I like Garden Paws a lot because it combines some of my favorite types of games: RPGs, farming simulators, and open world exploration games. Garden Paws is similar to a lot of farming games like Stardew Valley. You can farm, fish, catch wild animals as pets, mine for resources, and battle monsters. You can interact with the environment by cutting trees and crops, or feeding wild animals. You can also interact with the villagers by chatting, doing quests, and buying their products. The best part is that every player in the game is a cute animal character.
The mechanics:
- Player has basic tools and the ability to build (similar to Minecraft)
- Player collects resources from their farm and the environment around them
- Player has limited stamina and health that is depleted by certain actions. They replenish their health by eating or sleeping.
- Players can raise crops and livestock
- Players can sell their resources everyday for cash
- Players can use the cash to purchase more resources or upgrade their farm
- Players have quests that they can complete from the villagers
- Players can play with other real-life players in the same world/farm
The dynamics:
- Players can domesticate wild animals, which can then produce resources for the player like wool, eggs, etc. Players can then use those resources to build nicer items and sell them for money.
- Players can purchase seeds for crops, raise them, then sell them for money to either buy more crops or buy blueprints to upgrade their farm buildings.
- Players must interact with their environment in order to collect resources needed for quests and tasks. For instance, you can cut down trees for wood, cut plants to collect ants for fish bait, or forage for berries.
- Players are limited by their daily health and stamina, which controls the amount of energy they can exert per day and the number of tasks they can complete.
- Players can work together with other real-life players to complete quests and maintain the farm.
The aesthetics:
- Submission: Garden Paws is a very relaxing and aesthetic pastime. The characters are cute, the music is soothing, and the environment design is charming.
- Discovery: This is an open-world game where you can explore your surroundings and interact with the environment.
- Fellowship: Since there is a multi-player element to the game, I’d say that Garden Paws is a social framework game since you work together with fellow players + the villagers in order to make your farm and your community successful.
