save a princess, but who destroyed a village and got captured by a witch in the process. Once he?s imprisoned, he has to work off his debt by tending a garden, selling fruit to the monsters in town, and paying off repairs — which is where you come in.

As you?d expect from a clicker game — or a visual novel, for that matter — A Hero and a Garden doesn?t ask much of you as all this is happening. You spend most of your time watching your bushes fill up with berries, at which point you harvest them with a quick click of a button. Occasionally the game takes a break to show you a short cutscene, but for the most part, it?s watching and clicking.

Obviously, it?s not for everyone. If you want any kind of action whatsoever, you won?t find it here. All you?d find is a cute little game about a prince becoming a better person, in a story via animation that looks hand drawn and a font that looks almost like Comic Sans. That may not sound like much, but it?s pleasant, and that?s more than enough for me.

Ratalaika Games provided us with an A Hero and A Garden PS4 code for review purposes.