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Gardening Mama :: DS Game Review

Reviewed by on May 11, 2009
Rating: 4 Star Rating

Time to prove to Mama that you are not just a one-trick pony! Add some gardening skills to go with your expert cooking.

Mama moves out of the kitchen and shows that she has a green thumb under those oven mitts. Being a part of the same series, Cooking Mama and Gardening Mama share lots of qualities and gameplay elements. The vast majority of either game involves re-enacting real life activities through a mini-game. While in Cooking Mama, you did basic tasks that ended up with a meal, in Gardening Mama, you tend to different pots and plots to take care of the various flora that is growing in your garden. Each plant and flower require different things and different mini-games to accomplish them.


Just Like Mama Used to Make It!

Some of the mini games, like mixing and tilling the soil, are very similar to ones from Cooking Mama, just with a gardening twist to it. There are other games, however, like taking out seeds, scattering, and planting, that are completely new and different and would probably only work with a gardening theme.

Both games have lots of great mini-games, but Gardening Mama combines them with the gardening theme better than Cooking Mama did with recipes. As such, the player will feel a greater sense of purpose and direction while playing and feel greater satisfaction when things are going well. Be careful however! Some of the mini-games, like planting bulbs, may scratch your touch screen.


Make it Fancy!

The biggest difference and improvement in Gardening Mama is how the game is laid out. Instead of unlocking recipes, you have a big empty garden to fill out however you like. There are many pots and plots for you to grow plants in and you can even add to your garden beautiful arches and fences for vines to climb on. As the garden gets busier, you can walk around the garden and see the fruits of your labor. You can even customize how Mama looks and how the game looks by changing clothing and border images.


Better than Mama!

Gardening Mama is a simple, fun and rewarding game. The controls for the mini-games are good and there are both easy and challenging mini-games in the mix to keep you on your toes. If you enjoyed everything in Cooking Mama, you will definitely like this game. However, if you only like the cooking theme from the previous game, you may not enjoy this title as much.


Rating:4

Price: $29.99

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone


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