Games for Lunch: Gardening Mama
In a nutshell: All of the pretty flowers, none of the messy dirt.
4/23/2009 9:41 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Kyle Orland
Status: "You can't get quality video game editorial from a value menu!" "No, really, you can't."
Developer: Cooking Mama Limited
Publisher: Majesco
Release Date: March 31, 2009
System: Nintendo DS
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site
0:00 I feel a liberal amount of liberal guilt for not celebrating Earth Day this week, so I'm doing a belated observance by playing this Earth-focused game ... on an electricity-guzzling system. Er...
0:01 A bright sun on a blue sky. Chirpy music as the camera pans down to an insanely happy gardener and little kids hopping in and out of the scene. Blooming flowers bop along to the music in the background. CUTE!
0:02 "Let's Get Growing!" Cut to an overhead view of a green field, with Mama's face smiling in the middle. I can choose from one of two growing stations: red tulips or yellow pansies. I ain't no pansie -- even though I'm playing a gardening game -- so I'll start with tulips.
0:03 Bulb-planting time! I choose the practice mode to figure out what's going on. First I have to open the bag o' bulbs with a few staple-removing swipes. Then I have to pick out the blemish-free bulbs that match the sample. A bit too simple for me, but the tinny "Perfect! Better than Mama!" chirping out of the speakers makes it plenty rewarding.
0:05 Next up is the always pleasant fertilizer pouring. I have to tilt the bag just long enough to fill in a white dotted line area in the soil. I pour too much at first, but quickly get into the rhythm of the thing. Requires a kind of deft touch and some decent timing. I'm digging it.
0:06 Next up: scooping up the soil in little piles. I follow the directions, swiping down and then up in a diagonal motion, but for some reason I get a failing grade. "Don't worry! Mama will fix this!" says Mama from the top screen as blazing fire sparks in her eyes. OMG SHE'S A DEMON! RUN!
0:07 Ah ... I got it down on the second practice attempt. It seems I was swiping too fast and far with my shovel. A light touch is needed for the smaller clumps. Too bad the interface and directions didn't make this more apparent ... I consider myself lucky to have figured it out.
0:09 Now for the actual bulb placement. A large green drill digs a hole into the ground with a zigzagging stylus motion. Then a tap to place the bulb and some swipes to fill in the dirt. Easy peasy!
0:12 Watering is next up. A gentle tilt of the water can slowly fills the gauge on the top screen. The timing is interesting here ... once the ground is saturated, the water continues to seep in briefly after the watering has stopped. Again, a soft touch is key.
0:13 Enough practice ... I'm going to try putting it all together in order. Catch you on the other side with what I hope will be some amazing flowers.
0:17 Everything went absolutely perfectly, except for the scooping. Turns out I need to work on my stroking speed (That's what she said!). It's OK; I still got a score of 90 and a life-affirming "You're good at this!" message from Mama. Plus a random "Garden Item" present that looks like a toilet with hands. Really, I don't know how else to explain it, and it's not identified with a name or anything.
