Apr 30, 2023 - Day 120 - NewPlay Review
Total NewPlays: 135

Game: Scrap Garden

Platform: Steam
Release Date: May 7, 2016
Library Date: Sep 26, 2020
Unplayed: 946d (2y7m4d)
Playtime: 34m

Sometimes I encounter a game where the visual design is gorgeous, the music is perfect, and then the gaming elements seem to be tacked on.

Unfortunately, Scrap Garden feels like one of these games.

Scrap Garden is a 3D-ish platformer. You control a small robot, apparently the only robot to survive a calamity that has wiped out robot society, and needs you to find out what went wrong and fix it.

The character design and atmosphere all blends together beautifully; it feels like all of the love and affection by the devs were poured into these elements, then the gameplay was just kind of pasted over the top, with a voiceovers & voice acting meant to patch over the cracks, that feels more annoying than informative.

It's not a bad game, by any means, but there are enough rough edges in the gameplay to leave me feeling just mildly frustrated.

The controls feel muddy, which is not great for a platformer; I felt like I was constantly fighting with the follow camera. Then in some sections of the game, it becomes a 2.5D platformer with a fixed camera, and a new set of frustrations with controls & obscured angles.

It looks like a gourmet meal, but tastes like McDonalds.

Scrap Garden is:

3: OK

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