The Kingdom of Gardenia, a new garden building sim has launched on the Nintendo Switch from indie developer Little Ricebowl.
Its debut game features cooking, serving and story elements, and a unique combination of gameplay - Overcooked meets Stardew Valley, with a hint of classic Zelda, in part one of a four-part series.
Additional gameplay highlights include merchant trading and a suite of fun mini games including Robot Revenge, Alien Escape, Egg Hunt and Balloon Pop.
As Roman, an orphan and unemployed former soldier, players come across a job advertisement inviting them to hop on the next train to the mysterious Kingdom of Gardenia.
There they meet King Theseus IV, who hires Roman as a groundskeeper and interim steward of the West Garden.
Left to wonder ‘who’s getting off the train today?’ players are tasked with catering to the needs of visitors by getting to know them, serving their favourite food, impressing them with the wealth of the kingdom and delighting them with their favourite flowers, trees, or furnishings.
Players must beware though, there is an evil presence lurking in the shadows, trying to undo their good work!
The Kingdom of Gardenia is now available from the Nintendo eShop.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Link to download hi-res images: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1frb-pRewlxhlLfpKiDPgTIfVH0MK2p3h?usp=share_link
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOfm59aAro
Link to eShop: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/The-Kingdom-of-Gardenia-2298073.html
Game codes: Available upon request.
Gameplay Description
Fame - Earn stars from visitor reviews, which they will post in the train station post box as they depart. Visitor reviews are broken down into four categories, with one star awarded for each category: Food - feed them enough of their favourite food in the Tavern, Flora - place their favourite flowers, plants or trees in the West Garden, where they are likely to see them, Florints - impress them with the wealth of the kingdom, the local currency is Gardenian Florint, Fondness - get to know them, by finding the right time and place to talk to them, as they peruse the garden during their visit. Don't forget to collect your 'meet and greet' and 'bon voyage' bonus stars by greeting visitors at the station as they arrive and wishing them farewell as they leave.
Fortune - Earn money each day when visitors buy a ticket to visit the kingdom as they get off the train. You can also earn money by selling flowers, plants and trees to visitors from the Flower Shop and Tree Nursery, and selling food and drink to them in the Tavern. The more stars you have earned, the more items will be available to order in the shops, and the more visitors you will receive each day, giving you a better chance to earn more money.
Flowers - Earn Garden Points (GP) by filling the West Garden with flowers, plants and trees. These can be ordered in the Flower Shop and the Tree Nursery, your orders will arrive by train the following day. In order to place objects in the world you will need to discover the Neural Lace device, which is powered by the precious mineral gardenium, this can be obtained by mining in the caves.
Family - King Theseus is all alone, but for a number of autonomous beings who run the shops and help service. Help him find his son Prince Felix by tracking down, and dealing with, the nefarious Bat King, whose presence is currently casting a dark shadow over the land.
About Little Ricebowl
Little Ricebowl is the solo creator and developer of the game, The Kingdom of Gardenia, which is due to be released on Nintendo Switch. Based in Stockport, Manchester UK, Little Ricebowl was the nickname given to the first-time parent’s daughter before she was even born. She is half-Chinese and loves eating rice.
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